The unforgiven: How do soldiers live with their guilt? | Strife

 

via The unforgiven: How do soldiers live with their guilt? | Strife.

By Kevin Sites:

When soldiers kill in war, the secret shame and guilt they bring back home can destroy them

November 2004, against a shattered wall in south Fallujah in Iraq, with video rolling, I conduct a battlefield interview with US Marine Corporal William Wold. He has just shot six men dead inside a room adjoining a mosque and is juiced with a mix of adrenaline and relief.

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The warrior of light recognises the silence that precedes an important battle. And that silence seems to be saying: ‘Things have stopped. Why not forget about fighting and enjoy yourself a little.’ Inexperienced combatants lay down their arms at this point and complain that they are bored. The warrior listens intently to that silence; somewhere something is happening. He knows that devastating earthquakes arrive without warning. He has walked through forests at night and knows that it is precisely when the animals are silent that danger is near. While the others talk, the warrior trains himself in the use of the sword and keeps his eye on the horizon. ~Paulo Coelho

Monday MIL-speak: 4/28/14

Waging war is a risky, all-encompassing endeavor physically, emotionally, and psychologically. It displays humankind at its best and at its worst, and the war fighter’s slang reflects the bitter, terrible, and inspiring all of it. A quick scan of these phrases illustrates the spectrum: disciplined bravado provides the glitz and glamour; earned camaraderie, the sincerity and warmth; irony, the realist’s edge; scorn, the punishing barb; and insistent vulgarity, a rowdy,leveling earthiness. A little verbal bravado and swagger has genuine utility. Hollywood bravado is little more than chest thumping bluster, but seasoned vets know that disciplined bravado indicates confidence and courage.

TA-50
(U.S. Army) Issued “Go to War” gear used by Soldiers during training or actual combat.
TA-100
(U.S. Army) Refers to overwhelming amount of TA-50. For example, “At Ft. Stewart, we got issued TA-100. It’s twice as much.”

Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction: 1967

 

On April 28, 1967, boxing champion Muhammad Ali refuses to be inducted into the U.S. Army and is immediately stripped of his heavyweight title. Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo military service.