Military Ethical Dilemma

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Active Duty Perspective

PHI 140 The Ethics of War and Peace

Ethical reasoning and applying ethical theories to moral issues connected to war and peace are among the hardest things we can do as civilians.

Our Objectives for this activity: 

To quote one video commenter (@Daniel-yh9dz), "That's part of being a soldier. You gonna have blood on your hands either way. But someone needs to commit the sins, so people back home can be safe. How to live with yourself, knowing all the sins you have committed, is the most difficult thing I can imagine. I have deep respect for them."

An (S) symbol indicates a student-suggested movie. If you have one you would like me to add, message me or add it to any of your initial posts or replies.

CONSIDER ALL SCENES RATED R FOR VIOLENCE, DEATH, AND BLOOD - AND MAY INDUCE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS. 

American Active Duty Perspective:

American Sniper - Killing Women and a Kid Carrying Grenade. (S)


Johnny Got His Gun

This movie hit my soul! Although the movie was sometimes dated and long-winded, its nihilist surrealist imagery haunts my imagination and self-awareness. Instead of asking if democracy is worth dying for, the author asked if democracy is worth torturing a soul for the rest of its existence. He then asked you to remove yourself from war and ethics and reduce yourself to basic humanity. 

What would you do if someone asked you to end their life for them?

“Our livelihood has been threatened in this scenario, and we need to establish peace. Still, in doing so, there is a high possibility that soldiers will experience a fate worse than death. Mortars might blow off all their limbs and face, and they will live the rest of their lives trapped inside their mind, unable to communicate with the outside world. Finally, after years of this dark torture, they find a way to communicate and beg for death. Realizing the horrible prospect of their existence, is it immoral to euthanize them?”


A few discussion questions come to mind, but you can form your own reflection for the class. My questions are just here to get the wheels turning. 

Iraqi War Veterans Narratives (American Perspectives)

Questions to think about


Lone Survivor - A Difficult Decision (2013) (S)


Operation Homecoming (American Iraq/Afghanistan perspective)


Operation Homecoming is a collection of poetry readings set to music and video vignettes that show military service reuniting with their families. The stories submitted by Iraq War veterans are read and visualized by different actors and filmmakers. Colby Buzzell’s “Men In Black” feature is one of the many that stands out to me as incredible. References: FOB Marez incident. This video will be referred to during our optional guest speaker event.

Global Active Duty Military Perspective:

Afghanistan


Hiroshima


Vietnam War Veterans Narratives (American & Vietnam Perspectives)

In the Vietnam videos above, soldier (A) describes a noise and darkness behind a door. He also describes, in great detail, the differences between perceived war and the reality of war. In video (B), the soldier also describes his disappointment towards the US Allies, who he claimed abandoned him to the enemy. In video (C), we watched a training video from the North Vietnam Army. The following questions are in direct response to those sentiments. You don't need to use these questions; they might help spark reflection and response. 

Video (A). During the early days of Jan 2020, US/Iranian escalations proved how quickly two countries might go to war over an assassination similar to the events during WWI. Halfway through WWI and before the US joined the fight, the UK ran out of soldiers, so they began the draft. This implies that as the war continued, they didn’t have the support of the people; hence, a draft was required, and the number of volunteers was low. This brings to focus the question of Conscription. The US government has implemented Conscription since the American Revolution. In today’s climate, it seems highly unlikely the justifications used to fight WWI would be considered valid justifications for war today. Consider for a moment how The Constitution gives women protection over their bodies but, in the same breath, demands men sacrifice their lives on behalf of the whole. Have we not stripped the men of their Constitutional protection to their bodies? If we as a nation demand men, ages 18-25, register for the Selective Service or face jail time, have we just committed an unconstitutional act towards men? Where in the Constitution are men’s bodily rights preserved?
In Video (B), the soldier is very hurt by the treatment he received when the US pulled out of Vietnam and the North captured him. Considering Americans pride themselves on no soldier left behind, what obligations do we as a nation have towards allied troops those who are left behind? We see glaring similarities if we played the video alongside one of our training videos. The motivations behind their fight and our fight often parallel each other. In the video, one difference is that of the citizen soldier. Discuss the justifications that allow American Citizens to let soldiers fight on their behalf instead of joining the battle as seen in the video.


WWII

It is relatively dry in its delivery but attempts to show different perspectives from the German and American sides during WWII. “At the close of World War II, a reporter tasked by the newly formed United Nations to document the war's devastating aftermath interviews six German Nazi prisoners in an Allied internment camp.”

Comment posted; “This movie attempts to portray a writer who interviews various wartime personalities, devoting a separate chapter to each subject. It is not a continuous plot involving the same actors from start to finish.”

Come and See (Belarus perspective)

Family Member or Civilian Perspective:

Children impacted by War


Civilians


Civilians Attacked: Vietnamese civilians vs. American Troops


Family Members Living Next to Auschwitz 


Family Members Attacked by Italian Fascist Army 

Syrian Prison Raids

Young woman between the front lines in Germany

Five-Minute Read :)

A Tragic Shooting At Fort Cavazos

By Professor Kelly Perez | 2014

The tragic shooting at Fort Cavazos at the hands of SPC. Lopez has prompted a surprise show of support for the gunman from military soldiers and families. In a way, we each failed to see the signs of a soldier hurting and depressed, to the point he becomes desperate enough to commit a cardinal sin against his brothers. 

Gustave Flaubert once said, “[When] a friend dies, it’s something [inside] of you that dies.” For the military community, this is not a quote; it is also a way of life. “No man left behind” is not a phrase reserved for political statements and bumper stickers. We take this quote very seriously. When the news broke out, there was a shooting on a military base. Each soldier looked to their left and right, and each spouse wondered if their soldier was hurt or, worse, the shooter. As the news trickled in, we learned it was a shooting at Fort Cavazos, and for soldiers and spouses alike not stationed at Cavazos, a sign of relief washed over them, quickly followed by a shameful head shake – not shame for SPC. Lopez, but for the sad situation. You have to understand that SPC. Lopez is a brother related by sweat, dirt, and blood to 400,000 service members, and to see a brother fall, and more so, drop in such a disrespectful manner, well, it hits home hard. 

When a tragedy like this happens, an odd phenomenon comes over the soldier, and it begins with phrases such as “craziness,”
“I can’t believe it,” and “What the hell is happening to us?” The soldier secretly takes on so much guilt and then stoically soldiers on. Soldiers train to die as heroes, defending their brothers in battle and not dying at their own hands. A soldier is not concerned with God and Country; instead, he is concerned with the safety and well-being of his battle buddy. Every soldier knows, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived”, once said General George Patton. The soldier is not equipped to break the routine and deal with the loss of his brother to suicide, not to mention one that died in a similar way as his enemy. Every day, soldiers overseas defend innocent bystanders from suicide bombers and, of course, Spc. Lopez didn’t strap a bomb to his chest and pull the cord, but he did kill innocent people and then turn the gun on himself. “Craziness,” “I can’t believe it,” and “What the hell is happening to us?” that’s all the soldier can think.  

For the spouses, SPC Lopez could have very well been their husband. The triggers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) don’t come from war but from home. Spouses send their soldiers off to work every day with the understanding that despite the ring on their finger, they’re still second in that soldier’s life and are always the first blamed when the soldier reacts to his PTSD. It’s like this: the soldier goes to war on a strict routine. He knows when he will go to chow, go to bed, and go on patrols. He may see horrible things and do awful things, but at the end of the day, he is not different from the soldier next to him who did horrible things and saw terrible things. When he returns home, it is pure chaos in his mind. There is no schedule to follow and no routine to keep him busy. So much was thrown his way as quickly as possible to bring him back to reality. He’s thrown his kids to raise, given the bills to pay, and to his side is his devoted wife, desperate to reconnect with her long-lost soldier. All structure is completely removed from his life. 

Who knows what SPC Lopez was thinking that day? Was it depression or PTSD? Nobody can know. The pressure to rejoin society as an average person significantly affects any soldier's mind. Soldiers suffer silently and trek every day until they snap one day. That is why I say SPC. Lopez could be any soldier out there. I’m sure he will be diagnosed as having a series of mental disorders that will account for his tragic action, but in reality, the military community knows better. They know they failed to help SPC. Lopez and this shame must end. Until then, the stoic soldier shakes his head in amazement and silently hopes to return to war; at least there, life makes sense. 

 Cicero once said, “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.” To the families who lost a loved one in Darnell Army Medical Hospital at the hands of SPC. Lopez, our hearts bleed for you and the family of SPC. Lopez, we hurt with you.