we would not find it heart-warming. We would use it as an example of how "they" cynically exploit the most weak and vulnerable members of society for military purposes.
There is a good reason why it is not commonly regarded as acceptable to recruit the mentally-challenged (or children) to join the military, even in a non-combat role. The ultimate purpose of the army is to kill or be killed in the service of the state, and those that we recruit should have the maturity and capability to freely assent to doing something with such profound implications. (Even in a non-combat role, because this frees up other soldiers to kill or be killed).
When militants in Iraq were accused of using Downs Syndrome suicide bombers - an accusation which was subsequently retracted, eg google "US: Bombers Didn`t Have Down Syndrome", AFP 20 Feb 2008 - we had no difficulty understanding this. |
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