Earlier this week, I told you about a psychological evaluation I had to do before being offered a spinal cord stimulator. In part, it was a face-to-face interview with the psychologist. The psychologist pointed out that the military is far different than civilian life. An example would be the way enlisted men swear. Most sentences will contain at least one swear word. It is so pervasive that many jokes have been about it. Here’s a joke about a young man who returned home after basic training and sitting down with his family at the dinner table. He remained polite but said, “Please pass the F…ing potatoes.” His mother tells him not to use that kind of language at home. A little later, he says, “Please pass the potatoes.” Then he looks at his mother and says, “I bet you thought I would F… up again.”
A change of vocabulary is not the only thing that changes in the military person’s life. There are strict rules that they must follow. For example, saluting all officers. The rules are so strictly enforced that they become automatic in nature.
How many men in the Army actually see combat? I found online that somewhere between 6 and 10 people are needed to support one combat infantryman. It means even in the Army, the odds of seeing combat are low. Just think about all the needs are a combat infantryman has. He needs all the things that everyone needs ranging from food to clothing. Plus, he needs weapons and training to survive in the field. When I think about all the things a combat infantryman needs, I’m not surprised that it only takes 6 to 10 people to do that.
What do we ask a combat infantryman to do other than using his weapon to defeat the enemy? After an action, you would see the collection of firearms from the dead enemy. You search the bodies of the dead enemy for any intelligence they might provide. What effect does it have on a combat soldier? It’s a shock to find the body still warm as you search it! That and other things make a mess of the combat soldier’s mind.
The military tries to prepare you as much can things like that. They do that by changing you from a civilian to a soldier. It starts when they give you your rifle in basic training. You tell you it has only one purpose – to kill and maim human beings. When you understand that, you are no longer a civilian. However, you are still a human being!
