The Valley of Death

 

Almost everywhere the life and training of soldiers and cadet is glorified to ensure that young men and women will continue to join this dangerous profession. 

The universal motto of a soldier can be summed up as, “kill the enemy without asking any question and do not regret it”. That is how wars have been won since time immemorial. Those who need the military for their survival, it is bravery, discipline, and pride.

However, in a world of changing realities, both real and virtual, one must do a ruthlessly realistic analysis of the soldier’s training.

By virtue of his training based on professional necessities،, a soldier or cadet develops three distinct character traits.

1.    1.   Has no respect for human life. The instinct of mercy has to be erased to ensure that he will not hesitate before shooting the enemy. He should even kill unarmed civilians without hesitation if ordered to do so.

 

2.       2.  Obeys orders against his better judgment.

I quote what Tennyson wrote about one hundred seventy years ago:

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”

Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the soldier knew  

Someone had blundered. 

Theirs not to make reply,

 Theirs not to reason why,

 Theirs but to do and die.

 Into the valley of Death

 Rode the six hundred.

 

Yes. All units and all soldiers must act according to specific orders meant for them as they form parts of a larger plan. If everyone acted on his own judgement, the planning would fail. So, it seems pertinent to condition the soldiers and officers to wait for orders and blindly obey them without thinking whether it is right or wrong. A soldier or officer cannot afford any original thinking.

3.     3.   Does not take responsibility for his actions. A soldier is likely to be court marshalled and even shot dead for not obeying orders. Which means that everything a soldier does is effectively in self-defence. So, the conscience of a soldier must be crushed to such a degree that he does not regret any of his actions and hesitate in repeating them.

This is all very good as long as officers and soldiers are dedicated to military duties related to armed offence or defense against an enemy. But what would happen if such a person is placed in a civilian administrative position? How will a department perform if its head did not have respect for human life, could not take decisions but waited for orders and finally did not take responsibility for his actions? The simple answer is disaster. The department would become dysfunctional.

This is exactly what has happened in countries that have seen long periods of military dictatorships during which civilian institutions were intensely infiltrated by active-duty and retired military personnel. The bureaucracy and police got totally corrupted and crippled, and anti-government feelings became common trait. Worse still, the political scene came to be dominated by lackeys and cronies of the military dictators. Now, no amount of foreign assistance can restore the crumbled economy unless the active and retired servicemen are completely flushed out of the entire system and the state within the state is demolished.

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