Kevin Brooks wrote:

Cecil Turner wrote in message ...
Kevin Brooks wrote:
It's "for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother" . .
. not "he who feeds the horses but stays behind."

So you join Art in scorning the service of all of those who have
faithfully served in other roles, or theaters? I would have thought
better of you, Cecil.

Mr Brooks, I may be overly sensitive, but as a (retired) military officer I expect a
certain amount of civility and courtesy, especially from fellow servicemen. Since you
refuse to discuss issues without gratuitous personal comments, I decline to correspond
with you further.

I would expect more than that "he who feeds the horses" bit from a
good officer, retired or otherwise.

Well, let's talk about your expectations for a moment. Most references on the subject
claim it's a very personal phenomenon (and even more so for small groups). For example:
"The book highlights the importance of peer pressure in reinforcing courage. For the
ship’s company and a bomber crew, the shared risk is perhaps even more personal than it
is for a company of infantry." (Air Marshal Sir Timothy Garden, reviewing _The Mystery
of Courage_ By William Ian Miller)

And various communities do not extend the same risk appreciation to others. Examples
include sailors deriding merchant mariners, or infantrymen and airmen (even though the
risks to the latter are statistically greater in most conflicts). Further, I find it
hard to believe even someone who hasn't been there hasn't noticed these things, and
believe you're being intentionally obtuse.

While we're on the personal comment stuff . . . IME the individual has considerable
control over his orders in today's volunteer military. And lately, those who wish to be
in combat don't have much trouble doing so. And there are those who are in each
conflict . . . and those who manage to miss them all. Among those who regularly don't
participate, they seem to just miss being assigned to a unit that goes. Often there are
sets of orders to second echelon commands just after the war ends, or similar excuses.
How much of a buildup would there have had to be before your unit would have been sent
to ODS? And if you're still in, you had the last couple of opportunities as well.
Perhaps in a training or similar non-deploying billet now? It all just seems a bit . .
.. convenient. (And might help to explain your apparent sensitivity on the subject.)

Hey, this ad-hominem game is fun! Let's play another round, shall we?

rgds,
KTF