On Killing

396 Pages·2006·10.41 MB·English

ON KILLING

‘The Psychological Cost of Learning

lo Kill in War and Seciely

by Liewlenaed Colonel Deve Grossman

Bazk Bay Buoke
Little, Brown and Company
New York Boston
Copyight © 19961906 ag Davila Groeemaa

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Dedication

Not ofthe princes and prelates with petiwigued chuaricteer:
Riding Winaptomilly baweled tx Iup the ba atthe yours,
Rather the xcomed

the cgected — the men head in with, pears,

The men in Laltoredl bation whi
Diced with Wie dust ofthe ballle, the ai
The wen with the broken bead coal the Lleed runing inte th

is it dee,
and the cris,

Not the be-medalled Commander, beloved ofthe throne,
Riding cock-huvse lo parade when the bugles we blown,
But the lad who carried the hill and cannet be known,

Others may sing ofthe wine aud the wealth and the mith,
The pnitly presence of potentates goodly in girth:
Mine be the dirt and the dross, the dust and scum ofthe eattht

‘Theirs he the mmisic, the colonr, the glory, the gal
Mine be a handtil af ashes, a month
OF the muiraed, athe tlt ar the Blind in the vaire and te cial —

af monk.

Of these sll ny songs be Lishioned, muy lle be told. Aren

Tol Maselield
"A Comaveralion"

Contents

Acknowledgmumts &

Introduction to the Pup xt

Introduction ve

Section 1 Killing and the Existence of Resistance:
A World of Virgins Studying Sex

Chapter One ight or blight, Posture or Submit, $

Chapter Two Nontirers Thronghout History, 17

Chapter Three Why Can'tJohnny Kill? 22

Chapter Tour The Nature and Source ofthe Resistance, 37

Section LL kalltng and Combat ‘'rauma: I'he Role of
Killing im Psychiatrie Casualties

Chapter One The Nature of Psychiatric Casiaties:
The Payehislngical Price af War, 48

Chapter Twa The Reign of Pea: SL

Chapter Three The Weight of ¥xhaustion, 67

Chapter Four he Mud of Guilt and Horror,

Chaplor Five The Winl of Hite, 76

Chaplor Six The Well of Fevtiute, 8%

Chapter Seven The Burden of Killing, 87

(Chapter Fight The Blind Men and the Flephant, 94
w

Section HT

trpler One

Chapter Twn

Chapter Thre

Chapter Four

Chapter Tive

Chapter Six
(Chapter Seven

Section 1Y

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Tirrce

Chapter Four

Chupier Five

Chapter Six

SENTENT?

Killing aud Physical Distance: From
Distance. You Don't Look Anything Like
a Friond

Distuwe: A Quulitalive Distinction in

Death, 99

Killing al Maxim und Tamg Range: Never
a Need for Rupenlance or Regrel, LOT
Killing al Mid- sad Hand-Grenule Range
"You Can Never Be Sure IL Was You,” LL

Killing al Close Range: "I Kaew Thal It Wee
up 10M, Perstmailly, tev Kill Hien," 144

Killing at Cdged-Weanons Range’
An “Inlirale Brutally.” 120
killing at Lland-to-Land-Combat Range, 131

Killing at Sexual Range: "The Hrimal
Aggresion, the Release, and Orgastuic
Discharge," 141

An Anatomy of Killing:
‘All Factors Considered

‘the Demands of Authority: Milgram and the
Military, 141

Group Absolution: "The Thdividual Ts Not a
killer, but the Gronp Is," 149

Emotional Distance: "To Me They Were Lev
uw Auimnls," 156

The Natu
Pagal” 171

e ofthe Vielin: Relevance snd

Aggressive Prodispusilin athe Killer
Avengers, Coudilioning. aud lhe 2 Percent
Whe Tike Tt, 177

All Factors Considered: The Matheruatics of
Deu, 186
eNTENT?

Section
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Section VT

Chapter One

Chapter Twe

Section VIL

Chaprer One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Hour

Section VITT

Chapter One
Chopter Twas

or

Killing and Atrocities: "No Honor Here,
No Virtue"

‘The Lull Spectrum of Atrocity, 195
‘the Dark Power of Atrocity, 2

‘The Entrapment of Atrocity, 214
A Case Smid in Atrocirg, 217

The Greatest Trap of All: To Live witht Thal
‘Which Thou [ath Wrought, 222

The Killing Respanse Stages: What. Does
Tt Feel Tike to Kill?
The Killing Response Stages, 231

Applications ofthe Medel: Murder-Suicides
Lost Lilections, and ‘Ihoughts of Insanity, 211

Killing in Viera: Whol Have We Done
to Dur Soldiers?

Desensitization and Conditinning in. Vietnany
Overcoming the Resistance to Killing, 249
What. Have We Done ti Our Soldiers? The

Rationalization, ol Killings und Howe Th
Failed in Vietnam, 262

Pest-Lraumatic Stess Liisorder and the Cost
of Killing in Vieluan, 281

The Limits of Human Endurance and the
Lessons uf Vietnam, 200

Kling in Amertea: What Are We Doing,
to Our Children?

A Vims nf Vielenee, 299

Deseriilizalion snd Pavlov's Dag a. the
Muvies, 308
Chapter Three
Chapter Tour

Chapter Five

Notes
Bibliography

Index

SORTRITE

R. F. Skinmer's Rule onl Operant
Conditioning at the Video Arcade, 312

Secial Learning and Rale Models in the
Media, 317

‘The Resensitization of America, 323

Ecc}
348
Acknowledgments

Wor fas alwwyys interested me, wal wur in the sere of"rranicuvere
cally ol war, ie etual
killing, T wae more interested ta know in what way and under the
infierce al whl, ckings ane soldier Kills sruther than bs kr
how the armies were arranged at. Austerlitz and Raredine,

— Les Telstey

Ucvised by greal genenils . . . bul the

Thuve been assisted ia this study by a hust of great men and werner,

whe have stood beside ie aud gone before ine in this endeavor

Those T da now gratclillly acknowledge

‘Yo my wonderful and infinitely patient wife, Jeanne, for her
staunch support, to my mother, Sally Grossman: and to Duane
Grossman, my father and co-conspirator, whose many hours of
help in research and concept made this book possible.

To fhe Tudian Battalion of Arkunss Stale University. the Fines
ROTC battalion in the U.S. Army. ‘To my fellow soldier-scholars
among the ROTC cadre, to all my desr friends among the staff
and faculty st Arkansas State University, and particularly to Jan
Camp, who helped mnch with preparing the final draft and getting
quotation authorizations. And most of all to my young ROTC
cadets at Arkansas State: it is cuurently avy privilege to teach them,
and my honor to initiate them inte the way ofthe warricr.

To Major Bob Lecatard, Caplain Rich Tooker, Lieutenant
1onel Bob Waris, Majot/Dr. Duane Tway, and that indomitable
Loum, Hareld Thicle wud Elantu Vieweide: peur, ie

ls, eid Fellow
believers who have endured many a crude draft wd contributed
much tinne and elf toy asian al

upparling eric in hie ywisrk