"It's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is."

Into the Valley of Death Blog Assignment

 

    "When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is." Hoot, Black Hawk Down 

    Sebastian Junger's report from the Korengal Valley features descriptions of military ranks, weapons, vehicles, clothing, and equipment that Homer's original audience wouldn't understand; however, they'd immediately identify with the leader who forsakes the safety of shelter to halt an enemy advance, or the soldier who rushes to his injured comrade to soothe his wounds. Citizens of ancient Greece would laugh when they heard how soldiers told jokes while hopelessly immobilized by enemy fire, and they'd recognize the pain soldiers felt when their friends died in their arms. 

Ajax Defends Patroclus' Corpse

    Our war machines are more advanced, and our tactics have become very complicated; but the feelings a soldier has for his comrades never changed. The love and desire to protect and honor the man next to you will always supersede any political motivation that placed you on the battlefield in the first place.

Warren