Sheepdog Tip of the Day, After Combat tip 144
Arthur Hadley is a master of military psychological operations (psyops), author of the excellent book Straw Giant, and one of the twentieth century's great military intellectuals.' After his tour as a psyops commander in World War II (for which he was awarded two Silver Stars), Hadley conducted an extensive study on major warrior societies around the world. In this study he concluded that all warrior societies, tribes, and nations incorporate some form of purification ritual for their returning soldiers, and this ritual appears to be essential to the health of both the returning warrior and the society as a whole. Gabriel understands and powerfully illuminates the role of this purification ritual, and the price of its absence: Societies have always recognized that war changes men, that they are not the same after they return. That is why primitive societies often require soldiers to perform purification rites before allowing them to rejoin their communities. These rites often involved washing or other forms of ceremonial cleansing. Psychologically, these rituals provided soldiers with a way of ridding themselves of stress and the terrible guilt that always accompanies the sane after war.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Killing
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