Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's a simple question, but obviously inherently complicated. I understand that this is a necessarily touchy subject, and if you don't want to respond, please don't feel compelled to. I have not, thank God. I have been in a situation where somebody has died (due to a drowning), and have been in one where somebody very nearly died (due to a stabbing). I would request that nobody politicize or make partisan this thread. I'm only asking because I'm curious on how the act of taking another man's life changes your own. I doubt that I could do it unless I was in mortal danger myself...and even then, I can honestly say that I would hesitate. I have family members who are veterans of several wars who have killed, and it's obvious that it had a huge impact on their lives. To be truthful, it's an experience I hope I never have to deal with. Your thoughts?
I have not been put in that position thankfully however I have a friend who was in the military at 18 at the time of the first gulf war.
He recalls one occasion where he had to take the life of an enemy combatant, it was clear if he did not shoot this man, this man was going to shoot him. He has nightmares about the look in the mans eyes and the entire incident.
He clearly had no choice in the matter if he was going to live, the man was clearly an enemy combatant and it was my friends JOB to kill him but that doesn't change how it has effected him over the years.
I know it would have a terrible effect on me if I was forced to kill someone.
I have an aquaintence who has while in the armed forces. He did what he had to do in the situation. I cannot judge, as we all live different lives. He was fighting for the political will of his country at that place and time. I don't think I could do it myself though. I hope to God I never have to be put in a situation where I must choose.
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,087,778 times
Reputation: 3937
This is a subject that nears taboo....if you have taken someone's life, regardless of the situation,it is not a "mixed company" subject...you may talk to close friends about it or your spouse when it first happens,but then it's buried in that closet that you never reopen.
I grew up in neighborhood (70's) where several close relatives and friends shot people and many of them were shot. We don't even use the word murdered; we just say "got shot" like it was a car accident. When I was 15-16 a grown man stopped me one early morning, pulled out a rifle and tried to shoot me and a friend. It was a case of mistaken Identity. He had been chasing two guys out of his daughter’s bed room window. Long story short, no I didn't shoot him. but I got the gun away from him after it went off. Thank God for the Boy Scouts of America for familiarizing me with that type of rifle on a rifle range. Had it not been a 22 short bolt action single shot, I would have shot him with it. It is something that still haunts me today to know I was or still am capable of that.
Last edited by thriftylefty; 04-23-2009 at 11:43 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
