Combat Psychosis: Courage, Training or Brainwashing?

Bravery on the battlefield must be a psychosis. Much of the time it is tempting suicide.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Months before D-Day June 6, 1944 the Combat Infantrymen who would be storming the beaches at Omaha and Utah were shown pictures and sand table models of machine gun nests, light artillery positions, heavy artillery, barb wire strings up to 6 ft tall, tank traps and every other conceivable defensive obstacle.

They were certainly told that they would have casualties. At the same time they were assured that they individually would prevail but not those who did not take their training seriously especially those who for whatever reason didn’t feel like obeying their sergeants or officers.

The beaches were to be bombed by low flying, precisely aiming aircraft. Bigger bombers would smash the heavy artillery miles back of the beaches.

Rocket firing small ships would saturate the immediate defensive area and navy destroyers would fire from close in to destroy anything not already destroyed.

This must have thrilled the Combat Infantrymen who KNEW from basic training what machine guns, bazookas and light artillery could do to a person or group.

Well – very little of the above paragraph actually happened but never-the-less the Dogface Infantrymen were supposed to attack, succeed and supervene.

The American casualties, especially on Omaha Beach were catastrophic but still our guys did what they were supposed to do.

Can one call charging in to ALMOST certain death anything less than some form of psychosis? It’s comparable to jumping off a tall building or 5 round Russian roulette. There were a lot of Silver Stars and Bronze Stars those first few days. Many were post humous.

The U.S. had about 60 thousand casualties in the first 6 weeks in Normandy. We were ordered to ignore the casualties of even our closest buddies.

I was a college trained chemist when I volunteered for the Army. I was trained in Chemical Warfare and that’s what I thought I would do.

When I was sent to the 89th Infantry Division to be a Chemical Warfare non-com, I was told they had selected him the day before. My First Sergeant told me I would be in The Intelligence Section.

What the hay I thought there must be a few intelligent persons in the Army. “What will I be doing, Sergeant?”

I had seen the new movie Guadalcanal Diary about the near massacre of the Marines by the overwhelming numbers of fanatical Japanese troops.

Battalion Scouts, Pointmen and Forward Observers have the highest casualty and mortality rates in the Army and Marines.

I knew I wasn’t coming back home and with considerable despair I was relieved that I would not be leaving a beautiful young widow back home.

When I joined General Patton’s Third Army in Luxenburg we were greeted by one of his headquarters Majors, obviously in Personnel.

He welcomed us and then said “look to your right, look to your left, look behind you and look to your front.”

“If you obey your Sergeants and Officers at least one or more of you will survive.”

Bravery on the battlefield must be a psychosis. Much of the time it is tempting suicide.

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier

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ChrisJones March 10, 2009 2:27 pm (Pacific time)

Have you seen this from iraq yet Tim?

Pentagon knowingly exposed troops to cancer-causing chemicals, document shows...link @ http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Pentagon_knowingly_exposed_troops_to_cancercausing_0310.html

Tim King: Chris, Dr. Leveque brought this to my attention and it has been the subject of a lot of discussion. I appreciate your making sure we are aware.

CIB March 10, 2009 2:16 pm (Pacific time)

I ALSO SAY A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PARATROOPERS AND GLIDER TROOPS. THEY KEPT THE CASUALTIES ON THE BEACH LOWER AND MAYBE EVEN FROM SUFFERING DEFEAT BY KEEPING THOUSANDS OF ENEMY SOLDIERS FROM REACHING THE COAST. AIRBORNE!!

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