A Moral Test

The two readings really reflected how Americans were being tested mentally and emotionally throughout World War II. Morals were constantly being questioned and changed due to the tactics of war. The quote that had the biggest impact on me was one said by Peggy Terry, "If the Bible says, Thou shalt not kill, it doesn't say, Except in times of war. They'll send a man to the electric chair who in a temper killed somebody. But they pin medals on our men. The more people they kill, the more medals they pin on 'em". Peggy's logic brings up such a valid point about how right and wrong is challenged during war. Killing is considered a crime and yet it is valued and rewarded in the army. How are soldiers supposed to return home and lead normal lives? Their views are altered by fighting and they are forever impacted. If killing is wrong in the everyday life, why should it be viewed differently during war? Horrible images stuck in the minds of veterans and made it difficult to adjust back home. Peggy gives an example about her veteran husband, "One of the things that bothered him most was his memory of this town he was in. He saw something move by and building and he shot. It was a woman. He never got over that. It seems so obvious to say-wars brutalize people. It brutalized him". Americans were being tested on their mental strength which had an enormous consequence. The conditions were so terrible that soldiers were forced to adapt to the environment and change their mental attitude. E.B. Sledge, a marine who fought in WWII, admits, "When Lindbergh made a trip to the Philippines, he was horrified at the way American GIs talked about the Japanese. It was so savage. We were savages". Even an American marine can admit how low some soldiers fell. The war in the Pacific especially turned men into monsters because of the brutality the Japanese fought with. It must have been impossible to uphold your moral values when fighting against dirty tactics. Sledge recalls, "Our drill instructor at boot camp would tell us, 'You're not going to Europe, you're going to the Pacific. Don't hesitate to fight the Japs dirty. Most Americans, from the time they're kids, are taught not to hit below the belt. It's not sportsmanlike. Well, nobody has taught the Japanese that, and war ain't sport. Kick him in the balls before he kicks you in yours'". From the beginning, the U.S. expected the fight to be difficult against the Pacific because of their unconditional ways. Due to this type of strategy, Americans had to lower their principles to be able to actually win. No benefit came from warfare and it managed to change the lives of many soldiers. I do not believe America was able to uphold all of its important values. The country was simply blinded by the want of winning and ending the war.