Sheepdog Tip of the Day, During Combat tip 90
Another key factor in overcoming the resistance to killing is distance. The utility of weapons that kill from afar cannot be truly understood without understanding the psychological enabling aspect of distance. Simply stated, the farther away you are the easier it is to kill. Thus, dropping bombs from 20,000 feet or firing artillery from two miles away is, psychologically speaking, not at all difficult (and there is no indication of any noncompliance in these situations). But firing a rifle from 20 feet away is quite difficult (with a high incidence of non-firers) and in hand-to-hand combat there is great psychological resistance to stabbing an opponent.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat
Sheepdog Tip of the Day services:
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Other killology services:
Bullet Proof Mind for the Armed Citizen Seminar
The Killology web site
Additional Resources
For PTSD, Shepherd Resource Group.