What percentage of soldiers in the military fire their weapons?
When asked what portion of their fellow soldiers fired during any given engagement, the veterans estimated that about 84 percent of a unit’s men armed with individual weapons (rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, shotguns) and approximately 90 percent of those manning crew-served weapons (generally the M-60 machine gun) did so.
Should combat veterans feel sadness for the enemy they killed?
Likewise, soldiers should be taught that they inflict lethal violence on enemy combatants in war not because they hate the enemy—and not because the enemy soldiers are evil—but because they love those they are sworn to protect and defend. It is appropriate for combat veterans to feel sadness for the enemy they killed.
Should the Army respect the enemy?
By respecting their enemy, Army leaders would demonstrate increased respect for the intelligence and moral autonomy of their soldiers, as well as increased concern for their soldiers’ psychological well-being. This article has proposed connections between dehumanizing enemy personnel, becoming hateful and suffering moral injury.
Why do soldiers want to kill enemies?
Soldiers at war learn quickly that enemy personnel are trying their best to kill them and their friends—and sometimes succeeding. When a unit suffers casualties, fear and anger increase exponentially among its soldiers, who experience a primal compulsion to mete out payback for their fallen comrades.
How many police officers have fired their guns more than once?
In 2019, the research-focused nonprofit National Police Foundation released a study of 1,006 police shootings at 47 departments over two years that found that 4 out of 5 officers who fired in those shootings had never discharged their guns before. But experts know little about the ones who fire more than once.
How many rounds does it take to kill an enemy?
During World War II it was estimated that 45,000 rounds of small arms ammunition was fired to kill one enemy soldier. In Vietnam the American military establishment consumed an estimated 50,000 rounds of ammunition for every enemy killed.
How big a problem was the US Army losing firepower in WWII?
The apparent problem was not of the magnitude Marshall had reported for World War II, but losing the firepower of so many soldiers was still no small matter. In a unit with 500 riflemen, some 80 would not engage.