Given or Taken?

I wrote a while ago about some expressions in language which I dislike – there`s another one, that I`ve heard several times these last few days, which I also think is inappropriate to use. And that`s - “gave their life”. It`s been used a lot in different services/programmes especially relating to war times. Did those soldiers (and civilians) really willingly give up their lives. I can`t imagine that they purposely went out there to die which would be “giving” as it would be done intentionally. Surely we should say “those who died in war”. or even " those whose lives were taken through war".