A PERSISTENT FIRE the Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I
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A PERSISTENT A PERSISTENT FIRE The Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I The Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I World Ethical of Strategic The Impact FIon the GlobalR Profession of EArms on the Global Profession of Arms of the Profession Global on Edited by Timothy S. Mallard and Nathan H. White A PERSISTENT FIRE A PERSISTENT The Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I FIon the GlobalR Profession of EArms Edited by Timothy S. Mallard and Nathan H. White National Defense University Press Washington, D.C. 2019 Published in the United States by National Defense University Press. Portions of this book may be quoted or reprinted without permission, provided that a standard source credit line is included. NDU Press would appreciate a courtesy copy of reprints or reviews. Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or any other agency of the Federal Government. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: International Military Ethics Symposium (2018 : Washington, D.C.), author. | Mallard, Timothy S., editor. | White, Nathan H., editor. | National Defense University Press, issuing body. Title: A persistent fire : the strategic ethical impact of World War I on the global profession of arms / edited by Timothy S. Mallard and Nathan H. White. Other titles: Strategic ethical impact of World War I on the global profession of arms Description: Washington, D.C. : National Defense University Press, [2020] | "The International Military Ethics Symposium occurred from July 30 through August 1, 2018 ... This volume captures the proceedings of this symposium"--CIP galley, introduction. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019044806 (print) | ISBN 9780996824910 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780996824927 (paperback) | ISBN 9780996824934 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Military ethics. | World War, 1914-1918--Moral and ethical aspects. | Soldiers--Professional ethics. | War--Religious aspects. | Military chaplains. Classification: LCC U22 .I59 2020 (print) | LCC U22 (ebook) | DDC 174.9355--dc23 | SUDOC D 5.402:ET 3/2 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019044806 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019044807 National Defense University Press 300 Fifth Avenue (Building 62) Suite 212 Fort Lesley J. McNair Washington, DC 20319 NDU Press publications are sold by the U.S. Government Printing Office. For ordering infor- mation, call (202) 512-1800 or write to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 20402. For GPO publications online, access its Web site at: http://bookstore.gpo.gov. Book design by Jamie Harvey, U.S. Government Publishing Office DEDICATION his volume is dedicated to the innumerable souls forever affected by World War I. Their sacrifices indescribably altered the mod- Tern world in ways both large and small. We will remember them. Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres. There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Excerpt from Laurence Binyon, “For the Fallen,” published in The London Times, September 21, 1914. CONTENTS FOREWORD By William M. Matz. xi PREFACE By James C. McConville ....................................xv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................. xxiii INTRODUCTION By Timothy S. Mallard. .xxv PART I Strategic Considerations for Military Ethics: World War I to Today CHAPTER 1 What Should Military Ethics Learn from World War I? A Christian Assessment By Nigel Biggar ...........................................1 CHAPTER 2 Grim Virtue: Decisiveness as an Implication of the Just War Tradition By Marc LiVecche ........................................21 CHAPTER 3 The Ethics of Nationalism By Paul Coyer. .47 vii CONTENTS CHAPTER 4 Incompetence, Technology, and Justice: Today’s Lessons from World War I By Eric D. Patterson .......................................77 CHAPTER 5 The Law of the Great War as an Ethical Paradigm, 1918–2038 By Michael H. Hoffman ................................... 101 PART II Ethical Praxis in Diverse Settings CHAPTER 6 Society and Intensive Conflict By David Richardson ..................................... 115 CHAPTER 7 A Profession of Arms? Conflicting Views and the Lack of Virtue Ethics in Professional Military Education By Thomas J. Statler ......................................123 CHAPTER 8 The Ethics of Care for Civilians, Internally Displaced Persons, and Enemy Prisoners of War By Victoria J. Barnett ..................................... 147 CHAPTER 9 The Ethical Challenge of Information Warfare: Nothing New By Graham Fairclough. 165 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER 10 The Moral Status of Chemical Weapons: Arguments from World War I By John Mark Mattox ..................................... 185 PART III Ethical Implications for Holistic Servicemember Care CHAPTER 11 Anglo-American Army Chaplaincy in World War I: A Centenary Perspective By Michael Snape ........................................ 201 CHAPTER 12 “Renew a Right Spirit Within Me”: Chaplains and Military Morale on the Frontline and Online By Andrew Totten ....................................... 231 CHAPTER 13 Growth After Trauma: Moral Injury, PTSD, and PTG By Mark C. Lee .........................................247 CHAPTER 14 Twin Children of the Great War: Assessing the Effects of Moral and Spiritual Injury Today By Timothy S. Mallard. .273 CHAPTER 15 Soldier Enhancement Ethics and the Lessons of World War I By C. Anthony Pfaff ......................................297 ix CONTENTS CHAPTER 16 The Proper Marking of Medical Personnel and Equipment: Lessons from the Great War By Patrick Naughton ..................................... 317 CHAPTER 17 Toward a Resilient Military Ethic By Nathan H. White. 337 ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS ........................ 353 INDEX ............................................. 363 x FOREWORD n nine beautifully manicured fields in Europe lie 31,000 Ameri- cans who gave their lives for the cause of freedom in World War I. Another 4,400 are memorialized on Tablets of the Missing. OHundreds of thousands more British soldiers are similarly honored in foreign fields. These commemorative cemeteries, administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, honor men and women who left the comforts of their homes to do battle in distant lands. They were doing their duty in service to their countries. It is unlikely that the ethical or moral parameters of their mission were in their foremost thoughts. But as this important volume illustrates, we must take seriously “the moral and ethical component of being a member of the profession of arms.” We must do more to develop the moral character of our soldiers—the “spiritual” aspect of leadership. I applaud the Army chaplains of the United States and the United Kingdom for their leadership in organizing and hosting the symposium that resulted in this work. The character of war does not change. It will always be about killing. And there is no tougher test of a man’s character than war. Thus comes into play the indispensable importance of morals and ethics. This is about the character of soldiers and leaders, and what differentiates the best from others. Character is the bed- rock of good leadership. As one contributor writes, the soldier has no hope of coming out of battle unscathed either in body or in soul. War wounds not only the body but also the mind and spirit. Soldiers at every level of our profession of arms must consistently delve into the treatment of moral and spiritual injury. Doing so will help grow a soldier’s character. The essence of the soldier’s duty is sacrifice. Whether through the willingness to leave the comfort and security of family and community, or xi FOREWORD in the extreme to risk injury and death, soldiers of all nations are called to sacrifice themselves in service to the common good. In the supreme test, whether such sacrifice is carried out for a national ideal, for a friend or com- rade to their right or left, or in fidelity to a sense of duty and the keeping of an oath, sacrifice becomes a living hallmark for true warriors. Indeed, it is for this reason that our nations and our peoples venerate warriors above every other class of citizen; these men and women embody in their will- ingness to sacrifice a selflessness that is the noblest and highest of virtues. The First World War offers a vital touchstone to relearning this ideal, but not in a facile or easy manner. A conflict that claimed the lives of millions of military and civilian people reminds us that war is not only a political act but also one that affects the lives and families of those who survive such a conflagration. As a result, the study of such a conflict must be approached soberly, with a professional’s concern to learn in order to shape future security decisions, with an appreciation for the cost of war, and with a commitment to avoid it when possible, but to fight and win once undertaken. World