FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - An Army private at Fort Campbell charged with the slaughter of an Iraqi family was diagnosed as a homicidal threat by a military mental health team three months before the attack.
Hmmm...a soldier... homicidal?
Actually they didn't use to be. In World War II, very few American men fired their weapons in the vicinity of the enemy. That's very few men in combat units. Even fewer actually shot to kill - about two percent of soldiers. Half of those two percenters were normal guys who believed they were there to do a job - and they were able to shoot and to kill and then they were able to come home and be normal. The other half were...well, psychopathic. They'd been waiting for this big turkey shoot all their lives. Finally, finally able to kill without consequence. Presumably, some of them came back and were able follow the observable rules of society and others weren't.
The Army was pretty shocked when they came up with these numbers. Surely Americans were a little more bloodthirsty than that? Nope. Not really. Most people have an aversion to that kind of thing - particularly if they're not in the heat of the moment. Many people can't find it in themselves to do it. And if they do manage it, there are consequences. Mental consequences. It's hard on a human to kill another human.
So the Army came up with some better training. More desensitizing and of course, practice, practice, practice. They were able to get a much higher percentage of soldiers to shoot to kill. They helped these soldiers find their inner killer. But I'm not sure they helped them with how to put it away again.
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