WWII: Gen. Patton in Battle of the Bulge
War, real war, is a horrific, brutish and destructive endeavor that rarely produces a genuine victor. It always inflicts egregious suffering, on all
Kris Osborn - 6 hours ago
War, real war, is a horrific, brutish and destructive endeavor that rarely produces a genuine victor. It always inflicts egregious suffering, on all parties, and out of all proportion to the ostensible causes. One of the least examined aspects in the current age of major wars is its effects on military leaders and what they do in the name of their country. A look at some of the moral quandaries faced by the major commanders of World War II should serve as a sobering reminder to all who advocate solving complex international problems with military power.
The United States has not engaged in major combat operations against a foe capable of inflicting real damage to our forces since Korea and Vietnam; neither of those were on the scale of World War II. The lack of societal memory of the conduct and cost of major war is a contributing factor for the casual ease with which many opinion leaders in Washington advocate the application of lethal military power as a solution to any number of problems. It might be instructive to look back to some of the more complex situations facing an armed force conducting large-scale combat operations.
Since Seymour Hersh exposed 3 the My Lai incident in Vietnam to the world, public opinion has been sharply focused on how Americans conduct combat operations as much as on what they achieve. Men like Medal of Honor winner Salvatore Giunta 4 receive applause while the actions of certain Marines in Afghanistan receive condemnation for desecrating corpses 5 of dead Taliban. That’s understandable and right. American citizens hold their soldiers to a high standard of conduct, even in bloody battles.
https://scout.com/military/warrior/Article/-WWII-Gen-Patton-in-Battle-of-the-Bulge--108795809
