Blog 1: Sarah Schapiro

1. I had never thought of how soldiers have to go against their natural instincts when fighting a war. They not only have to choose fight over flight, but they are often the ones who initiate the fight. I had also known that PTSD is often not properly talked about, but I had not thought of how PTSD is dealt with in the fields when the soldiers are needed to go back out and possibly perform the same traumatic tasks. 

2. I was intrigued by the line, “war is so hard to discuss once it is over” in War Is a Force  That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges. I have always thought that it was easier to discuss past wars. They seemed to be far less controversial than present wars. Especially with ancient ones like Carthage versus Rome with the two powerful commanders, Hannibal and Scipio. When a war is currently being fought, it is usually not easy to tell what will be the long term ramifications of war. Will war studies students study that war as an example of righteousness counteracting tyranny? Or Two tyrants fighting over trivial reasons? 

3. I have hardly been affected by the wars carried out by the U.S. None of my relatives are veterans. Neither of my grandfathers served overseas during World War Two. I am aware of the effects of the war on terror because I read and listen to the news. The biggest effect I have felt from 9/11 is my parents talking about how much more security there is at the airport. They talk about how they once did not have to take off their shoes and take practically everything out of their bags. I do not know what to think of war. The passages from the thirteen pages left me more confused. I view war as a necessary evil, but that is it often employed in situations more suited for diplomacy.