Sheepdog Tip of the Day, After Combat tip 134
This narrative by John Foster reveals some of the rationalization that can take place immediately after the kill: It was like a volleyball game, he fired, I fired, he fired, I fired. My serve I emptied the rest of the magazine into him. The rifle slipped from his hands and he just fell over .... It sure wasn't like playing army as a kid. We used to shoot each other for hours. There was always a lot of screaming and yelling. After getting shot, it was mandatory that you writhe around on the ground. I rolled the body over. When the body came to rest, my eyes riveted on his face. Part of his cheek was gone, along with his nose and right eye. The rest of his face was a mixture of dirt and blood. His lips were pulled back and his teeth were clinched. Just as I was feeling sorry for him, the Marine showed me the U.S. Government Ml carbine the gook had used on us. He was wearing a Timex watch and sporting a new pair of U.S. made tennis shoes. So much for feeling sorry for him.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Killing
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Additional Resources
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