The Trauma of Killing

2207 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The emotional effects of war on soldiers

The United States military continues to engage in one of the longest periods of combat operations in our nation’s history. One of the results is an increase in the amount of persons suffering Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2000), a precursor to PTSD is the experience of an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury to self or others. Grossman (2009) argues that an additional factor, the emotional and spiritual response to killing another human being, also takes a tremendous toll on the mental health of returning soldiers. Forty-eight to sixty–five percent of soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom have reported killing an enemy combatant, while 14–28% have reported killing a noncombatant (Hoge, Castro, Messer, McGurk, Cotting, & Koffman, 2004). This paper will discuss Grossman’s (2009) views on the psychological cost of killing others in combat. The Role of Fear Nash (2007) points out that soldiers exposed to combat have predictable fears, such as the fear of death or serious injury and the loss of fellow soldiers. Several studies have found, however, that these expected fears are not as pervasive as those who have not served in combat may expect (Grossman, 2009). A soldier’s “greatest fear is not death but failure, and the shame that accompanies failure. More than anything else, warriors fear letting themselves down and letting their leaders and friends down at a moment when it matters most. They fear most not losing their lives, but their honor” (Nash, 2007, p. 25). Fear in combat can be both a blessing and a curse. Uncontrolled fear can make a soldier ineffective in combat, placing not only that soldier’s life ... ... middle of paper ... ...3. doi: 10.1002/jts.20451 Marshall, S.L.A. (1978). Men against fire: the problem of battle command in future war. Glouscester, MA: Peter Smith Publishers. Nash, W. (2007). The stressors of war. In C. Figley & W. Nash (Eds.), Combat Stress Injury (pp. 11-32). San Francisco: Routledge. Sherr, M. & Taylor, T.A. (2008). When veterans come home. Journal of Family and Community Ministries, 21(3), 6-16. Retrieved from http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/ document.php/145467.pdf Singer, M. (2004). Shame, guilt, self-hatred and remorse in the psychotherapy of Vietnam combat veterans who committed atrocities. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 58(4), 377-385. Van Winkle, E., & Safer, M. (2011). Killing versus witnessing in combat trauma and reports of PTSD symptoms and domestic violence. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(1), 107-110. doi:10.1002/jts.20614

Show More
Related

  • Midterm Exam: Analysis of “The Wounded Platoon”

    1876 Words  | 4 Pages

    PBS’ Frontline film “The Wounded Platoon” reviews the effects the Iraq war has had on soldiers as they return home and transition back into civilian life, focusing particularly on the rise in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American military members from Fort Carson Army base (Edge, 2010). Incidents of PTSD have risen dramatically in the military since the beginning of the Iraq war and military mental health policies and treatment procedures have adapted to manage this increase (Edge, 2010). In “The Wounded Platoon,” many military personnel discuss how PTSD, and other mental health struggles, have been inadequately treated (if at all) by military mental health services. Reasons and Perdue’s definition of a social problem allows us to see inadequate treatment of PTSD among returning United States military members as a social problem because it is a condition affecting a significant number of people in undesirable ways that can be remedied through collective action (Reasons & Perdue, 1981).

    Read More

  • Ten Kliks South Analysis

    440 Words  | 1 Pages

    It is apparent that the topic of war is difficult to discuss among active duty soldiers and civilians. Often times, citizens are unable to understand the mental, physical, and physiological burden service members experience. In Phil Klay’s Ten Kliks South, the narrator struggles to cope with the idea that his artillery team has killed enemy forces. In the early stages of the story, the narrator is clearly confused. He understands that he did his part in firing off the artillery rounds, yet he cannot admit to killing the opposition. In order to suppress his guilt and uncertainty, our narrator searches for guidance and reassurance of his actions. He meets with an old gunnery sergeant and during their conversation, our narrator’s innocence

    Read More

  • Timothy Findley's The Wars

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, some resort to suicide to escape their insecurities. Soldiers, however, are not the only ones affected by wars; family members also experience mental hardships when their loved ones are sent to war. Timothy Findley accurately portrays the detrimental effects wars have on individuals in his masterpiece The Wars.

    Read More

  • Post Traumatic Stress and the Brothers' Relationship in The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    The reality that shapes individuals as they fight in war can lead to the resentment they have with the world and the tragedies that they had experienced in the past. Veterans are often times overwhelmed with their fears and sensations of their past that commonly disables them to transgress and live beyond the emotions and apprehensions they witness in posttraumatic experiences. This is also seen in everyday lives of people as they too experience traumatic events such as September 11th and the fall of the World Trade Center or simply by regrets of decisions that is made. Ones fears, emotions and disturbances that are embraced through the past are the only result of the unconscious reality of ones future.

    Read More

  • The Guilt They Carried in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the aftermath of a comparatively minor misfortune, all parties concerned seem to be eager to direct the blame to someone or something else. It seems so easy to pin down one specific mistake that caused everything else to go wrong in an everyday situation. However, war is a vastly different story. War is ambiguous, an enormous and intangible event, and it cannot simply be blamed for the resulting deaths for which it is indirectly responsible. Tim O’Brien’s story, “In the Field,” illustrates whom the soldiers turn to with the massive burden of responsibility for a tragedy. The horrible circumstances of war transform all involved and tinge them with an absurd feeling of personal responsibility as they struggle to cope.

    Read More

  • The Weakness In Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    The experiences these people go through change them for life and are not always what they expect. A few examples of fear from the book are when Ted Lavender is shot and Jimmy Cross blames the death on himself, because of his weakness of Martha and the fact he can not let her go. Strunk and Jensen agree on a bet that if they sustained wheelchair bound injuries the other would kill them, Strunk backs out when sustaining a wheelchair bound injury and also there is a fear of death and killing when Tim O’Brien is in a situation where he had thrown a grenade and killed a man. The theme of fear is very common not only in a story about war, but also in war itself and the narrator did a good job of exposing that with the real life situations that he put into

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'The Warrior Ethos'

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    military members who share harsh, traumatic, or even funny events obviously become closer through the bond of a mutual experience. This is particularly true for Marine infantry; many Marine are brought up in different areas of the US, with different values, ages, religious and political beliefs. However different we all might look on the outside, the fact that we’ve all been through good times and bad with each other makes us closer than any civilian could understand. After being a Marine, I find that I’m close to, and always will be, than my civilian friends who I’ve known for years. Along with this, Pressfield talks about how, under all the glory and allure of fighting for one’s country exists the real reason that warriors fight; for our brothers in arms. Political beliefs, government stances, and flags go out the window, only to be replaced by concern for the safety and well-being of the men to our left and right. All of these things are reasons why it is difficult for civilians to understand what it’s like to be a warrior. This is perhaps embodied best in our motto, Semper Fidelis; Always Faithful, to our brothers and those who depend on

    Read More

  • The Emotional and Psychological Burdens in 'The Things They Carried'

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger once said “Perjor est bello timor ipse belli”, which translates to: “the dread of war is worse than war itself”. With this quote, Seneca identifies that war has both its physical and mental tolls on its participants. The psychological and emotional scars of war do much more damage to a solider than the actual physical battles. Tim O’ Brien repeats this idea many years later in his novel “The Things They Carried”, by describing how emotional burdens outweigh the physical loads that those in war must endure. What keeps them alive is the hope that they may one day return home to their loved ones. Yet, the weight of these intangible “items” such as “grief, terror, love, longing” overshadow the physical load they must endure since they are not easily cast away.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sunrise Over Fallujah

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    Birdy, who is a new soldier, fears that he will end up dead during the war. He said,“Then I realized that it was the noise, the constant booming, that just filled my guts with a trembling sensation. I knew if I heard the boom I was safe because whatever had exploded hadn't hit me. But it was the idea that at any moment it could be all over, that I could be dead or lie in the sand twisting in agony, that filled me with a terror that I hadn't known before. Terror. It wasn't just being scared. It was a feeling that was taking me over. I knew it but I hoped no one else saw it,” (Myers 71). This description of   Birdy's fear develops the idea that in Iraq, surviving emotionally during the war is important to be alive.  Walter Dean Myers wants the reader

    Read More

  • Dear America Letters Home Analysis

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine facing the horrors of a war at the young age of 19. In the real world as well as fictional novels, the Vietnam War was considered to be a war unlike any other. Many soldiers faced untold brutal challenges, and often wondered who the enemy truly was. In numerous depicted pieces of literature such as Fallen Angels the fictional stories cannot begin to compare to the real traumatic ones. Research has shown that the traumatic circumstances have caused soldiers mental stress. Research shows the brutality that the soldiers of the Vietnam War went through, the novel Fallen Angels and the video series “Dear America: Letters Home” are very similar in this depiction, but also have slight differences.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers in Africa

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bracken, Patrick and Celia Petty (editors). Rethinking the Trauma of War. New York, NY: Save the Children Fund, Free Association Books, Ltd, 1998.

    Read More

  • Short Story 'Ambush By Tim O' Brien

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to war puts an end to mankind”. (John F. Kennedy) “Ambush”, written by Tim O’Brien is a short story that paints a picture of how war makes us safe or less safe in our own country. The story reveals how war can take a very dramatic toll on our soldiers mental capacities, and how it numbs them, turning them into killing machines with no remorse. Humans should not be okay with the fact of killing other people, yet it is implemented into our soldiers brains like computer coding. War makes us feel less safe on our home soil because we are vulnerable to attacks, our loved ones whom we cherish are fighting overseas, and at any time our young citizens can be called for deployment.

    Read More

  • The Short Story 'The Veteran' By Stephen Crane

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    The short story “The Veteran” by Stephen Crane has many techniques such as dialogue, imagery, and setting to show how even in war a soldier can be afraid, but one’s strength can show later in life when the

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact Of War In The Wars By Timothy Findley

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    War has been a consistent piece of mankind 's history. It has significantly influenced the lives of individuals around the globe. The impacts are amazingly adverse. In the novel, “The Wars,” by Timothy Findley, Soldiers must shoulder compelling weight on the warzone. Such weight is both family and the country weight. Many individuals look at soldiers for hop and therefore, adding load to them. Those that cannot rationally beat these difficulties may create Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tragically, some resort to suicide to get away from their insecurities. Troops, notwithstanding, are not by any means the only ones influenced by wars; relatives likewise encounter mental hardships when their friends and family are sent to war. Timothy Findley

    Read More

  • The Psychology of War

    1630 Words  | 4 Pages

    “In war, there are no unwounded solders.” Often, people tend to look at the physical aspects of war, such as demanding fitness required or the numerous bodily injuries one can suffer. While the physical aspects of battle are horrifying, the mental aspect of war is just as bad if not worse. For centuries, war has forced young men away from their families and loved ones to fight in battle often in harsh conditions. Being removed from loved ones in order to put your life on the line is very mentally demanding. Three works of literature really bring out the full negative effects of battle both physically and psychologically. “Othello” by William Shakespeare, short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and the poem “The Battle” by poet Louis Simpson really stress the negative mental aspects of fighting in a battle. Some of the many common links throughout the stories is that they all include various symbols, vivid imagery, and explicit figurative language to display intense emotion dealing with the horrors of war. These writers proves that the psychological aspect even causes the downfall of characters rather than any kind of physical harm. The literary terms proves that the psychological effect war gives is worse then the demanding physical challenge. Scholarly articles and examples from the text of each story go a long way to prove this.

    Read More

More about The Trauma of Killing

Open Document