The cause doesn't have to be righteous and battle doesn't have to be winnable; but over and over again throughout history, men have chosen to die in battle with their friends rather than to flee on their own and survive.
Sebastian JungerI think, unfortunately, we live in a world where people attack other people and I think a legitimate rationale for war is the saving of human life, the saving of lives of people who cannot defend themselves.
Sebastian JungerThe cowardโs fear of death stems in large part from his incapacity to love anything but his own body. The inability to participate in othersโ lives stands in the way of his developing any inner resources sufficient to overcome the terror of death. โ J. Glenn Gary, The Warriors
Sebastian JungerThe negative effects of combat were nightmares, and I'd get jumpy around certain noises and stuff, but you'd have that after a car accident or a bad divorce. Life's filled with trauma. You don't need to go to war to find it it's going to find you. We all deal with it, and the effects go away after awhile. At least they did for me.
Sebastian Junger