Len's News, Notes, and Stuff

The 3 Kinds Who Want War: Young Bucks, Rulers & Vendors

There are some people who like war.  It’s not the soldiers.  It’s not the generals – at least not the ones who’ve been on the line, in the thick of things.  The people who want war are those who are full of bravado but don’t know any better, those who stand to gain power, and those who stand to make money.  But I’m just going to take a few moments to talk about the folks who serve in uniform.

I was talking to a good friend last night and he spoke for a few moments about the TV series Battlestar Galactica.  I asked him what the main theme was, and he described it to me about a struggle between humans and robots.  He then mentioned that there were those who wanted peace, but the military was “of course” against that and wanted war.

Is it really an “of course”?  I don’t think it is.

I remember watching a documentary a few years ago, and they were interviewing some British soldiers.  One of the questions they were asked was what they thought about going to war and fighting in a war.  The young bucks who hadn’t seen action were all gung-ho, macho and full of bravado.  The older guys, who were typically the sergeants or such noncommissioned officers were quieter about it.  They were confident and talked matter-of-factly, but the bravado and machismo wasn’t there anymore.

I read biographies and first-person military history accounts, and what I consistently find is that there is no bravado and machismo there.  It isn’t like the young bucks going nuts over a new video game like Call of Duty, or those who can rattle off cool lines from action movies.  Don’t get me wrong, I like action movies, but they’re just movies.

Here’s something from Lt. Gen. Moore (ret):

An estimated 3000 to 5000 North Vietnamese regulars had been killed or wounded.  A total of 305 Americans had died and another 400-plus had been wounded in that time of testing.  No one who fought there, on either side, talked seriously about who won and who lost.  In such a slaughterhouse there are no winners, only survivors.

And what did he think of the enemy soldiers that tried their hardest to kill him and his men?

When my soldiers spoke harshly, with anger, of our enemies, I told them to remember that these men had mothers who would be shattered by the news of their deaths; that they, like us, had been caught up in great-power politics and were doing their duty as we were.

That’s not what you’ll ever see in an action movie.  That’s not what any young buck full of testosterone thinks a tough, proven soldier would say.

This man, who has seen much carnage, who had led men into and through hard, tough battles, has this to say as a prayer to for those who serve:

May God bless and keep all soldiers, young and old, and may that same God open the eyes of all political leaders to the truth that most wars are a confession of failure – the failure of diplomacy and negotiation and common sense and, in most cases, of leadership.

There are some people who want war.  They truly do.  But it is my view and my argument, that it is not the military who wants war.  They of all people know how horrible it is.  Most serve honorably, with a desire to protect that which they and we hold dear.

In a democracy, rulers are accountable to we the voting public.  We can’t do anything about the young bucks – young men will always be full of bravado and machismo, and maybe that can be a good thing.  But we have influence over the rulers, who in turn are the ones that pay out money to the vendors.

Let’s keep our eyes and vigilance on those who want war, and not on those who do their duty wherever they are sent by the rulers whom we have put in power.