The American Martial Spirit

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The American fighting man has almost always been a civilian in military uniform during time of war. He has for the most part acquitted himself well in spite of not always being the best trained, led nor best armed. What courage it took to stand in line and charge a fixed position in the Civil War or WW1, fully knowing that 50% causalities was the likely outcome of the engagement, that to be wounded was an almost certain death. That 2 weeks was the average lifespan of a fighter pilot during WW1, that no parachute's were available and to catch fire was a certain horrible death in an airplane made of wood and canvass with no Armour plating nor self sealing gasoline tanks. What undaunted determination it was getting into a B-17 in WW2 fully knowing that 10% of the planes would not be returning home after the mission. That 10 missions was your expected operational lifespan. Or those Marines who fought at the Chosan Reservoir in Korea under extreme conditions against tremendous odds, these were men of real sand.

Todays American military is unprecedented in its technological superiority, tactical experience and support. From body armour, smart bombs to drone aircraft that can deliver a lethal dose while being guided from halfway around the world, the American military is the Greatest on the Planet. Yet does todays American fighting man have the same sand as in past generations. Todays soldier gets to return to his nice comfortable bunk everynight while the troops with Washington froze at Valley Forge or the Marines at Guadacanal slept in foxholes that were little more than cesspools in the jungle. Todays fighting man doesn't even do his own laundry nor KP duty. It all has been outsourced. Would todays fighting man being willing to stand in line and charge fixed postions without bodyarmour like his forebearers did at Gettysburg, Fredricksburg or Cold Harbour let alone the machine guns and poison gas of the Meuse Argonne of WW1. Or would he drop his weapon and run away in the face of such long odds against his survival. To be sure America still fields some of the toughest GI's ever to walk the planet with the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces, but these are the elite who have been hand selected. Literally every Marine in the 1st Marine Division in WW2 could have passed that training. Their metal was tested on the Pacific islands with names like Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Pelieu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. These men were not rotated out after a year like their successor generation of drug addled desertion prone Vietnam vets nor the multiple one year in the Sand Box tours of duty, these guys were there for the duration. From one foxhole to the next was their R and R. Now you hear about the increase in suicides, desertion and post traumatic stress disorder. In the days of yore the American fighting man su]ked up, went home and got on with his life without whining about how tough it was.

[lowyder993s]

Read "House to House" and that'll answer your question.

http://www.amazon.com/House-David-Bellavia/dp/1416574719

I read it cover to cover on X-mas day.