War Is Hell

William Tecumseh Sherman is remembered as one of the greatest generals in American history. His leadership of Union troops through Georgia, eventually capturing (after burning) Atlanta, is still cited as one of the greatest (albeit cruelest) military commands. But, Sherman did not glorify war. Here's an eyewitness report of a speech he gave at the Ohio State Fair in the summer of 1880. The famous line he uttered that gives this post its title wasn't formally attributed to him for over 50 years. Listen to Sherman's words:

...before he sat down, the General suddenly said, ‘Cadets of the graduating class’ – the students arose and saluted – and then changed it to ‘Boys,’ making this statement: ‘I’ve been where you are now and I know just how you feel. It’s entirely natural that there should beat in the breast of every one of you a hope and desire that some day you can use the skill you have acquired here.

Suppress it! You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I’ve been through two wars and I know. I’ve seen cities and homes in ashes. I’ve seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you, war is hell!

Those of us who have not experienced war firsthand can't imagine either the desire to "use the skills" those cadets had acquired, nor war's ferocity and horrors. Yet, despite those horrors, we expect soldiers - we call them "professional soldiers" - to act in accordance with the legal and moral precepts that "govern" war.

That phrase, "govern war," is an odd one for those of us who've never served in uniform. But it's a matter of enormous pride for the men and women who have; that there are rules and conventions that apply in battle, and that persons of honor assiduously follow them. This pride is part of the foundation of the cultures that govern our military services, cultures that are captured in powerful words like "Duty, Honor, Country." Again, those of us who have never served may find those words anachronistic, simplistic, vaguely embarrassing.  But to those who have, they mean everything; they are words millions have fought and died for.

This week we've heard of another in a line of historical breeches of the rules and conventions that govern combat. In November, in the Iraqi village of Haditha, a squad of US Marines is alleged to have killed as many as two dozen non-combatants, including women and children. In the ensuing months, several levels of the chain of command is alleged to have attempted to cover up the killings, going so far as to pay victims families restitution of between $1,500 and $2,000.

The first tragedy of this kind in my lifetime was in December, 1967, at My Lai, Vietnam. There, as in Haditha, civilians were killed by a combat unit which had been under attack by guerrillas, or "insurgents," as we call them in Iraq. Then, as now, our troops had been trained to fight an enemy using these tactics. Then, as (allegedly) now, the psychological strain of continually coming under attack by attackers who are indistinguishable from non-hostile civilians led to an incident that most egregiously violates the moral code of both our military and civilian societies.

But, there can be no excuse for killing innocent civilians. Not by jihadists flying airplanes into buildings, nor by military units in uniform executing villagers. Leaders, who are responsible for developing and maintaining the cultures of their organizations, must constantly guard against excesses. In extreme circumstances, like the war in Iraq, leaders must re-double their vigilance to assure that tragedies like My Lai, and the one alleged to have occurred at Haditha, do not occur. This is their first responsibility. And, while we cannot imagine the hell of war into which we have placed our troops, we cannot allow the psychological strains of that hell to exonerate them from personal responsibility. In the end, each of us is accountable for what we do, under any and all circumstances.

President Bush had this to say about the allegations yesterday:

"Nobody is more concerned about these allegations than the Marine Corps," [Bush] said. "The Marine Corps is full of men and women who are honorable people, who understand the rules of war. And if, in fact, these allegations are true, the Marine Corps will work hard to make sure that that culture, that proud culture, will be reinforced and that those who violated the law, if they did, will be punished."

No matter what our personal feelings may be about the war, we must not let ourselves lose sight of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe those who enter Sherman's hell. The overwhelming majority serve honorably, distinguishing themselves by virtue of their courage and discipline.

But it is on the occasion of events like the one alleged to have occurred at Haditha that the true power of Sherman's simple phrase comes through to us in all its horror.

Tags: Haditha

Comments

[Connie Sartain]

Geraldine Brooks Pulitzer prize winning book March chronicles the transforming experience of war on an idealist who believed the Civil War justified, on his family, and on truth telling.

[Tom Guarriello]

Thanks for the reference, Connie. Just ordered Brooks' book from Amazon.