If you sign up to kill people, and it’s not in reaction to an attack on your country, you are by definition just a mercenary. I don’t wish death on you, but I don’t feel much when you die and I don’t think you deserve any special consideration by society for your questionable career choice.
Agreed on “fuck them”. But they aren’t mercenaries.
They are paid to kill.
I think you might be confused about how words work