These essays will be concise, single-spaced, 12 ft, times new roman, one-page reflections.
War. By Sebastian Junger.
On page 24, Junger observes that “the moral basis of the war doesn’t seem to interest soldiers
much, and its long-term success or failure has a relevance of almost zero.” Observations such as
these occur throughout the book, such as again on page 132. Did you find these observations
surprising? Why do you think that this seems to be true of the soldiers that Junger observed?
How would you describe the soldiers’ personal character and life? Any observations are useful.
Perhaps the most prominent theme throughout the book is the nature of intra-unit bonds among
the soldiers. For example, on page 159, Junger quotes Kearney as saying: “The boys don’t go out
there and fight for freedom, they don’t fight for patriotism – they fight because they know that if
they go out there alone and walk into Aliabad they’re going to get killed.” See other examples on
pages 58, 69, 79, 210, 241, 242, 243.
Courage/bravery. 73, 121, 123, 239-40, 240, 245. Relatedly: Overcoming fear. E.g. bottom of
page 122. What does courage or bravery mean to the soldiers? How do they make sense of it or
explain it?
Feeling of killing. 144, 145, 149, 153-4, 180, 214b, 215, 232, 233m, 234. Relatedly: Revenge.
E.g. pages: 106, 129, 153-4. General observations. What is surprising, odd, strange, etc?
Rules in war and the idea of a ‘fair fight’: “…modern military tactics is geared toward
maneuvering the enemy into a position where they can essentially be massacred from safety. It
sounds dishonorable only if you imagine that modern war is about honor; it’s not.” (140). Do you
agree/disagree? Why?
Empathy and respect for the enemy. When and why did soldiers occasionally sympathize with
or respect the enemy? (e.g. page 170) Are there conditions that you think might make empathy or
respect for one’s enemy more or less likely?
(don’t need to answer all questions, just ideas!)
