Larry Bassett’s Reviews > War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning > Status Update

"The cost of war is often measured in the physical destruction of the country's infrastructure, in the blasted buildings, factories, and bridges, in the number of dead. But probably worse is the psychological and spiritual toll. This cost takes generations to heal. It cripples and perverts whole societies, as Europe saw with the shattered veterans of World War I."

"Here also we see the mutilation of the dead that has been a part of military behavior since there were men in arms. If you kill your enemy his body becomes your trophy, your possession, and this has been a fundamental part of warfare since before the Philistines beheaded Saul."

"The chance to exist for an intense and overpowering moment, even if it meant certain oblivion, seemed worth it in the midst of war - and very stupid once the war ended." Chris Hedges