Good Wars Are Always Tragedies

May 9, 2008

When we were at Winter Soldier, we listened to story after story of violence and disregard for basic dignity of humans.  We heard servicemembers talk about terms of engagement that including shooting anyone with a gun, then anyone with a shovel (in case they were burying explosive devices in the road), anyone who looks suspicious, and ultimately children who throw rocks.  We heard about wanton destruction, thefts, abuse, torture, rapes, and cover-ups.

Implicit in much of the testimony was surprise.  Surprise that we were not fighting a war without wanton destruction, thefts, abuse, torture, rapes, and cover-ups.  The surprise indicates a belief that war, if fought properly could be a less messy thing.  If we only followed the rules, war wouldn’t be so bad.

But history tells us that the wanton destruction, thefts, abuse, torture and rapes—if not so much the cover-ups—have always been part of war.  War has always been messy.  We pretend sometimes that it is not so.  We like to think of the American Revolution as being the clever Yanks fighting the somewhat bumbling and frequently evil British.  But wanton destruction of Quaker and Mennonite property took place then.  As did torture, thefts, abuses, etc.

We like to paint World War II as the “Good War.”  It certainly was a war against evil.  But that didn’t keep our soldiers from wanton destruction, thefts, abuse, torture, rapes, and cover-ups.  We just talk about the ones done by the losing side rather than the ones committed by our troops and our commands.

Even peace people like to paint a relatively benign picture of war, telling the story of the Christmas Armistice of World War I where the Germans and the British shared signing carols and drinks as a sweet story, a story that shows the basic humanity of the troops.  But I see rather a harsh reflection of the willingness of the troops to kill on command—even someone they drank with the night before.

Now, be clear, I am not suggesting that the members of our military or, indeed any military, are evil people.  I am, however, suggesting that there is no way to have a “Good War,” a clean war, a war played by the rules.  Because war is not now and never has been a game.  War is an evil institution that takes good men and women and causes them to do evil things.  War is an evil institution that takes people who want to do evil things (and they do exist) and gives them legitimization and honor for doing them.  War is an evil institution that takes good people and grinds them up and destroys them.

There is no Good War.

There was no Good War.

And there will never be a Good War.

No matter what rules are made.