Today I had a thought. It's the eyes!
I think that most times soldiers don't get to see their enemy / victims eyes. So killing them is functional / spasmodic effort. It's done almost remotely, using rifles or canon or mortars and stuff. Not the kind of mano-a-mano combat of old.
So they don't have a "connection" as such.
I think the guys who suffer (PTSD?) are those who do get into close hand-to-hand combat. Who get to look into the eyes of their victims, because even if it's a kill-or-be-killed type of situation, you must feel like a murderer. Even in self defense!
You look into his eyes, and there is some form of acknowledgement / recognition of each other / sign of fear?, and that is the torment.
It's that quasi human connection which makes us human after all, which will cause the guilt, torment, stress in this situation.
Just my thoughts....
Salagatle!
2 comments:
I would agree - an ex co-worker of yours was once a sniper in Angola and took out many a terrorist from afar, up a tree with his trusty R1 Rifle + Scope.
At one stage, while reporting to me, he was involved in an attempted car-jacking during which he blew away the hijacker. This affected him deeply, seeing up close the blood, etc. and had to take time off to recover.
The first casualty of War is truth, the second innocence.
Truth and innocence..... Interesting thought.
I will look into that view...
Thanx
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