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The profession of arms is all about management of violence, destruction and death.
As it is not easy to muster courage and nerve to kill other human beings, soldiers are trained
to acquire a streak of raw ruthlessness and brutality. Consequently, according to common perception,
soldiers are supposed to be cold-hearted and unsentimental fighters, totally impervious to emotional
weaknesses. It is just not µsoldierly¶ to cry and shed tears like other mortals. But then as Voltaire said,
³Tears are the silent language of grief´. Grief is a fundamental sentiment. It spares no one and soldiers
are no exception. Soldiers by nature are highly sensitive to the environment and its responses.
However,
soldiers do not grieve through wailing, howling, weeping and even sobbing. Their grief finds
expression
not through tears but through their silent anguish. Here are five triggers that overwhelm soldiers¶ hearts
and make them cringe with pain.
The worst thing for a soldier is to lose a µbuddy¶. Poignant notes of the µLast
Post¶ send shivers down the toughest of soldiers¶ backs. Tears shed in the
memory of a fallen comrade are invariably accompanied by a sense of guilt and
helplessness. Many tend to blame themselves for their failure to save their
colleague¶s life. This is the reasons why arms are reversed while bidding final
farewell to a friend.
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Soldiers¶ dedication to duty, loyalty to the nation and willingness for the
supreme sacrifice are driven less by material considerations and more by an
overwhelming urge to earn love and respect of their countrymen. As the soldiers
know that their image in the society is dependent on media projections, they
tend to be very sensitive to adverse publicity and undue criticism. They feel
betrayed that their national media ignores their contribution and highlights a
few aberrations.
In the recent past, India was witness to the most unfortunate sight of numerous
military veterans returning their medals to the President to register their
protest against Government¶s indifference to their pleas. Medals earned during
active service are the proudest possession of soldiers and their being driven to
surrender them should have made the Government sit up and take note. But true
to its wont, the Government remained totally unconcerned and unmoved. This
episode will certainly go down as a dark chapter in the history of Independent
India.
When the government expresses its inability to spare a small piece of suitable
land for a war memorial in the capital to honour independent India ¶s martyrs,
it hurts every soldier. They consider it to be an affront to the memory of those
who made the supreme sacrifice. When a senior member of the ruling party
declares that commemoration of Kargil war is not warranted as the war took
place due to an intelligence failure of the earlier government, soldiers are
left aghast at the brazenness of the logic. When the government adopts a
negative attitude and makes no effort to redress their genuine grievances, the
soldiers are left a disillusioned lot with no one to provide solace.
J J