Support our troops?

I received a chain letter saying that we should support our troops. The idea is that they put their lives on the line in order that the rest of us continue to enjoy the freedoms that we have. We should respect that, I think, but what if all the fighting and dying they do does NOT ensure our freedoms, or anything else that actually has to do with Canadian freedom (or American, or whatever)? What if the things we have and will have are the results of diplomacy, secret business dealings or other things that the average Canadian does not or more likely, cannot get involved in? What if the fighting and killing is just a diversion while the real stuff happens behind closed doors?

What if our troops risk their lives for nothing? What if their sacrifice does nothing?

This is why I have never fully been able to get behind the military. I despair that they and the rest of us are being lied to. Do we know for sure that the peacekeeping efforts are actually having positive results for Canadians or whoever they are supposed to protect? It's not that I don't trust the military, necessarily. Most of the people there believe (I assume) in an ideal. In what they are supposed to be fighting for, the good fight. But their leaders? The politicians? Who knows what their motivations are? I certainly do not.

I am going to send this entry to the one that sent me that chain letter and see how they react.