I think one of the problems is the way armed forces marketing has been done over the last 20 years. We've pushed the "Go in the Military, get an education, see the world" message that a very fundamental point has been lost: The ultimate job description in the armed forces is to wage war and kill the enemy, whoever that enemy is defined to be. It will not be pretty. It will not make you feel warm and fuzzy. You will have to do things that you would never want to do ever again in your life. And you will see things that will haunt you for the rest of your life. There is no sanitized, feel-good warfare. This isn't "Stripes".
I believe there are a lot of members of the Military that have been in for 10 years (or right after the Gulf War) or longer that never have fully considered what armed conflict is. They were expecting exotic ports-of-call and a free ride to the college of their choice and got a shooting war with all of the evil associated with it.
Then you become "conflicted". Conflicted has no place on the battlefield.
Count the costs of your actions and adjust your mindset accordingly.
It's like people that join the police force because they just want to become a detective like on TV. They never picture themselves on the street getting their hands dirty. Reality comes as a real shock to the system.
I believe there are a lot of members of the Military that have been in for 10 years (or right after the Gulf War) or longer that never have fully considered what armed conflict is. They were expecting exotic ports-of-call and a free ride to the college of their choice and got a shooting war with all of the evil associated with it.
Then you become "conflicted". Conflicted has no place on the battlefield.
Count the costs of your actions and adjust your mindset accordingly.
It's like people that join the police force because they just want to become a detective like on TV. They never picture themselves on the street getting their hands dirty. Reality comes as a real shock to the system.