How to Mentally Prepare for War

Little did I know in September of 2001, as a senior in high school, that the next decade of my life would in some way be devoted to a war that was just begun. But here I am, nine years later, on my way to Afghanistan. As an Air Force officer deploying with an Army team, I will train with the army for two months, learning proper TTP (tactics, techniques and procedures) before I deploy. Though two months of training is somewhat long for a six month deployment, I think the training is good. It demonstrates to me how much our military is willing to learn and adapt in order to bring stability to Afghanistan and bring its troops home. The training focuses on our Counterinsurgency strategy (COIN), which seeks to win the hearts and minds of the people and help the Afghani government to stand on its own. Pre-deployment training now consists of language and culture training as much as it does the obvious stuff like IED avoidance and weapons training.

While we do learn important stuff like TE Lawrence’s 27 articles we unfortunately do not spend as much time as you would think on psychological aspect of preparing for war. Do we just wrongly assume that there is nothing to be done to prepare a soldier’s soul before going to war? Is there anything that might also prepare the family members of those who deploy? It is true that fatality rates today in Iraq and Afghanistan are not as high as they were in WWII former military conflicts but this however does not diminish the uncertainty and anxiety that comes with being sent in harm’s way. It’s the uncertainty that gets you. It seems that even within the confines of a military compound in Afghanistan you never know when or where the next homemade rocket is going to land. It’s random. A soldier in Afghanistan is as likely to be killed by a mortar attack while walking to the chow hall on base as he is in a firefight outside the wire.

Further, in our society we are inundated with the message that, of those who go to war only a few are actually nervous about it. If you are a real man, then you will be able to just show up on the battlefield like William Wallace “ready to peck a feyt.” In the movie “Gladiator” you only see one person in the whole movie (some scared wimp, of course) wet himself before a fight. Sorry Hollywood but this is simply not reality. War is not pretty and neither are typical human reactions to war. According to post-war surveys, a quarter of combat vets from WWII admitted to urinating or defecating in their pants during combat. Yes 1 out of 4, and that is only those who were willing to admit to it. David Grossman, retired Lt Col army ranger and author of the book On Killing, explains that this kind of fear is a completely normal physiological fight or flight response to a situation in which a human being is required to kill or be killed by another human being. There are many things that can strike fear in a person’s heart: spiders, snakes, heights…etc. But interpersonal human violence tends to be a “universal human phobia” and soldiers are not exempt.

We tend to think that the best way do deal with the jitters is just to bury them like the protagonist is told to in Apocalypto..

The truth however is that denial is no way to prepare for anything. It is rumored that upon feeling that its life is in danger an ostrich will proceed to stick its head in the sand and pray that the cheetah storming at him will somehow disappear.  I can tell you that such a defense mechanism is not going to help the ostrich save its life. Don’t be like the ostrich and stick your head in the sand. Face your fears, Batman had to.. How should one then prepare for going to war?

1) Understand that fear in war is normal. Even Lt Spears in the Band of Brothers felt fear.

Once you understand that fear in war is normal and that there are ways to overcome it, you will better be able to harness it and you will less likely use it as an excuse for not doing your job. With such knowledge, Spears is able to act as calm in war as at the kitchen table.

2) Know and prepare for the risk inherent in going to war. There are definite risks that a soldier takes on as he or she enters a war zone. The simple fact of wearing a uniform in a deployed location makes you a target and you can be assured that somebody is trying to take your life.

This knowledge should be sobering and should emphasize the importance of your training.  Training is important because it creates muscle memory and eliminates reacting to any situation in fear. I have heard from that reacting to an IED in Afghanistan or securing a building in Iraq hardly feels different from simulated training scenarios. Rely on your training, it will build your confidence and diminish fear. The Spartans likely feared war the least because they trained for it the most.

3) Look at your deployment as an opportunity to grow in your faith. Faith in God erases fear of death. I have heard that everyone, from the atheist to the most devout, is willing to participate in a prayer before heading out on a convoy mission. You can find comfort in knowing that your life is in God’s hands, especially if you know and are a friend of God. Memorize Psalm 91. This Psalm is especially comforting to the family members of a deploying soldier.

Aspire to the faith of Thomas Jackson, who acquired the nickname “Stonewall” for consistently standing his ground and rallying his troops wherever the fighting happened to be the fiercest. He once said, “my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death, I do not concern myself with that. But to be always ready, whenever it may overtake me, that is the way all men should live . . . then all men would be equally brave.”