@Falcon I have a genuine question.
You say we lost more men trying to recover dead bodies than in KIA. Why did we do that? Like what is this fixation with recovering dead bodies when that's resulting in more dead bodies? Isn't that paradoxical if not plain stupid?
Some strange phenomenon on why men fight. Is it for nation? You can say. Is it for your unit
izzat? Many Military Leaders of great standing have written on this aspect too. Ironically, it is usually for the man next to you. Your mate, your buddy, your brother-at-arms (now sister-at-arms too).
You have to understand the psyche of the soldier. When I was quoting the member, rather heartlessly it may appear, it was to drive in the point that as a soldier, no one would wish to go to war, especially to avenge the soldier's death. It is only the soldier who understands the terror and agony of war and the costs that get imposed. But when the buddy gets hit, the biggest fear is not of own safety but of the pain and suffering of the buddy. The thought that the guy next to you may be alive and needs to be saved drives you forward, that his remains may be mutilated, drives you forward, that he may be taken alive and tortured, drives you forward.
The member laments lack of response/revenge. Clearly, member does not know the armed forces. We exact our revenge, slowly, but surely. Not every time is it made public, not everything is made public.
Those who know of me here, may well recall that the so called
Op Ginger, I had let out the information back in 2014. For 3 we took officially 8. But the team from 4 PARA SF which undertook the mission, had more than that in the kitty. We not only exact revenge, we exact interests by manifolds too.
It was never a military order or a mission to retrieve own fallen. But it was an observation made by officers and men of the concerned units. That their fallen will not be allowed to be left behind. At times, there were more volunteers on what was clearly a suicidal mission of recovery than needed. Soldiers have taken umbrage at not being taken along on a recovery mission, felt insulted and humiliated because the commanding officer decided that too many were there and recovery teams needed to be smaller. What do I call that? I do not know. Insanity?