The notion that American soldiers could
torture, massacre, and violate the human rights of others is a difficult
concept for many American citizens to understand. After the condemnation
Nazi concentration camps was illustrated by the outcome of the Nuremberg trials
following World War II, the average US citizen has had difficulties grasping
the concept that American soldiers are capable of war crimes and massacres, is
fueled by the notion of manifest destiny
The Evil “other”
The fog of war can confuse soldiers and facilitates the justification of the inhumane treatment of ordinary citizens. The importance of a soldier being able to carry out a mission with little skepticism and a lot of conviction is essential to an efficient combat mission. The enemy must be demonized and dehumanized to justify the actions and the process begins the instant the soldier starts his training. The dehumanization of the enemy has occurred throughout history. The United States military has demonized the “other” to justify and warrant war.
In World War II the Japanese and Germans were seen as oppressive, efficient killers, someone to be feared. The difference in how the enemy was depicted between the Pacific War and the war in Europe was race. American soldiers during World War II were predominately Caucasian and therefore created a necessity by the top-brass to frame the Germans as efficient killers with no regard for human life. The framing of the Japanese was easier because there were relatively few Asian US soldiers, and because the enemy did not “look like us” it was easier to dehumanize.
Deadly Combination
During the Vietnam War the US military had initially entered into the conflict to help the Vietnamese citizens. As the war progressed the enemy became less visible, the fear of the “enemy in the shadows” grew. The lack of visibility, combined with the framing of the Vietnamese as “gooks”, “dinks” and “slopes” during training was deadly.The enemy was hidden and rarely seen, but US casualties kept mounting, causing frustration throughout the military chain of command. Soldiers were known to falsify reports to indicate that Viet Cong soldiers were killed, when in actuality there were very few bodies found. The lack of bodies combined with the increasing number of US casualties created an atmosphere of fear and suspicion which, along with the pre-existing conception of the communist “gook”, justified the otherwise inhumane treatment of civilians. Soldiers could not tell the difference between normal citizens and the Viet Cong, and likewise, citizens who fought against the US and Viet Cong soldiers
The fog of war clouds judgment and enables soldiers to act in a manner which US citizens would otherwise condemn. Upon hearing of the news about massacres in Vietnam the reaction by half of the US public was skepticism and disbelief. US citizens rejected the photographs and evidence with an overarching sentiment that “our boys would never do anything like that.” The idealistic image of a conscientious warrior is a sentiment left over from World War II. US soldiers were seen as the champions of democracy and freedom, this unrealistic sentiment still persists today.
The end of an Image
Images of war have shaped public opinion throughout the world. During World War II the images were those of a liberating US army, delivering democracy and fighting tyranny. The US military was able to construct these images by employing military photographers and giving specific instruction as to who, what, and where they could take pictures. As independent media grew and independent journalists entered into conflict zones the images coming out of conflict zones shifted from a propaganda tool, to a more objective view of the conflicts. Images shape public opinion and have been used as an agent for change.
The US military has actively tried to restrict images and control the media in war zones. They do this with the pretense that they are trying to protect the soldiers, but evidence points to the US military trying to foster public support by controlling the images released to the public.[1]
The Evil “other”
The fog of war can confuse soldiers and facilitates the justification of the inhumane treatment of ordinary citizens. The importance of a soldier being able to carry out a mission with little skepticism and a lot of conviction is essential to an efficient combat mission. The enemy must be demonized and dehumanized to justify the actions and the process begins the instant the soldier starts his training. The dehumanization of the enemy has occurred throughout history. The United States military has demonized the “other” to justify and warrant war.
In World War II the Japanese and Germans were seen as oppressive, efficient killers, someone to be feared. The difference in how the enemy was depicted between the Pacific War and the war in Europe was race. American soldiers during World War II were predominately Caucasian and therefore created a necessity by the top-brass to frame the Germans as efficient killers with no regard for human life. The framing of the Japanese was easier because there were relatively few Asian US soldiers, and because the enemy did not “look like us” it was easier to dehumanize.
Deadly Combination
During the Vietnam War the US military had initially entered into the conflict to help the Vietnamese citizens. As the war progressed the enemy became less visible, the fear of the “enemy in the shadows” grew. The lack of visibility, combined with the framing of the Vietnamese as “gooks”, “dinks” and “slopes” during training was deadly.The enemy was hidden and rarely seen, but US casualties kept mounting, causing frustration throughout the military chain of command. Soldiers were known to falsify reports to indicate that Viet Cong soldiers were killed, when in actuality there were very few bodies found. The lack of bodies combined with the increasing number of US casualties created an atmosphere of fear and suspicion which, along with the pre-existing conception of the communist “gook”, justified the otherwise inhumane treatment of civilians. Soldiers could not tell the difference between normal citizens and the Viet Cong, and likewise, citizens who fought against the US and Viet Cong soldiers
The fog of war clouds judgment and enables soldiers to act in a manner which US citizens would otherwise condemn. Upon hearing of the news about massacres in Vietnam the reaction by half of the US public was skepticism and disbelief. US citizens rejected the photographs and evidence with an overarching sentiment that “our boys would never do anything like that.” The idealistic image of a conscientious warrior is a sentiment left over from World War II. US soldiers were seen as the champions of democracy and freedom, this unrealistic sentiment still persists today.
The end of an Image
Images of war have shaped public opinion throughout the world. During World War II the images were those of a liberating US army, delivering democracy and fighting tyranny. The US military was able to construct these images by employing military photographers and giving specific instruction as to who, what, and where they could take pictures. As independent media grew and independent journalists entered into conflict zones the images coming out of conflict zones shifted from a propaganda tool, to a more objective view of the conflicts. Images shape public opinion and have been used as an agent for change.
The US military has actively tried to restrict images and control the media in war zones. They do this with the pretense that they are trying to protect the soldiers, but evidence points to the US military trying to foster public support by controlling the images released to the public.[1]
[1] Cookman, C. “An American Atrocity: The My
Lai Massacre Concretized in a Victim’s Face,” The Journal of American
History.
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