Table of Contents
- 1 How do soldiers overcome fear in war?
- 2 How do the soldiers keep from being overwhelmed by the threat and reality of death?
- 3 How did samurai view death?
- 4 How do you keep soldiers from killing each other?
- 5 What is ‘intimate killing’ in war?
- 6 How can we help veterans who have been killed by another person?
How do soldiers overcome fear in war?
In times of stress, our brains generate self-talk that can dramatically increase our feelings of fear. Soldiers fight back against this by actively reminding themselves to mentally shout over those thoughts.
How do the soldiers keep from being overwhelmed by the threat and reality of death?
The soldiers do this by carrying good luck charms and assigning inordinate value to them and their power to stop the inevitable. They joke about it, death is just something to laugh about even when it is close.
How did samurai view death?
“Death before dishonor” was not an empty slogan to the samurai. They lived and died by the strict warrior code, believing that death in battle or even seppuku was preferable to living a life of dishonor.
What determines victory in a war?
In a traditional sense, a war is won by a signature on a piece of paper. For some wars, victory means deposing the other side’s political system and replacing it with one of the victor’s choosing. The definition of winning may be based on metrics of violence and stability within a country at a given point.
How does killing in war affect veterans?
Killing in war often triggers a moral conflict in veterans that can damage their self-image, relationships and spirituality, according to a study by UCSF researchers at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
How do you keep soldiers from killing each other?
Lt Col Kilner, of the US Army, says the way to keep soldiers psychologically on an even keel is to reason with them – not to take away their choice and intellectual involvement with what happens in battle. “If a soldier reasons that his or her cause is just, then killing sits more easily in the mind,” he says.
What is ‘intimate killing’ in war?
He calls himself a “soldier ethicist” and has talked with countless fellow soldiers about their experience of “intimate killing” – taking the life of someone up close, who they can see. “They don’t like to talk about it.
How can we help veterans who have been killed by another person?
These are coordinated with PTSD and general psychiatry programs. Their Impact of Killing (IOK) treatment program emphasizes self-forgiveness and helping veterans make amends, heal relationships, plan for their future and move forward. Exercises include discussion groups with fellow veterans and writing letters to the person they killed.