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| The statements of Lt. General Jim Mattis |
ETWolverine |
02/10/05 |
Hi everyone.
I was wondering what your feelings were regarding the statements made recently by Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis.
At a recent military conference in San Diego, he gave a speach in which he was discussing (among other things) the fact that the enemy s not yet broken, and their will to fight is still strong.
He said: "Don't patronize this enemy. They mean business. They mean every word they say. Don't imagine an enemy somewhere in the future and you're going to transform so you can fight him. They're killing us now. Their will is not broken."
He followed that with the following comments:
"Actually, it's quite fun to fight'em, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you. I like brawling."
The general then made clear who "some people" are. "You go into Afghanistan. You've got guys who slapped women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
Naturally there are now certain elements calling for Gen. Mattis' head.
---------------
Now... here's my take on it.
He's 100% right. War is terrible, but it can be fun too. Or perhaps not fun, but certainly satisfying.
I have never been in combat. But I have spent quite a bit of time learning how to fight. I have nearly 30 years of martial arts experience. Fighting IS fun. There's no time that you feel quite as alive as when someone is trying to hit you, and you are doing the same to them. There's the enjoyment of the technique itself, the block-and-counter properly executed, the kick that connects where it was supposed to. And there's the fear. There's nothing quite as exhilerating as when your opponent's attack ALMOST takes your head off. The adrenaline rush is AMAZING, and it feels GOOD. And of course, if you win, that's pretty damn cool too.
I've only been in two real fights in my life outside the dojo. Both times were much faster than any spar session in the dojo. They started and ended much quicker. But the adrenaline high was bigger too. Nothing focusses one's mind quite as well as death... or the possibility of it. (I think Ben Franklin said that, but I'm not sure. Whoever said it was right.)
So I can understand the idea of combat being fun and enjoyable, despite the horror. As big as that enjoyment is with hand-to-hand combat, I suspect that it's even more true in all-out war. And its all the more enjoyable if the sonofabitch you are killing actually DESERVES it.
Sherman said "War is hell". Years later, Patton said "War is hell, but G-d help me, I love it." He was right about that.
Perhaps the best saying ever on the subject was from Robert E. Lee. He said "It is good that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."
These military men understood that war is enjoyable. It is eerie to think that, but it's true. Being more powerful than your enemy is thrilling. Knowing that you hold the power of life and death in your hands is thrilling. A close miss by enemy fire is thrilling. And killing a man who is trying to kill you is thrilling.
Civilized people don't like to believe that war is fun. It's not PC to say it. Only savages get their rocks off on war. But it's true, and Mattis, a Marine's Marine understands that. Mattis is more than a soldier. He's a fighter. He's a LEADER among fighters. And right now we need more than just soldiers. We need fighters, and Mattis is one of the best.
Back in the Civil War, there was a particular general who was running up particularly high casualty rates. Someone demanded that Lincoln remove that general and replace him with another. Lincoln's response was "I can't spare this man; he fights."
That's my response to the PC crowd that want's Mattis' head: We can't afford to lose Jim Mattis. He fights. He's blunt, he's not PC, and he's not the type of guy to bring home to momma. But he understands war, and by G-d, the man can fight. We need him.
That's my opinion. What's yours.
Elliot |
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