[lit-ideas] Re: In the Name of Efficiency [was: Punitive Expeditions, Helm's World, Psychotic Expeditions, Pasifistic Expeditons, Experience War, Who are you calling crazy?, Honor: A History, etc.]

  • From: David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 16:27:17 -0700


On May 9, 2006, at 3:13 PM, Judith Evans wrote:

<x-tad-smaller>>Why do we waste our precious time typing messages?  Why not just fill in the subject and sign your >name</x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller> </x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller>and do that 3 times a day max :)</x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller> </x-tad-smaller>

I don't read the claims quite the way others do. Lawrence says, in effect, that military people develop sub-cultures that exclude outsiders and make the insiders feel different from those outsiders. I'm sure that John McCreery and those of you who know, for example, Marshall's study of the Pacific theater, will agree with this claim. That is indeed how military people behave. That is the essential point of boot camp, to develop small group cohesion, a sense that only your buddies are truly trustworthy.

Judy says that there are sub-cultures within these sub-cultures and that S.A.S. officers would distance themselves from Andy McNab, who was an SAS private or NCO (I forget which). An S.A.S. officer told me the very same thing. He thought McNab was beyond the pale, had broken a sacred trust.

Lawrence says that members of elite fighting forces have things in common. This is, of course, because they select for particular characteristics. It's also true that there are distinctions among the various groups, and that members of these units like to emphasize the distinctions.

I have known members of all of the U.S. armed forces except the Seals. I know people in the British forces and some who have served with German and French forces. I have a very limited understanding of Israeli fighters. The only loon among all of these was an ex-Legionnaire, who was quite pathalogical. I'm sure there's a small percentage in all armed forces.

David Ritchie,
Portland, Oregon

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