There is no nation in the world today that wasn’t built with the sacrifices of its soldiers as a foundation. I come from a military family, where every generation, dating back to my ancestors, not only fought but also documented their experiences. For instance, my great grandfather fought in World War I and his writings that survived the conflict and later vicissitudes of time tell a story, not of triumph but the realism of war. There are no heroes, no right or wrong side, just people fighting for causes that might not even be related to them directly (Taylor, 2013). Surprisingly, my great grandfather cared not for the reason he was fighting in World War I. From his experiences, he passed down two things that are like our family motto. First, do not look to the media or government to find a reason to go to war. Find a personal one. Secondly, do not go to war. This second motto, ironic as it is, has never been followed.
These experiences and conventional wisdom passed down, however, are highly different from the surviving pieces of writings by my ancestors who fought in the War of Independence and the Civil War. For instance, my ancestors, who fought both in the Independence and Civil wars, wrote about their experiences in an inspiring light. They had a higher vision they were fighting to achieve. Personally, I think the differences in their attitudes on war was the presence of a military propaganda machine in later wars. Apart from misrepresenting events, the propaganda machine gave millions of Americans to join the military for the wrong reasons (Brock & Rabin-Havt, 2012). The propaganda machine, in my opinion, did more harm than good. For instance, it set unrealistic expectations for the enlisting soldiers while setting a tone that did not reflect the battlefield. The shock alone was enough to irreparably damage morale. This is different from my ancestor’s accounts of why they were proud to enlist and why my family has participated in all the major wars.
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The different wars fought between the 18 th and 20 th century had a lot of different features. For instance, while World War I was fought to defend the land, the Revolutionary War was for freedom. Though they are years apart, World War I and the Revolutionary war still remain to be the greatest wars of all time. Note the greatness has a negative connotation. On the other hand, the Civil and Revolutionary Wars, unlike World War I, were similar in that apart from being fought in American Soil, they were for freedom (James, 2012). However, while the Civil War fought for social rights, the Revolutionary War fought for economic rights.
Besides, any complete comparison of the wars fought between the 18 th and 20 th centuries is incomplete without considering the impact of the innovations made possible by technology. The impact brings to mind the common wisdom that in times of peace, armies should not prepare for the last war but the next one (Lundy & Creed, 2017). For instance, in the Revolutionary War, the most dangerous weapons were the rifle, flintlock musket, and canons (Ross, 2016). However, by the time World War I was coming around, machine guns, tanks, grenades, and artillery set the tone. However, flamethrowers had a particular psychological impact from my family writings, changed the soldiers for better or worse, on both sides. Keeping in mind that armies march and win wars depending on the state of their stomachs, technology also changed military logistics. For instance, in the Revolutionary War, military supplies were transported using wagons, horses, and buggies (Price-Rowe, 2018). Though horses still found their use in World War I, airplanes and automobiles did the bulk of the work.
On the other hand, the country was not always engaged in wars left and right. This meant that for years and perhaps decades, the military complex was free from their primary objective of defending the country from outside threats. The military, however, had other roles when the country was not at war. First, like possessing a nuclear weapon today, the military was a deterrent against outside enemies who were waiting for the country to start slacking. Secondly, the military provided domestic and relief support in times of crisis. Besides, if the situation necessitated it, the military has been deployed to settle or assist in settling local conflicts. These domestic deployments, however, are done with stricter rules of engagement.
In conclusion, the experiences of soldiers throughout the centuries, especially World War I, inform about several things. First, enlisting and taking part in a war is a serious and personal decision. Secondly, history has shown that to win a war; the state engages in propaganda, which does more harm than good. Finally, when deciding to enlist, it is important to look at the future of war. Like how technological innovations changed the landscape of war from the Revolutionary War to World War I, why my time comes to carry on the family tradition, I will factor in technology deeply.
References
Brock, D., & Rabin-Havt, A. (2012). The fox effect: How Roger Ailes turned a network into a propaganda machine . Anchor.
James, J. C. (2012). A Freedom Bought with Blood: African American War Literature from the Civil War to World War II . UNC Press Books.
Lundy, M., & Creed, R. (2017). The Return of US Army Field Manual 3-0, Operations. Military Review , 97 (6), 14.
Price-Rowe, C. (2018). First World War Uniforms: Lives, Logistics, and Legacy in British Army Uniform Production, 1914–1918 . Pen and Sword.
Ross, C. (2016). Gunpowder and Freedom: How the Tides Turn.
Taylor, P. M. (2013). The First World War. In Munitions of the Mind . Manchester University Press.
