What the Military Does

A military pilot reflects on the intense cultural pressure within the armed forces to kill in combat as a form of validation. The narrative centers on an encounter with another pilot who is deeply distressed because a bomb he dropped on a person in Afghanistan was a dud, denying him his first "kill." This desire is not framed as bloodlust, but as a need for acceptance and to prove one's worth in a culture that creates a stark divide between those who have killed and those who have not. The author explores how this conditioning is reinforced by leadership and creates a psychological dilemma where pilots face either the trauma of killing or the shame of perceived failure.