Ordinary Men and Abhorrent Behavior
Ordinary Men and Abhorrent Behavior
by Christopher S. Knott
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Although the world has seen many horrible events which defy explanation and simply boggle the mind, none has equaled the unparalleled cruelty of World War II's Eastern front and Pacific theater. The intensity and sheer brutality inflicted, not only on soldiers, but civilians, has horrified the world. Who should be blamed for the Holocaust is still an open question. Was it only Hitler's plan? The SS officers who gave the orders? Their subordinates who obeyed them and did the actual killing? Why were Japan's forces so cruel and bereft of humanity in Nanking? How did the Marines in Peleliu spiral into barbarity? These are questions that may never be answered to satisfaction but, more important questions bubble to the surface, reaching beyond blame; how does a soldier reconcile the sadistic killing of unarmed civilians and what did it take for the U.S. marines to become inculcated to the environmental hardships and battlefield horrors they faced?
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Christopher S. Knott is an Air Force retiree that is now attending Graduate School at the University of Pennsylvania. His current research is in Global Studies and Conflict.
