If you were in the same position as Ukrainians are now what would you do?

[crazy canuck]

I'd stay and support medical personnel. I doubt anyone would want me handling a gun.

You would be a badass

I would stay and fight, but as with others here "fight" would be rather limited by age and general fitness.  I could be useful in an engineering or maintenance unit.  Were I over there now I would totally be one of those guys roaming around finding poor, abandoned Russian hardware and giving them the furever homes they deserve with the Ukrainian Army.

 

[Sheilbh]

Oh God I've no idea - I like to think I'd stay and help however I could. But I don't know in that situation, it'd be terrifying.

Fundamentally I'm unfit fatty with chronic joint pain so even if I did stay, I'm not sure I'd be adding much of value to the resistance. But as celed says I could definitely make someone waste a bullet in their attempt to seize Croydon.

[grumbler]

A large part of what would influence my thinking is my life is here.  Everything I have achieved is here.  The only part of what I have which is easily transferred to another safe country is money.  But the meaningful parts of my life (including my boys who would be required to fight) would be here.  How could I sleep if I left?  I suspect a lot of Ukrainians are motivated by the same things.

Yes, there are fates worse than death.  Trying to live with the fact that you selfishly abandoned all of your ideals and the society that could try to implement them would be such a fate, I think.

And, of course, you wouldn't get out of life alive in the end, anyway.

[Zanza]

No idea. Fighting in a war is hardly on my bucket list, but then sometimes you cannot  control your destiny. I guess peer pressure would influence me towards staying, but I would certainly not be the first to volunteer.

[Razgovory]

The problem is that none of us are under 30 except garbon and he's been 29 for nearly a decade.

[Valmy]

I would join the militia and fight once I got my kids out of there. I would hate every minute of it though. There but for the grace of God go I.

[Valmy]

The problem is that none of us are under 30 except garbon and he's been 29 for nearly a decade.

My grandfather's step-father was wounded in WWI and then re-enlisted for WWII and he was over 50. Granted he was driving trucks doing logistics support stuff. They can use us olds.

[grumbler]

I would join the militia and fight once I got my kids out of there. I would hate every minute of it though. There but for the grace of God go I.

You'd certainly hate a lot of things, but you'd be surprised how much you'd like being part of something like that, a cause bigger than anything you've served before, surrounded by people in the same boat* as you.

I'm blind in both ears and deaf in one eye, but I'd do something.


* former navy persons have to use that expression.

[mongers]

Compared to how fit I once was, now I know I could no longer do much of physicality of military life and fighting.

So I think I'd be best off being a stretcher bearer or working with one of the civilian rescue groups like the white helmets in Syria.

[grumbler]

Given the general lack of reserves of what is now every expensive infantry kit, I don't think that there would be a huge demand for grunts in any but the most static of roles.  Most of us would likely be used in logistics or manual-labor-type construction.

[crazy canuck]

And I can at least lift heavy objects and move them, so I would be of some limited use.

[Valmy]

I would join the militia and fight once I got my kids out of there. I would hate every minute of it though. There but for the grace of God go I.

You'd certainly hate a lot of things, but you'd be surprised how much you'd like being part of something like that, a cause bigger than anything you've served before, surrounded by people in the same boat* as you.

I'm blind in both ears and deaf in one eye, but I'd do something.


* former navy persons have to use that expression.

I would be the only member of the Texas militia to sing "Chanson de l'Oignon" while preparing for battle. 

[viper37]

I saw Question 8 on this poll from Quinnipiac University referenced in a couple editorial columns and I'm curious how Languish would respond.

With the caveat that you never really know what you'd do until you're actually there; I think (or at least I'd like to think) that I would stay and fight.  As a radio engineer I have skills that an insurgency would need; and I would feel guilty for the rest of my life if I didn't.

I voted stay & fight, but, really, I have a crappy health, so I'm probably better in some non combat role.  My skills are administrative in nature, so I can help plan, distribute resources, or drive a truck/car around.  Like everyone here, I have lots of experience playing strategy game, so I might see if my skills translate in the real world   (obviously, I'm not serious for the game part )


Where I 17-18, I'd likely be on the front line fighting the Russian.

No way I'm abandoning my home like some though.  No way I'm willingly collaborating with the Russians.

[viper37]

I would join the militia and fight once I got my kids out of there. I would hate every minute of it though. There but for the grace of God go I.

You'd certainly hate a lot of things, but you'd be surprised how much you'd like being part of something like that, a cause bigger than anything you've served before, surrounded by people in the same boat* as you.

I'm blind in both ears and deaf in one eye, but I'd do something.


* former navy persons have to use that expression.

I would be the only member of the Texas militia to sing "Chanson de l'Oignon" while preparing for battle. 

They'd send you with the Légion Étrangère regiment

[viper37]

If Sweden gets into a Ukraine situation it is because of our political leadership chooses to put us there, either by not joining NATO or by dismantling our defence. If Russia were to attack Sweden in isolation it would be quickly over and I would not be one of the casualties in that war.

We have every opportunity to get into NATO and safety, alas it would take too many decades to properly rebuild our army into a force that could hold off Russia.

I will not die because our leaders are doing a worse job than a five-year old.

Tbh, before getting to you, Russia has to swallow Finland, an independent country this time around.  I can't imagine Russia making a naval push for Sweden while leaving Norway and Finland "neutral".  It seems highly untenable, should alliances shift.