Into the Valley of Death - Frank Genovese

The hands-on approach to mass murder.

It is incredible to see the contrast between the ways of modern war and the battles of ancient Greece. Both visually paint a brutal picture of a battleground filled with combatants ready to strike; however, the pictures painted could not be more different. Nowadays, advanced weaponry allows us to take down entire battalions of people with ease, and the only reason we don't do it on a widespread scale is because we don't want to kill civilians. We've made killing so incredibly easy, which is a gruesome thought. However, it is hard to say which is more gruesome: the ease of mass murder in modern times, or the effort that one would go through to  kill even a single person in ancient times? There were no drone strikes; there were no Apache helicopters. Nothing but horses, swords, spears, arrows, shields, and determined souls dominated the battlefield. To kill your enemy, you would often have to go and gut them yourself. It wasn't as easy as a simple gunshot.

Imagine what something like this could do to a large crowd.
All without ever having to look a single person in the eye.

However, there is something ancient warfare had that we Americans simply don't anymore: the drive to actually continue fighting. Junger's article paints a picture of battalions of Americans that are simply tired of war. Squads filled with people simply fighting because they felt they had to in order right the wrongs dealt to their country, because they were pressured into service by their families, or even just because they were bored. In ancient Greece, everyone sought honor and recognition. They were often bloodthirsty animals on the hunt for specific people just so they could have the glory and fame of killing them. Although civilians wanted the war to finally end, the warriors' minds were focused on victory and victory alone, no matter the cost. In Junger's article, everyone on our side is fighting to stay alive. The occasional "act of bravery" in modern war would be a casual leap into battle for an Achaean or Trojan warrior, and those that did not risk their lives in the field of battle would be seen as a coward. This type of combat might seem extremely brutal and almost barbaric in nature, but really, isn't the only difference today that killing is simply less hands-on? It's certainly as abundant, if not more. We may treat civilians with respect, but when it comes to warriors on the opposing side, we're fully ready to kill them in droves.