When does Peace breed Violence?

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

When the boys come home. And bring more sophisticated tactics to those participating in criminal activities.

Over the decades, I've seen that, when troops are brought back from assignment, not all of them return to lives of prosperity or honor. Some join the criminal element, and bring to their tasks the tenacity and skill that's honed over many sleepless nights in a war zone. They bring military precision to gang walk-ups and drive-by's that would have otherwise failed; spec-ops planning and contraban technology to small time drug operations, making them more efficient and harder to stop; and the ruthlessness of war veterans to soldiering for organized crime, big and small.

Several gentlemen I've trained with were Viet Nam era vets, who linked up with some nefarious employment upon their return, and made a living hurting or intimidating people.

Some of the guys I bounced with after Storm were a little mentally...destabilized?...and made for some sketchy characters to work with: I spent as much time talking them down as I did throwing out drunks. Some worked as collectors and soldiers for local traffickers.

After Desert Storm, I watched as a rivalry between club owners went quickly south when the bouncers were told to go inside, and peeked through a crack in the door as an ex seal-team that served together in Iraq stormed the other bar, penetrating it with night vision on as one guy cut the power and another disabled vehicles in the parking lot to dissuade persuit. Instead of rifles, they used bats and blades, and messed up the owner and bodyguards at the other club pretty badly. Even had a home-made flash-bang to stun and confuse their targets before engaging them directly. Then they left in two jeeps/SUV's, like they were evac in hummers. Clockwork. For the bad guys, doing bad things. Apparently, when one gets caught for something small and sent away for a spell, the others get caught on purpose for something of approximately equal value, so they can do their time together and watch each others backs in jail.

What are we going to do with the boys that come home to no jobs, diminished social more's, and a social climate in which their battle skills are easier to get paid for than their non-existent college or trade skills?

There's a case in the local news about some guy getting shot down in a parking garage in front of witnesses after getting into a fisticuffs with some local gang rats...many witnesses, many suspects...no arrests. And this by the amateurs. What about when they start walking with the same impunity, but with military-trained, hazard-honed precision?

Stay in shape, and keep training. The next corner you round could get scary.

Best Regards,

Dave

 

[SFC JeffJ]

I think one of the more famous instances of this would be Jesse and Frank James. They used their experiences from the guerrilla fighting they to rob banks after the U.S. Civil War.

It's always going to happen. Fortunately only a very small percentage go wrong, and the percentage is even smaller from the Spec-Ops community.

Jeff

 

[Tez3]

I think our governments plan to keep our forces busy for a long while yet sadly.

 

[michaeledward]

Of course, what you are describing is not peace breeding violence, but violence breeding violence. Soldiers are not trained to bring peace. They are trained to bring violence.

How is that we can so easily confuse these diametric opposites?

 

[morph4me]

Of course, what you are describing is not peace breeding violence, but violence breeding violence. Soldiers are not trained to bring peace. They are trained to bring violence.

How is that we can so easily confuse these diametric opposites?

I don't think we are confusing diametric opposites, I think they are alot closer than we want to believe.

Soldiers are trained to follow orders and kill, then sent to places were it's expected and accepted, and then, sent home and expect to just go back to the way they were before and blend right in.

It's unrealistic, and then we're suprised when some of them do things that are unacceptable in peactime among civilians. There is nothing to help reintegrate the people who serve back into the societies that they serve.

 

[Cryozombie]

Soldiers are not trained to bring peace. They are trained to bring violence.

You will forgive me, because I forget which of the numerous books of MA philosophy I read this in, but Mike's quote there brought this to mind:

I read once that the difference between a soldier and a warrior is what he does in times of peace. A soldier is trained for war, and when there are no more wars, he has no place in society, and therefore falls out. A warrior, however is trained in both warfare and a peacetime art or trade, so that, when not needed in war, he can be content and a welcome member of society.