heroism is hard to study in soldiers because they invariably claim that they acted like any good soldier would have. among other things, heroism is a negotiation of the self – you’re prepared to lose your own life for the sake of others – so in that sense, talking about how brave you were may be psychologically contradictory. ( try telling a mother she was brave to run into traffic to save her kid. ) civilians understand soldiers to have a kind of baseline duty, and that everything above that is considered “ bravery. ” soldiers see it the other way around : either you’re doing your duty or you’re a coward. there’s no other place to go. // war – sebastian junger
Hellfirebound 