What Combat Requires in Philip Caputo's Rumor of War

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Recommended: Impact on soldiers after Vietnam

The Vietnam War was a psychological and physical battle for all the young men who were drafted or volunteered. Caputo's own reasons for volunteering illustrate the mentality for some of the men entering into this journey. Those who are inducted into Vietnam face disturbing moral dilemmas that can be expected in an "ethical wilderness." The draft introduced a myriad of young men to the once forgotten moral ambiguity of war. Average American citizens must balance right from wrong in a world without morals or meaning. Caputo himself struggles with the idea that killing in combat is morally justified. Philip Caputo joins the Marines for the same reasons most young men leave their home city or town. He wants adventure, an escape from the mundane and the idea of being a hero; Caputo dreamed of being "John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima," storming the beaches as only a Marine could. Adding to this formula is the Kennedy inaugural speech. The President is asking how "you" can help the United States of America. Being a child stuck at home with his parents, the idea of joining the world's "911" force is an ideal romance for one so young. Laws exist to protect life and property; however, they are only as effective as the forces that uphold them. War is a void that exists beyond the grasps of any law enforcing agency and It exemplifies humankind's most desperate situation. It is an ethical wilderness exempt from civilized practices. In all respects, war is a primitive extension of man. Caputo describes the ethical wilderness of Vietnam as a place "lacking restraints, sanctioned to kill, confronted by a hostile country and a relentless enemy, we sank into a brutish state." Without boundaries, there is only a biological moral c... ... middle of paper ... ...ut perfect warrior; "he did not feel a sense of vengeance... [he] did not even feel angry... [he] did not feel anything at all." The Vietcong loses his compassion; they want to take his life by any means necessary and to that end, he reciprocates. Combat requires a certain emotional inertness. I am unable to kill something I empathize with as a human being. I need a reason to hate the enemy I am at war with; I need to be able to dehumanize the target. At first, as Caputo did, I would be unable to ignore the fact that the Vietcong are human beings with every right to live as I have. Following the brutal attempts to kill me, I will easily lose my own humanity as well as that of the enemy. It is the ethical wilderness that facilitates this dehumanizing transition. Once it is recognized that the enemy has dehumanized you, it is commonplace to return the favor.

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