Soldier are sent into battle in order to die

When a soldier is killed in battle, we say that he has “died for his country.” No one will argue about this way of saying things. The soldier has “given his life” for his nation. But let’s put this slightly differently: soldiers are sent to into battle by nations so that they may die. Death is not an unforeseen event. We send soldiers to war so that they may die or be wounded—thus demonstrating the sincerity of our belief—the depth of our devotion to our nation’s sacred ideals.

Richard Koenigsberg