The Business End In article entitled Beyond Ruthless , the Washington Post describes what victory consists of: the physical destruction of t...
The Business End
In article entitled Beyond
Ruthless, the Washington Post describes what victory consists of: the
physical destruction of the enemy. Writer Steve Fainaru follows Sgt. 1st Class
Domingo Ruiz as he ambushes insurgents and chases them all around Mosul.
Ruiz's unit, the 4th Platoon, has killed at least 15 suspected insurgents
in the past two months, according to soldiers. Commanders said the unit
encounters more enemy contact than any other platoon in the battalion. The
platoon calls itself the "Violators." Its patch depicts a leering
skull clad in a green beret, blood dripping from its mouth. Its motto is
"Carpe Noctum," or "Seize the Night," a reference in Latin
to the platoon's propensity to operate after dark. A self-described
"greaser," Ruiz wears a pencil-thin mustache and slicks back the
dark hair on the top of his head with Rebound Activator Gel. The lower half of
his scalp is shaved.
Which gives you an idea of the irreducibly violent nature of the job. The one
psychological thing about the US presence in Mosul, which Ruiz exploits to
effect, is the now accepted notion that they will stay until the insurgency is
beaten. He uses it to drive the enemy not simply from the physical buildings of
Mosul but from the mental landscape of the residents. Imperceptibly but
steadily, the US military has come to intuitively understand the key features of
human terrain. Although writers will attempt to capture that knowledge in field
manuals and instructional material, its living repository is really in the
memories and experience of men like Sgt. Ruiz.
To some extent, one can sympathize with pacifists who fear the very existence
of that knowledge, who would prefer a world innocent of the craft of war. The
structure of armies are themselves testaments to the destructiveness of what
they must contain. The emphasis on discipline; the focus on control; even
ceremony, are ways of keeping the lid on a genie which it is perilous even to
regard. Armies parade to music so that we can forget what they are for.
Ruiz said the decision to pick up the skull fragment and take it back to
the base was a "sarcastic" gesture to confirm the kill to the
battalion. (Capt. Rob) Born, who was not present during the attack, said the
soldiers picked up the fragment not as a trophy, which is prohibited under
military regulations, but to confirm "that we had the remains of a
terrorist."
By such distinctions is the sword kept within the sheath.
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