Scott
Fitzsimmons, University of Limerick
Karina
Sangha, University of Waterloo
RPA operators who commute to and from bases in the United
States have very little time - between five minutes and an hour according to an
operator who works at Creech Air Force base - to mentally shift from being
active participants in a war to leading ordinary, civilian lives at home.
As discussed earlier, when operating their aircraft, these personnel may be required to kill other human beings - both enemy combatants and civilians - and witness the harm wrought by their actions. When commuting to work, these operators must force themselves to shed the mentality of a civilian and adopt the mentality of a war fighter so that they can fulfil their duties .
In the words of Captain Steven Rolenc, who has served with a Predator unit stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, [When] “you put your hands on the controls and your eyes on the screens, you feel as though you’re flying over Iraq or flying over Afghanistan. You get yourself into that reality. It’s not a video game. It’s the real deal.” However , when their shift ends , operators must force themselves to quickly readopt the mentality of a civilian so that they can interact with friends and family in a healthy, normal manner.
As Gary Fabricius, commander of a Predator squadron based in the United States, put it : You are going to war for twelve hours, shooting weapons at targets, directing kills on enemy combatants, and then you get in the car, drive home, and within twenty minutes you are sitting at the d inner table talking to your kids about their homework.
Grossman, for example, emphasize d the need for military personnel that take part in combat or witness traumatic events to go through a “cool down period” as they return home from a warzone.
As discussed earlier, when operating their aircraft, these personnel may be required to kill other human beings - both enemy combatants and civilians - and witness the harm wrought by their actions. When commuting to work, these operators must force themselves to shed the mentality of a civilian and adopt the mentality of a war fighter so that they can fulfil their duties .
In the words of Captain Steven Rolenc, who has served with a Predator unit stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, [When] “you put your hands on the controls and your eyes on the screens, you feel as though you’re flying over Iraq or flying over Afghanistan. You get yourself into that reality. It’s not a video game. It’s the real deal.” However , when their shift ends , operators must force themselves to quickly readopt the mentality of a civilian so that they can interact with friends and family in a healthy, normal manner.
As Gary Fabricius, commander of a Predator squadron based in the United States, put it : You are going to war for twelve hours, shooting weapons at targets, directing kills on enemy combatants, and then you get in the car, drive home, and within twenty minutes you are sitting at the d inner table talking to your kids about their homework.
Grossman, for example, emphasize d the need for military personnel that take part in combat or witness traumatic events to go through a “cool down period” as they return home from a warzone.
1 comment:
Our government has created the definitive armchair warrior which raises the question: how many of these detached warriors consider their job to be just another video game?
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