Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I spend a lot of time lately hanging around with a guy who recently did several tours in Afghanistan. I'm pretty comfortable saying that we want our soldiers to be good, not amoral killing machines. Not only because of the principle, but not least because successful counterinsurgency tactics depend on soldiers who aren't. In theory, we were in Iraq to restore democracy, not for body counts. I agree that anyone in Kyle's role would be dealing with heavy shit. But that doesn't mean that Kyle dealt with it well, or was a good person (not that you disagree).
I think a lot of people in this country are happy to stick to a simple narrative in which every US soldier is a patriotic warrior, unconflicted and heroic, and everyone else is an enemy combatant. It sure is easier to live in that moral universe than in the one we're actually in.
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I agree with you that a lot of people want to have a simple narrative. I'm looking past that, past the movie (that I haven't seen) and at the more fundamental question, of why we should be surprised at what people become when we train them to be killers.
I understand you know vets who are different and more shaded than Kyle supposedly was. So do I. But I do wonder whether the particular job of a sniper is such as to make that much more difficult.
I'm not really arguing with you, just wrestling with this myself. A few years ago I bought a book by a general, called "On Killing" that I think discussed some of these issues. I'll look at it and tell you if I can recommend.
