It's well known that the most dangerous times for a soldier are the first few months he enters combat. If he can survive those he's got a much better chance. A few thoughts.

He enters combat having been barraged with BS - he's the baddest, toughest, best trained, best equipped fighter the Earth has ever seen and fighting for the cause of good, motherhood, family, the American Way of Life, liberty, democracy, and private property. If he fails the Free World will collapse.

He is taught his enemy is a fanatic, pure evil, only interested in killing, repression, torture and hates the American Good, American motherhood, American families, Way of Life, liberty, democracy and private property. Absolutely hates them. He will stupidly die in a futile attempt to deprive others of Freedom. He is poorly trained, equipped, malnourished, and motivated only at the gunpoints of his "masters". And stupid for falling for all the nonsense his leaders continually shoved down his throat. And even stupider because he couldn't speak English.

Overestimating oneself, underestimating ones opponent, and not understanding motivations if maintained are guaranteed to lead to catastrophic failure.

The reality is that in the conflict with which I have familiarity, the Americans were very well equipped, not trained well for the terrain, and not the toughest. The physical conditioning was good, for Westerners. The Americans did not know the language, the land or the customs. He wasn't fighting for "democracy", etc. After a while, the Americans were fighting for their buddies, screw the rest of the BS.

His enemy was poorly, but well enough, equipped. He was well trained, better trained in many instances than the US troops, and motivated, fighting for his land, his country, his customs. He was tough as nails, tougher even, able to thrive in conditions which a Westerner couldn't begin to tolerate. He could live off the land, in the villages, and on next to nothing. And not only smart, very smart, but efficient.

Once people learned they couldn't take themselves as seriously as they thought, and they couldn't underestimate their opponents safely, they had a chance. Only then could they approach a situation realistically.

And once they shed the idea that they were there as heros and representatives of a better way of life which was envied by all they had an even better chance.

Black-and-white thinkers cannot understand that. Never will. By definition. So obsessed with themselves and their "stuff" they believe everyone else is, too. And believe that everyone else is out to grab their "stuff". Take it away. (Pure projection, by the way.)

Not smart.

Arf