8The Ugly Truth of War
This book, written by a combat veteran, breaks down various wars and shows that most human beings, who, being placed in the role of soldier, either by volunteering, or by draft,
have very little interest in killing other human beings if at all possible. The true killers, as the author states, are the ones who are able to disassociate the fact that they are killing, or in some cases, murdering, their fellow man.
LTC Grossman then goes into the dichotomy of how combat action affects the individual based upon their relative distance to the soldiers of the enemy whom they are having to shoot; from the grunt on the ground; and those who have to deal the most with PTSD, to the bomber pilots who feel nothing from their job, because they are dropping their lethal loads to coordinates on a map. The further you are away from your target, the less guilt you'll feel afterwards.
I am a retired soldier and highly recommend this book to patriots and pacifists alike;
as both sides will find common grounds that they had not previously considered.