Should we not try to use these people to actually fight imperialism instead of asking them to go let themselves be killed as revenge for moral reasons?

In my experience, the vast majority of vets are broken people, whether it's physically broken, mentally broken, or emotionally broken. It's not us who need their help but them who need our help. We should not see them as heroes who will save the day but victims who need saving. There's no need to put them on a pedestal.