Posted on Oct 12, 2016
In Combat, There Isn’t Always A Choice Between Right And Wrong
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My graduate studies introduced me to moral injury as a component of PTSD and this article further explains the concept.
In Combat, There Isn’t Always A Choice Between Right And Wrong
Posted from taskandpurpose.com
PTSD
Morals
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 13
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Great article - please pass it on to your Connections - thanks
PVT (Join to see) SSG Shavonde Chase SSG Angela Harris SPC Michael Rodriguez-Holquin LTC Joe Likar SGM Enrique Nater SSgt Frederick Nelson SPC Aaron Baker Christopher Carf Cpl Chris Rond MSG Don Burt SSgt Ed Caro Lauren Zerrusen SPC (Join to see) SSG Eric Burleson SGT Chris McDonald SSG Larry R Jones SPC (Join to see) Liam Keiter Kyle Allen
PVT (Join to see) SSG Shavonde Chase SSG Angela Harris SPC Michael Rodriguez-Holquin LTC Joe Likar SGM Enrique Nater SSgt Frederick Nelson SPC Aaron Baker Christopher Carf Cpl Chris Rond MSG Don Burt SSgt Ed Caro Lauren Zerrusen SPC (Join to see) SSG Eric Burleson SGT Chris McDonald SSG Larry R Jones SPC (Join to see) Liam Keiter Kyle Allen
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When a person is drafted, like myself, or volunteered to joint the Military branch of their choosing, I would hope after all of the combat training, they fully know they are going to kill the enemy. It doesn't matter if it's a man, woman, or child. If someone is going to kill you or a buddy, you have to act first. It's not something I wanted to do. It's something I had to do. I never killed a kid that I know of. If I did, I'm glad I don't know about it. I saw plenty deaths of male and female enemies.
I guess what I'm trying to write is that when you go into a war zone, you don't think twice about shooting back at the enemy. It's you or them, and I prefer me.
I guess what I'm trying to write is that when you go into a war zone, you don't think twice about shooting back at the enemy. It's you or them, and I prefer me.
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CPO Andy Carrillo, MS
SGT (Join to see) fully agree with your assessment; too often it's the second-guessing that many undergo afterwards (ruminating) that might wear away subconsciously on one's conscience. To those who don't have these issues consider yourselves most blessed...
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SGT (Join to see)
CPO Andy Carrillo, MS - Absolutely correct. I have a pilot friend who never talked about Vietnam and said nothing was bothering him. Two years ago, at the age of 77, he shot himself in the head. Positive proof you can't be in combat any not suffer some form of trauma.
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The choice to squeeze the trigger or to not squeeze the trigger is not easy but that is what we are called to do. I would say though, even within the craziness of war, there is a choice between right and wrong. Sure, we are raised to know that killing is wrong, but in combat the right choice is to remove the identified threat because without doing so puts you and those around you in risk. The enemy is there to do exactly the same to us, thankfully, for the most part we are better trained and equipped to remove them first.
Does this mean we are without morals or some sort of mindless killing machine? Heck no. We do it because that is why we are there. The hard part is coming home to a place where we have to adjust our mindset. Back here where things are "normal" we find them abnormal. The skills and decisions we made to stay alive are then seen as "crazy". That is why I feel it is so important for us to stick together. We as a community, know and understand the decisions we had to make there. Together, those decisions that brought us home are not seen as "crazy" or "abnormal". Together, we have each other's back and work to help others realize they are not alone in wondering this type of question.
Does this mean we are without morals or some sort of mindless killing machine? Heck no. We do it because that is why we are there. The hard part is coming home to a place where we have to adjust our mindset. Back here where things are "normal" we find them abnormal. The skills and decisions we made to stay alive are then seen as "crazy". That is why I feel it is so important for us to stick together. We as a community, know and understand the decisions we had to make there. Together, those decisions that brought us home are not seen as "crazy" or "abnormal". Together, we have each other's back and work to help others realize they are not alone in wondering this type of question.
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CPO Andy Carrillo, MS
SGT Ben Keen I agree that cognitively we are well trained to override whatever values system we learned in our family and culture in order to survive combat situations and to protect our brothers in arms. Apparently that doesn't happen without variable cost to our moral component, dependent upon one's resiliency. For example, I was prepared to kill the enemy; but as a deputy sheriff-coroner I couldn't bring myself anymore to wake up one more parent in the middle of the night with personal effects in hand to tell them their son or daughter would not be coming home--and watching them lose it. Weird, but their you have it...
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SGT Ben Keen
CPO Andy Carrillo, MS - The one thing I pulled out of your comment was how the differences in your roles can still mirror each other. In the military, we are ready to do whatever is needed to protect our battle buddies and to come home safely yet in your civilian life, you saw the value in life. I think the one thing that separates everything is in combat, my mindset was I saw it as not wanting my parents to go through the notification process because I failed to my job but in doing my job, another family had to go through the same process I was avoiding.
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