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Hmmm, call me intellectually stunted, but there were surprisingly few "why askers" when 3 PPCLI BG deployed to Afghanistan on combat operations 3 years ago. Yes, we had our share of the "sick, lame and lazy". Having said that, for the first time in my 25 years of military service we had a huge number of soldiers at all rank levels going to the MO and saying "screw my category - I want to go". And go they did. I know, because I was one of them who deployed with a fairly painful hip/groin injury following a bad para-landing that put me on crutches. But if you thought for a second that I was going to miss out on that deployment? Yeah, right.
Apparently many 3 PPCLI soldiers (of all MOCs) thought like I did. The troops quite literally flocked to the deployment, including those who were on legitimate medical categories. The handful who balked were far (far) outweighed by those who sought the challenge, and the nay-sayers were quickly side-lined.
Hmmm... what's my point? Well, I guess it is this. Those of us who deployed on Op APOLLO all had our personal doubts. Those doubts certainly came home to roost the first time that we were ordered to air-assault into a situation that had henceforth been a total shite-hole for elements of the 101st Airborne Div and 10th Mountain Div. The fact that we launched the first battalion-level air-assault in Canadian Army history with a minimum of planning and based on fundamentally bad intelligence certainly didn't help matters. Nor did the fact that battle procedure went out the window. Our soldiers flew from Kandahar on the military version of "planes, trains and automobiles" in a big hurry using everything within the U.S. inventory. The troops exited C-130s and C-17s from Kandahar, walked across the tarmac at Bagram, picked up two 81mm Mortar bombs (2 per man), got a two-minute briefing on the situation, and then boarded Chinooks in-bound for the Shah-i-Kot. And they did so fully expecting 80 to 100 dug-in enemy awaiting them.
Regardless of what came to pass, the fact is that everyone of all ranks who got on those helicopters in-bound to the Shah-i-Kot expected a contested LZ, followed by a knock-down, drag-out fight for every metre along the 5km length of that mountain. The "hindsight" fact that there was minimal contact is utterly irrelevant in my humble view. 3 PPCLI troops were told that it would be a shite-storm. Yet they got on those helicopters without flinching. To a person (yes, both men and women), they did their duty - most never having thought in their wildest dreams that it would actually come to that. Some of the unit officers (myself included) had the dubious benefit of having viewed the horrific fate of U.S. Navy SEAL Neil Roberts via Predator footage. We knew that capture was not an option, and let me tell you that such knowledge has some pretty profound implications.
Doubts? We all have doubts. But when we join, train, and then don the cap-badge? Be it Infantry, Armour, Artillery, Engineer, Logistics, Administration, or whatever? We all have a job to do. Every single one of us in uniform will always harbour doubts about what we are doing and whether or not our personal/family risks are worth the long-term benefit. Such doubts are basic human nature. The fundamental question is whether or not we allow our personal doubts/uncertainty to supercede our commitment to serve. That is an entirely individual question, and it is one which the military system seeks to render moot through group psychology (bonding, esprit, etc). Does it work? Well, all I can say is that it worked in spades for 3 PPCLI three years ago. The members of that battlegroup were collectively "good to go", and they proved it repeatedly. Op HARPOON in the Shah-i-Kot was not the most risky mission conducted by 3 PPCLI BG. Not by a long-shot....
All of that to say that doubts are healthy. They inspire personal introspection and renewed dedication to the cause/the unit/the company/the section/one's fireteam partner. And once you are forced to come face to face with your personal doubts? You overcome them as a result of personal pride combined with the loyalty and credibility-based indebtedness that you owe to your fellow soldiers. That is what allows us to overcome personal fear. It is a combination of personal pride and the obligation to do our part. Combine those attributes with the pure sort of friendship that can only come from shared extreme hardship? Then you have a winning combination.
Soldiering sucks from time to time. It is quite safe to say that soldiering occasionally really sucks - really badly. But at the end of the day? I've yet to experience any other occupation where the personal rewards and sacrifices reach such extremes.
Uncertainty? It is an occupational "given" for soldiers. Either deal with it and move on, or remove the uniform and take your place within society at large. You can be a provider of security or merely a recipient. By the same token, you either adopt the mentality of a "sheep dog" or merely a "sheep among the flock". The choice is entirely yours. There is no shame in either, but there is a certain subtle pride in being and pursuing the former....
Do I always want to know "why"? Absolutely. And as a commissioned officer, (time and circumstances permitting) it is my duty to explain the "why" to my subordinates. But..... But there are times when even I don't know "why". And it is at those rare (but inevitable) moments that the demands of military duty truly come home to roost. At those times I must simply solidier on and ask my subordinates to do the same - without being able to say precisely "why". That is the fundamental essence of service to one's country. Those "ask not why" situations are admittedly rare, but they do occur. There are times where we simply need to "do or die / suck it up, butter-cup". If you can't/won't handle that fundamental reality? Well, then don't bother applying. Adherence to lawful orders is a fundamental fact of military life. Your concurrence is neither required nor solicited.
Make your informed choice, then live (or die) with it. We're not talking rocket-science here....
Apparently many 3 PPCLI soldiers (of all MOCs) thought like I did. The troops quite literally flocked to the deployment, including those who were on legitimate medical categories. The handful who balked were far (far) outweighed by those who sought the challenge, and the nay-sayers were quickly side-lined.
Hmmm... what's my point? Well, I guess it is this. Those of us who deployed on Op APOLLO all had our personal doubts. Those doubts certainly came home to roost the first time that we were ordered to air-assault into a situation that had henceforth been a total shite-hole for elements of the 101st Airborne Div and 10th Mountain Div. The fact that we launched the first battalion-level air-assault in Canadian Army history with a minimum of planning and based on fundamentally bad intelligence certainly didn't help matters. Nor did the fact that battle procedure went out the window. Our soldiers flew from Kandahar on the military version of "planes, trains and automobiles" in a big hurry using everything within the U.S. inventory. The troops exited C-130s and C-17s from Kandahar, walked across the tarmac at Bagram, picked up two 81mm Mortar bombs (2 per man), got a two-minute briefing on the situation, and then boarded Chinooks in-bound for the Shah-i-Kot. And they did so fully expecting 80 to 100 dug-in enemy awaiting them.
Regardless of what came to pass, the fact is that everyone of all ranks who got on those helicopters in-bound to the Shah-i-Kot expected a contested LZ, followed by a knock-down, drag-out fight for every metre along the 5km length of that mountain. The "hindsight" fact that there was minimal contact is utterly irrelevant in my humble view. 3 PPCLI troops were told that it would be a shite-storm. Yet they got on those helicopters without flinching. To a person (yes, both men and women), they did their duty - most never having thought in their wildest dreams that it would actually come to that. Some of the unit officers (myself included) had the dubious benefit of having viewed the horrific fate of U.S. Navy SEAL Neil Roberts via Predator footage. We knew that capture was not an option, and let me tell you that such knowledge has some pretty profound implications.
Doubts? We all have doubts. But when we join, train, and then don the cap-badge? Be it Infantry, Armour, Artillery, Engineer, Logistics, Administration, or whatever? We all have a job to do. Every single one of us in uniform will always harbour doubts about what we are doing and whether or not our personal/family risks are worth the long-term benefit. Such doubts are basic human nature. The fundamental question is whether or not we allow our personal doubts/uncertainty to supercede our commitment to serve. That is an entirely individual question, and it is one which the military system seeks to render moot through group psychology (bonding, esprit, etc). Does it work? Well, all I can say is that it worked in spades for 3 PPCLI three years ago. The members of that battlegroup were collectively "good to go", and they proved it repeatedly. Op HARPOON in the Shah-i-Kot was not the most risky mission conducted by 3 PPCLI BG. Not by a long-shot....
All of that to say that doubts are healthy. They inspire personal introspection and renewed dedication to the cause/the unit/the company/the section/one's fireteam partner. And once you are forced to come face to face with your personal doubts? You overcome them as a result of personal pride combined with the loyalty and credibility-based indebtedness that you owe to your fellow soldiers. That is what allows us to overcome personal fear. It is a combination of personal pride and the obligation to do our part. Combine those attributes with the pure sort of friendship that can only come from shared extreme hardship? Then you have a winning combination.
Soldiering sucks from time to time. It is quite safe to say that soldiering occasionally really sucks - really badly. But at the end of the day? I've yet to experience any other occupation where the personal rewards and sacrifices reach such extremes.
Uncertainty? It is an occupational "given" for soldiers. Either deal with it and move on, or remove the uniform and take your place within society at large. You can be a provider of security or merely a recipient. By the same token, you either adopt the mentality of a "sheep dog" or merely a "sheep among the flock". The choice is entirely yours. There is no shame in either, but there is a certain subtle pride in being and pursuing the former....
Do I always want to know "why"? Absolutely. And as a commissioned officer, (time and circumstances permitting) it is my duty to explain the "why" to my subordinates. But..... But there are times when even I don't know "why". And it is at those rare (but inevitable) moments that the demands of military duty truly come home to roost. At those times I must simply solidier on and ask my subordinates to do the same - without being able to say precisely "why". That is the fundamental essence of service to one's country. Those "ask not why" situations are admittedly rare, but they do occur. There are times where we simply need to "do or die / suck it up, butter-cup". If you can't/won't handle that fundamental reality? Well, then don't bother applying. Adherence to lawful orders is a fundamental fact of military life. Your concurrence is neither required nor solicited.
Make your informed choice, then live (or die) with it. We're not talking rocket-science here....
