History always praises Soldiers for Outstanding Disciplined but are Un

[Pisces Axxxxx]

A while back I published this thread.

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20121014114420AAZvm2n

 

I've been reading more and more into Military History and in fact I just finished reading Gone With the Wind. One of the protagonists, Rhett Butler, received praise for being an outstanding Artilleryman during his service in the Civil War but he is an utter thug who lacked moral discipline.

 

This topic came into mind because I keep hearing stuff like "X Unit" and "Officer X" praised for having the "Highest Calibre of Discipline" for a certain operation, war, battle, etc....

 

But when I read the lives of soldiers in praised unit or praised individual, they lack any self-restrained and are found indulging in Alcohol, unable to handle basic finance, hiring prostitutes,etc. And many are often outright criminals, being wife beaters or thieves or so.

 

Unless they continued on as soldiers or moved on to another equally violent and/or physically invigorating career like police man, farmer, or prize fighter, many soldiers who were in top shape when they were in the military cannot even merely maintain their physical health enough to at least be appear lean when I read the personal lives of soldiers in Military History.

 

This is a topic I wish t discuss because I am truly disgusted and nervous with all the praise soldiers frequently get not only at the present but soldiers who fought in wars that ended centuries ago like Confederate veterans. They get worshiped like they're the embodiment of virtues by people without even a study of their lives outside the war. I learned so many soldiers both present and past are thugs and lacking in self-restraint.

[caldrail]

Warfare inspires a certain amount of hypocrisy. That's common to pretty much every culture that indulges in it or ever has. It is inherent in the psychology of human beings that we admire (or fear) those with aggression and a willingness to follow a vocation that uses that aggression in the defence of others. Not without good reason It should be said, as warfare is inherently risky (to say the least) and unfortunately, in our own era the psychological adjustments we make to our soldiers in training combined with the military regime and the demands of the hostile enviroment mean that those individuals are often not so well adjusted to civilian life. That's why politicians are often keen to praise their soldiers publicly irrespective of the behaviour of a few drunken individuals.

 

Having said that, there are plenty of civilians who aren't especially well adjusted either. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Edited February 25, 2013 by caldrail