Stripped to its essence, combat is a series of quick decisions and rather precise actions carried out in concert with ten or twelve other men. In that sense its much more like football than, say, like a gang fight. The unit that choreographs their actions best usually wins. They might take casualties, but they win. That choreographyyou lay down fire while I run forward, then I cover you while you move your team upis so powerful that it can overcome enormous tactical deficits. There is choreography for storming Omaha Beach, for taking out a pillbox bunker, and for surviving an L-shaped ambush at night on the Gatigal. The choreography always requires that each man make decisions based not on whats best for him, but on whats best for the group. If everyone does that, most of the group survives. If no one does, most of the group dies. That, in essence, is combat.
About This Quote
About Sebastian Junger, War
Sebastian Junger, War.
Themes
- War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war