The Reality of Combat

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at how Dave Grossman uses his expertise from his military service to describe and characterize the psychological and the physiological factors involved in combat in his work "On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace". The paper attempts to describe how Grossman conveys the reality of combat to the reader. The paper also looks at his treatment of the act of killing and the fact that this is not something that comes naturally to most people. The paper shows how Grossman's book is directed both at those who train soldiers and at the young soldiers themselves, from the neophyte to the veteran.

From the Paper:

"He begins with the physiological, by which he means the physical changes in the body during combat. Combat here means not just at the moment of fighting but the lead-up to the fighting and the aftermath of battle. Combat involves the preparations for war, the time spent waiting for a battle to begin, the battle itself, and the aftermath of the battle. During these different times, the individual experiences waves of fear, anxiety, stress, and boredom, with boredom being perhaps the major part of the experience. Grossman also makes it clear that people have certain ideas about combat from movies and stories told by old soldiers and that the reality is quite different and cannot be understood unless experienced directly."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Grossman, Dave. On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace. PPCT Research, 2004.

More papers on The Reality of Combat:

• Book Review # 133646 : "Tim O'Brien: The Reality of Combat in Vietnam"
• Analytical Essay # 24019 : "The Delusions of War"
• Term Paper # 115576 : "The Trauma of the Vietnam War"

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