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pecuniumH/T to soldiergrrrl
Their War
It's simplistic, and shallow, but it raises some interesting points.
War is one of those things that, if you haven't been, you can't understand.
You can read about it. The Red Badge of Courage, Generals Die in Bed, The Old Breed, Dog Tags, The Soldier Prize will all give you a taste of what it was like.
You can add Birdy, and Catch-22, and Rumors of War, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Odd Shot in Anger, The Good Soldier and any number of history books.
It's a pale shadow of what it's like. Even someone like me who had a "quiet" personal war sees things, feels things knows things that are seen, at best, as through a glass darkly to those who have never been there. "Seeing the elephant" changes you.
I'll offer up this excerpt, from the article.
Col. David Close watches over the training of Marines such as Tuyishimire.
"When I think of patriotism," the colonel says, "I think of selfless service. I think of the people that are dying." Suddenly, his eyes redden. His mouth quivers. "I have a hard time with the families left behind." The words stop coming.
He's a tall, rangy man, hair bristling gray. He looks like a man who should be carrying a sword, not fighting tears. When he speaks again, his voice shakes. "The word patriotism rings hollow with that. There are no words for it. It can't be explained."
His voice steadies as he describes a scene that movies have made familiar: a recent death notification on the base, the official car driving through a neighborhood of enlisted family housing on a Saturday morning, the young women who were outside setting up a yard sale all going still, waiting to see where the car would stop.
"That's patriotism,"
soldiergrrrl Their War
It's simplistic, and shallow, but it raises some interesting points.
War is one of those things that, if you haven't been, you can't understand.
You can read about it. The Red Badge of Courage, Generals Die in Bed, The Old Breed, Dog Tags, The Soldier Prize will all give you a taste of what it was like.
You can add Birdy, and Catch-22, and Rumors of War, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Odd Shot in Anger, The Good Soldier and any number of history books.
It's a pale shadow of what it's like. Even someone like me who had a "quiet" personal war sees things, feels things knows things that are seen, at best, as through a glass darkly to those who have never been there. "Seeing the elephant" changes you.
I'll offer up this excerpt, from the article.
Col. David Close watches over the training of Marines such as Tuyishimire.
"When I think of patriotism," the colonel says, "I think of selfless service. I think of the people that are dying." Suddenly, his eyes redden. His mouth quivers. "I have a hard time with the families left behind." The words stop coming.
He's a tall, rangy man, hair bristling gray. He looks like a man who should be carrying a sword, not fighting tears. When he speaks again, his voice shakes. "The word patriotism rings hollow with that. There are no words for it. It can't be explained."
His voice steadies as he describes a scene that movies have made familiar: a recent death notification on the base, the official car driving through a neighborhood of enlisted family housing on a Saturday morning, the young women who were outside setting up a yard sale all going still, waiting to see where the car would stop.
"That's patriotism,"
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 08:27 pm (UTC)He notes that the nature of the all volunteer force is to create a system of isolational drift; a positive feedback, where those who aren't willing to adopt the culture, don't stay, and the culture risks becoming more extreme.
It's the only good argument I've ever seen for the re-instatment of a draft.
Part of me says reinstate the draft.
Then several other parts of me get into the argument.
My inner NCO thinks it's either a recipe for disaster or the greatest opportunity to change things for the better.
The political part of me says that it'll never fly, because of issues involving women and the draft (remember the ERA and unisex bathrooms OMGZ can't have THAT!!!1!! ?), and how do we keep the people who had "other priorities" from having those priorities again?
I'll look for the book and add it to the pile.
DV
no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 08:43 pm (UTC)You have to pay doctors to do real examinations of people who bring doctors notes (which means isolating the guy for a couple of days to let drugs out of his system).
If your number comes up, you go. If you are in college, you go. College has to wait, your seat is held for you, scholarships remain.
The only other option is that you get a deferment; only bachelor's degree, no master's, etc.. At that point; if you did ROTC, you can ask for a commission.
Otherwise you compete for an OCS slot, or you get to be an enlisted puke like everyone else.
That's the only way it can work.
Otherwise, it breaks the army.
TK