On Killing by LtCol Dave Grossman, 2009, Excerpts
Soldiers are always under authority
in combat. The relationship between the potential killer and the authority that
influences the decision to kill can be generalized into a number of factors:
proximity of the authority figure, respect for the authority figure, intensity
of the authority figure’s demands, and the authority figure’s legitimacy.
Do not under estimate the influence
of leadership in enabling killing on the battlefield. The leader’s mere
presence is not always sufficient to ensure killing activity. To be truly
effective, soldiers must bond to their leader just as they must bond to their group.
The leader must communicate a clear expectancy of killing behavior. When he
does, the influence can be enormous. But the price for the leader who has lived
through such a situation is high. He must answer to the widows and the orphans
of the men, and he must live forevermore with what he has done to those who
entrusted their lives to his care.
The drill sergeant teaches that
physical aggression is the essence of manhood and that violence is an effective
and desirable solution for the problem that the soldier will face on the
battlefield. The drill sergeant also teaches obedience. Throughout training the
drill sergeant will not tolerate a single blow or a single shot executed
without orders and to point an empty weapon in the wrong direction or to raise
a fist at the wrong time merits the harshest punishment.
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