The warrior problem and the American veteran

1LT William Clardy
“””Dropping the warrior narrative and realizing that those who fight in a democratic republic such as the United States should expect to rejoin civilian life, take off the uniform, and return to their communities is essential to long-term societal health. Rather than isolating the service member and the veteran from society through emulating Spartan warriors, the Army should instill in its members the idea that they, too, are part of a long-standing citizen-soldier tradition. The Army, after all, is full of soldiers charged with upholding and defending the constitution of the United States — a microcosm of American society. It is not full of individual warriors fighting for personal gain.”””

That last paragraph says a lot in: “take off their uniform and return to their communities”.
That is what our politicians should do, serve and return to their communities!

Maybe it is the miles wide difference between serving and wanting everything handed to you that causes transition problems?

Horse apples.

In the first place, there are d@^n few "warriors" to be found anywhere in Western Civilization- even (if not especially) within the Armed Forces. We lost that when we first started mowing the lawn for any reason other than the fact that high foliage offers good concealment. In the second, this is (in my opinion) just another ham-fisted "swipe" at the final remaining threads of rugged individualism and self-reliance that's somehow managed to survive the relentless onslaught of so-called "progress"...but that's honestly not the discussion here, nor an argument I particularly wish to engage in. Suffice it to say, Cincinnatus didn't forget how to use his sword when he returned to his farm... and neither did I.

That said, the article points to a few things worth noting. Soldiers are not by necessity "warriors"; warriors are wholly focused on the art of warfare. A warrior is an individual who is committed body, mind, and soul to being a capable combatant. This may (and often does) preclude any of the more "civilized" notions -if those notions take away from effectiveness, common sense, or efficiency. It certainly precludes any predilection to obey orders for the sake of orders alone. About the only place true warriors are needed today (again, in my humble opinion) are in direct actions where extensive training coupled with highly-vetted methods ensures that such individuals WILL act in accordance with "bigger picture" values. Loyalty, principle, ethos...chivalry...Bushido...teamwork... bribery; call it what you will. It's not a "job", it's a calling... and it's probably why we call such individuals "Special"... and why of the many who aspire, few ever (can) join their ranks.

The Military's REAL problem (once again... in my opinion) is that we have lost perspective. The modern military has as much to do with admin and PR as it has to do with operations and intelligence. A member whose primary role is collating documents is no more a "warrior" than their civil counterpart... no matter how much Velcro they may wear. That in no wise means that civil paper-pusher is the "equal" of that serviceman or servicewoman who has also been through training designed to mold them to a specific "culture" intrinsic to success in the Armed Forces. The error, is in thinking that the latter isn't important.. or that there is some "magical" way to suddenly imbue them with the former. Even if you can turn a pencil-jockey into something resembling a door-kicker... you have not suddenly increased your overall "combat effectiveness". All you've really done is given a potentially expert pencil-jockey additional things to worry about and maintain that they'll likely never put to use.

The same naturally works in reverse... and looking around the world right now; we rid ourselves of our true "warriors" at our own peril.