The Effects of War on Men, Perfectly Stated

"The fact of the matter is that war changes men's natures. The barbarities of war are seldom committed by abnormal men. The tragedy of war is that these horrors are committed by normal men in abnormal situations, situations in which the ebb and flow of everyday life have departed and have been replaced by a constant round of fear, and anger, blood, and death. Soldiers at war are not to be judged by civilian rules even though they commit acts which, calmly viewed afterwards, could only be seen as unchristian and brutal." Major J.F. Thomas, from the real life drama, "Breaker Morant" (based on events from the second Boer War).......The obvious villains here being the leaders who sacrifice these men, not just their bodies but their souls.