If you’ve read anything about war or seen any movies or TV shows (like the episode of Band of Brothers that we watched yesterday), you know that it is an unpleasant experience. Well, duh! Of course it is, but there are some things that might seem unnecessarily unpleasant, like the treatment that soldiers face before they even go off to battle.

Here are some things that I’d like you to consider and reflect on (on looseleaf, in complete sentences…):

1. 1. The people signing up to go to war give up all of the comforts and joys of home and are treated like garbage repeatedly. Why do they do it? Let’s assume that they have a choice whether to go or not and can leave freely. Why would anyone go through the harsh conditions and treatment that seem common during even the most basic of training? Why wouldn’t they stand up for themselves or just leave?
   2. It seems like the officers in charge have no problem treating their new recruits terribly. Why do the officers in charge treat the men so badly in the first place? Does it have to be like that?
   3. In Band of Brothers, the commanding officer (played by Ross from Friends, what’s up with that?) narrates a letter that he’s written to the families of new recruits. He says, “Dear sir or madam, soon your son will drop from the sky to engage and defeat the enemy. Your frequent letters of love and encouragement will arm him with a fighting heart. With that, he cannot fail, but will win glory for himself, make you proud of him, and his country ever grateful for his service in its hour of need.” What is the point of that letter? What are his goals and his message to the families? If you received a letter like that after a family member had gone off to war, how would you feel?