Choose Your Own Prompt Essay

May - 28 2015 | By

Chase Osborn

English 1

April 27th, 2015

The Risks and Dangers of War Upon the Human Body and Mind

Pre In the TV series “The Pacific,” a battle is shown of Gaudacanal, an island on which the Marines sustained heavy casualties from the Japanese. Many who survived were either wounded physically, or mentally. One scene depicts a marine suffering from the “1,000-yard-stare,” and he is just staring gaunt faced into the distance. In our world today, many people think the job of a soldier is only physically threatening. I believe that a career in the military is the most challenging because of not only the physical danger, but also the mental stres

In the TV series “The Pacific,” a battle is shown of Guadalcanal, an island on which the Marines sustained heavy casualties from the Japanese. Many who survived were either wounded physically, or mentally. One scene depicts a marine suffering from the “1,000-yard-stare,” and he is just staring gaunt faced into the distance. In our world today, many people think the job of a soldier is only physically threatening. I believe that a career in the military is the most challenging because of not only the physical danger, but also the mental stress.

Just as everyone knows, physical danger is obviously prevalent in every day of a soldier’s life. For example, during boot camp, a recruit’s body is pushed further than he or she would have believed possible. Sleep deprivation, physical exhaustion, and severe pain is what recruits go through daily. However, they learn that they are capable of graduating from boot camp as long as they believe that there is no quitting, giving up, or failure. In addition to boot camp, once soldiers are actively deployed, they face the dangers of getting shot, maimed, and killed. Frequently shown on the news like Fox, CNN, or ABC, people in the Middle East will blow themselves up in a suicide bombing. They target United States embassies, soldiers, and sometimes random buildings, and are often looking like just normal civilians. Therefore, a soldier’s every day life is filled with danger and possible death.

Also, many veterans suffer from mental diseases. For example, experiencing atrocious acts of war and inhumanity can cause a person to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For many of us, we think we can only be harmed physically, but that’s far from the truth. Events can not only damage our body, but also our mind, causing us to constants think about that event and have severe mental breakdowns. Certain events as simple as a car backfiring can send a war-torn-veteran into a severe mental breakdown, and cause him to act like he’s right back in the war again. Also, many of the soldiers who hold a leadership position, such as a platoon, squad, or fire-team leader, can feel responsible for every injury and death of their men. If one of his men were severely injured or even killed due to the leader’s decision, he may feel such immense guilt that it can make him step down from his command. Despite what many people think of physical danger being the only risk, the minds of our protectors are at more risk than their bodies.

Just as the Marines on Guadalcanal who were wounded, killed, and traumatized, soldiers pay the price for our freedom with not only their lives, but also their minds.

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