Read Military History: Six Reasons
Military history can be absolutely riveting. Filled with stories of vast armies and dramatic battles, it can be hard to put the book down. Military history can also be quite depressing, especially when page after page depicts the carnage of war, innocent lives destroyed, and the inevitable suffering of armed conflict. Despite this tension, I have come to believe that military history is both important and valuable to read.
(1) Stories of Battle and Glimpses of Honor
There is much that is dishonorable in war. We might even admit that most of war is simply a catalogue of shame. War provides a platform for the proud, opportunity for the lawless, and justification for the violent. Few people volunteer to enter its darkest annals – and those who do are rarely driven by any impulse higher than the desire to escape them.
Shining distinctly, like solitary lanterns in the darkness, deeds of honor punctuate this horrible scene. Honor can be difficult to discern in an orderly world, where it often remains in the background and has many counterfeits. But when all else is stripped away—when only life and death remain—honor becomes unmistakable. It is seen in the soldier who falls on a grenade, the political prisoner who maintains his humanity, and the civilian who sacrifices himself to aid his country. Some are forced into this honor. Some volunteer for it freely. And a few, in their darkest hour, find something within themselves that they didn’t know existed.
(2) Accounts of Warfare and the Steeling of the Soul
When we truly come to appreciate what others have sacrificed, we are prepared to live honorably ourselves. The stories of others’ miseries and hardships put our own in perspective. And when we understand what others have fought for, we recognize its true value—for what is most precious is often stained with blood.
Perhaps we imagine that we could not endure the accumulated trials others have faced; life is already hard enough. But those who fought before us teach that it is possible to pass through such suffering—and to find purpose in the chaos, strength in the despair, and dignity in the devastation.
(3) Conflict Reveals the Essence of Humanity
When all else is stripped away, the naked struggle for survival shows the stark reality of who we are. In the crucible of war, it becomes clear that we are all, in some ways, very similar—motivated by the same hopes and fears, dreams and longings.
War also strips away the trappings of civilization, revealing the essence of the individual. We learn what people are like when they don’t have to behave a certain way, when their choices carry life-or-death consequences, and when others rely on them. In these situations, war is a study in character, revealing humanity in a way that it is rarely seen.
(4) War Provides Perspective
As all-consuming as war may be for the individual, it is never about a single individual. It is the combined effort of hundreds, thousands, even millions. Recognizing the immense scope of war causes us to think about life from a different perspective.
As important as the individual is, his hopes and dreams are often subordinated to the cause that motivates the warfare. Individual lives are mere statistics in comparison to its outcome. This is deeply humbling and teaches us not to overvalue ourselves.
But it is not only our own lives that are placed in perspective. Wars are climactic events within greater stories. History is a story, and wars are often the plot-points that shape its flow. We all have our own stories, but war is sometimes part of the broader story that links many of us together.
(5) Great Struggles Captivate Us
For all its unsavory features, warfare does create incredible drama. Stories of heroism, impossible odds, and dramatic encounters create powerful stories that deserve to be preserved and passed on. Whether crossing the Alps with Hannibal, battling the Spanish Armada, or fleeing the shores of Elba, the reader of military history will always find new and astonishing stories to keep him engaged.
(6) Understanding History through Hostility
To understand where we come from, we must understand history—and hostility is part of that history. The more we read about war, the more clearly we understand the world of the past, and there is great value in that. It has been said that history is a subject so broad that it demands continual reading. Those who wish to understand it would do well to read the stories of the conflicts of the past.
Reposted and edited from 9/11/2022
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