The above photo is a screen shot of a Youtube video which inspired a 3 part documentary called "Why We Fight" which offers one of the most incredible looks into the anatomy of war. I warn, it is a long documentary with each video approximately 1-2 hours, but absolutely one of the best I've seen. If you want to watch just the Youtube video, it is available at the bottom of this blog post.
This post is an informal thought experiment which seeks to unpack the words "War has its own laws." Uttered by a German WWII Veteran who had served with the Wehrmacht, this was his response to a woman who questioned the ethics of Germany's involvement in WWII. Often separated from the S.S. forces, the Wehrmacht in German history were the old fashioned army which somehow managed to remain relatively unscathed by the taint of Hitler's S.S. troops. In essence, the Wehrmacht fought the spread of communism. The S.S. troops murdered the Jewish people The clip ends with the woman's stunned silence. I often get asked why I study war. How someone with such a bleeding heart can hold such a fascination for one of the most horrifying aspects of humanity. It is because the phrase "War has its own laws." is somehow so TRUE. My brain doesn't understand how it is possible that killing during war is acceptable but punishable by death in peace time. A truly great example of this is the french novel Captain Conan. Written after the First World War it follows the life of veteran who, unable to separate killing during war from killing in peace time, is convicted of murder and imprisoned. The novel asks this fundamental question: Why is killing O.K. during war but prohibited in peacetime? My brain needs to know. Why do humans have to rationalize war. Why do we feel the need to valorize it? While in the 1970s the U.S. saw a shift in the valorization of war with the anti-war movement against the Vietnam War. The actions of those who had called the returning Vietnam veterans "baby killers" are today seen as dishonorable. Thus, suggesting a reversal back to a valorous soldier who is at the same time somehow morally flawed. The anti-solder or soldat sans gloire, finds it first origins in the aftermath of the First World War, but when prodded the figure of a morally flawed soldier is present in even the most iconic soldier the world has known: Achilles.
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