Abstract
For many veterans who have been forced to make the decision to kill in war, the memory of what has happened may last far longer than the milliseconds it took to fire their rifle or launch their missile. As veterans they carry the shame and guilt of what they have done for the rest of their lives. This is a critical issue for veterans and their supporters, as Spiritual Injuries (SI) can be a significant cause of distress and discomfort and may become a major contributor to mental health issues and have negative effects on their overall well-being. In order to help practitioners work with veterans, this paper identifies the spiritual implications for veterans who kill in war. Sadly, it will be necessary to develop some understanding of the nature of killing in war and the particular circumstances of those that kill. Initially, there is be a brief literature review of some of the key material published on this topic. The overall aim is to identify the key features of killing in war. In particular, that killing is not an isolated act involving one person, but rather part of a Kill Chain. How and where personnel are placed along the chain substantially shapes the depth and nature of their spiritual need. Discussions regarding spiritual need are set within the framework of earlier work on SI and is squarely aimed at creating a list of spiritual implications as well as a redemptive process that both veterans and their supporters can use to help find peace.
Highlights
PUT TO THE SWORDKilling in war is perhaps one of humankind’s most universal acts. The Bible in Joshua 22–28 (King James Version, 2017) tells of a violent ambush and attack upon the city of Ai (c1406 BC): Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives
For many veterans who have been forced to make the decision to kill in war, the memory of what has happened may last far longer than the milliseconds it took to fire their rifle or launch their missile
In order to help these practitioners in their work with veterans, the approach of this paper is to identify the spiritual implications for veterans who kill in war
Summary
Killing in war is perhaps one of humankind’s most universal acts. The Bible in Joshua 22–28 (King James Version, 2017) tells of a violent ambush and attack upon the city of Ai (c1406 BC): Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. In a series of subsequent works, Marshal concluded fewer than 15 to 25% of men in combat fired their weapons Marshall referred to this as the “Rate of Fire” and concluded that social conditioning against killing was so strong that many soldiers could not do so even at the risk of their own lives One soldier had reloaded his weapon 23 times without firing a shot in between Whilst these may be explained away as misfires or weapon failure or even battlefield confusion, Grossman, like Marshall, believed that it was the same factor that “prevented 80 to 85 percent of World War II soldiers from firing” – an unwillingness to kill Maguen et al further examined the relationship between killing in war and a number of mental health and functional outcomes such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or anxiety. Killing was associated with PTSD symptoms, peritraumatic dissociation, functional impairment, and violent behaviour
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