The Demands of Operational Soldiering

COMRADESHIP AND COPING WITH FEAR

 

Comradeship is the vital cement that keeps soldiers together on the battlefield and makes them fight when they are exhausted, frightened or confused. A soldier fights for patriotic reasons certainly, but far more because he is fighting for his friends. A soldier’s greatest fear is not so much the enemy, but far more, the fear of letting his comrades down, thus losing not only his self-respect but also the trust invested in him by his comrades. Those who know it will tell us that comradeship is a privilege of inestimable value to the morale and fighting spirit of a soldier and one that will endure for the rest of his life. 

 

CONDUCT ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND THE MORAL DIMENSION OF SOLDIERING

​
 

A soldier is trained to be ruthless with his enemy both before a ground operation begins and during the battle itself. This, for the very good reason that the casualties to his own side must be minimised. But when the battle is over he then has to treat that same enemy with restraint, and the respect and dignity due to any human being, friend or foe. This duty of a soldier stems from a principle that is fundamental to the profession of arms, the principle that respect for human life is paramount. Hence, if we loot the battlefield, or mistreat our POWs, or fail to respect the enemy dead, we are no longer a professional army - or even an army - because we have descended to the level of an undisciplined rabble whose actions are no longer accountable nor governed by a code of conduct that is universally recognised.

​

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF WAR

​
 

The images that confront a soldier on the battlefield will always be etched in his memory. In most cases these images will fade but they will never entirely disappear. In a minority of cases these memories can trigger PTSD. PTSD does not always take hold immediately. It can take up to a decade, or more, for its full impact to be felt. But when it does strike the effect can be devastating, leading to feelings of helplessness, depression, mood swings, and an inability to cope. One of the main characteristics of PTSD in its most severe form is the ‘Flashback’ - a sudden recollection of an image a soldier has witnessed on the battlefield which is sometimes as vivid, powerful and disturbing as the occasion when the image was first seen. Soldiers at every level are now familiar with the signs of PTSD and are alert to its dangers. Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, specialist treatment enables those who suffer PTSD to make a full recovery.