How can soldiers live with themselves knowing they have killed many people?

Question

And some innocent poeple?

Answer 1

Many of them can't... Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is very high among troops returning home. ESPECIALLY troops who have served numerous tours... The more tours they serve, the more psychologically damaged they are. Of course this isn't something that the media spend much time on. The troops return home and are pretty much forgotten. It's sad.

Edit: A lot of the people responding to this question are delusional. I guess they think that the troops just learn how to turn off their emotions and don't FEEL anything. While they are there, it's likely very very true that they don't grapple with much emotional turmoil. That's survival... But you are insane if you don't think that many of the troops who have seen that kind of combat, have served numerous tours, don't come home with some sort of PTS. You can look at Abu Ghraib and see just how devoid of emotion many of these young troops become as they are in the moment... But coming home and actually reflecting on it, you better believe that there are some who struggle with it.

In the end, if it makes you feel better to think that they are some super humans who don't feel when they take others lives, then fine.. live in your delusions. But just remember, that Iraq didn't attack America. ALL of the Iraqi's who are dying are not terrorist or jihadist. So it's not just taking the lives of these "evildoers" that they have to deal with. It's those who also get caught in the crossfire.

Answer 2

Like many unpleasant, but necessary jobs...people learn to desensitize themselves.

Not everyone is cut out to be a soldier and killing can and is part of a soldiers life. Sad, but true. Those who can't deal with the psychological fallout end up with PTSD, committing suicide and even killing their own family.

Those who do appear to function well, will still have some fall out down the road. However, they create a self barrier that contains the anger, rage and subsequent actions that rage usually elicits. I am not saying they have suppressed anything, but created a way to handle the stress more effectively.

Most of the time soldiers don't have up close and personal contact with those who have died. Not in today's war. So the one on one, eyeball to eyeball effect is negated. It is less personal. Truly, ignorance is bliss in this case.

Would you rather they not have the ability to kill? You do know some people CANNOT pull the trigger? They freeze up. What would America's alternative be if we didn't have an army ready to fight?

Ask yourself this question as well...how did the Japanese (WWII) and the Chinese (VN) live with themselves? They were masters of torture. They do seem to have managed just fine. Or how about the Jihadists that randomly slice heads off? Do you think they lose ONE second of sleep over that? I guarantee you they don't.

You must have a conscience to feel regret, remorse or sadness. Why do you think so many end up with PTSD?

Don't blame the soldiers. Blame the ones who create hatred and seek to harm others because of their hatred and jealousy of the United States. .

Answer 3

I am not going to be overprotective in my response. It isn't in human nature to kill other humans. Soldiers in WW and earlier generally tried not to shoot to kill others. Since then the military does a lot of things in training to dehumanize the opposition. They make the job very clinical to get around the human drive not to kill other humans.

This may seem wrong to you, but you have to realize that battles are man vs. man. If you don't shoot, you get shot. Soldiers provide the greatest service you can give your country. This training allows a greater number of them to survive their job.

All that said, you shouldn't underestimate the emotional toll killing another has on a human being. I suspect everyone who has done so feels a great weight inside and a question like this much really hurt them. A bit more sensitivity with any future questions on the subject could yeild much better responses if you really do want to know how soldiers can do the requirements of their jobs.

Answer 4

I haven't spent time in combat, but I could imagine the concept of someone SHOOTING at you would help. I find it funny how people judge soldiers as murders, when they've never served. I doubt that if forced into the situation that many of us would not pull that trigger if someone else was shooting at them. I doubt I would. And I don't really condemn our soldiers for defending themselves in the least. As far as I am concerned they have little to be ashamed of (although most do get PTS unfortunately or have difficulty getting back into society (note though, thats not all of them, some can come to terms with what happened to them))
God bless our Troops!

Answer 5

Callum, I'll break it down for you short & sweet. My soldier has killed...he said when a bullet came so close to his head he heard it fly by... it was a simply, automatic choice.

I'm curious to know what you would do in that situation? I'm not being rude or a smart @ss. If you were with your brothers in arms, dug in some place and another person was firing at you... to kill you...to end your life or your best buddies life... what would you do? Fire back? Hide? Run if possible? Wave a white flag? What? Please feel free to email me with your response and don't say, " I wouldnt be there"
IF YOU WERE THERE what would you do?

Answer 6

That is what a soldier is suppose to do, KILL the enemy. Sure innocent people are killed along with the enemy, but this is what the military calls collateral damage, and can't be helped.If you are a soldier in a combat zone, would you rather kill the enemy, or have the enemy kill you? In combat you kill, or be killed.

Answer 7

One of the most traumatic thing you can do is put another human being in your gun sights and kill him or her. But in combat you must do this or someone on the other side will do it to you.

People seem to forget that Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors are human being too. They have emotions and feelings so why would you think that they are any less human than anyone else?

Answer 8

Kill or be killed. After watching a few time while their combat mates are blown to bits they learn that they kill the enemy or be killed. They go knowing that they will take a life. They go knowing they are trying to protect our country. They go knowing there are people like you here at home who will question their every action. They go so you can ask a stupid question like this.
You don't need to support the war. You don't need to support George Bush. You don't need to support anything but your brave men and women who are laying their lives on the line so we can have the freedom of speech. The freedom to ask stupid questions and get stupid answers.
To the brave men and women out there doing what you do Thank you.

Answer 9

It takes a certain morale high handiness to ask such a question, the American Soldier neither kills or murders, murder is what you're trying to imply by the you posed this question. The American Soldier is placed in harm's way to execute his nation's foreign policies. Whenever he acts he does so to either defend himself or the lives of his fellow soldiers and service members.

You should decide if you're going to be part of the solution or if you're going to be part of the problem. By attacking the morale stance of these brave young people who volunteered to serve their nation, to serve you, indicates the worst type of hypocrisy on your part. It is so easy to challenge the morales of other from the safety of the internet!

Answer 10

In the real world it is Kill or be killed and they couldn't LIVE with themselves or anybody else because they would be soooo dead and maybe you need to realize that one should not judge until you walk a mile in someone else's shoes.