american soldiers motivation

Soldiers were pulled into the excitement of war and faced the harsh reality of fighting in order to defend their country. Majority were victims of fatigue, anxiety, and depression, as well as poor judgment. However, the motivation of troops to participate in wars, especially in the twentieth century, proved to be a major factor in defending our nation's interests. Indeed, these men put their lives in danger for reasons that appeared to have no safe return. The military memories of American soldiers, including those in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II, alludes to historical memoirs that are now important to America. Peter Kindsvatter in his book American Soldiers provides insights into the motivations of the soldiers to serve in combat and revealshis attitude towards the enemy. As such, through capturing the core and of brotherhood in the military experiences in times of war, Kindsvatter celebrates the American soldiers while at the same time making the reader to understand the lethal reality of war and the profound contribution made by these soldiers on American society.

The Motivation of the American Soldiers in Korean, Vietnam, and the Second World War

The soldiers were driven by the need to protect the interests of the nation. For instance, the “dominion theory” which was an interest of President Truman made the US soldiers get engage in war. Truman understood that if any country would fall for communism, all the other nations would follow suit and make Soviet more powerful. At the end of the Second World War heightened the state tension between the US and the Soviet Union were evident.Each nation strived to become a superpower. The US developed the fear that the USSR was purporting to extend its communist influence in other nations. As a result, the US pivoted its foreign policy on the idea of containment of the communism effect at home and in other countries. Indeed, the fear of communism proved to be the leading motivation for US soldiers in getting into Korean War in attempts to battle Soviet's spread of communism. America feared that the USSR was after seizing the entire peninsula. For this reason, the US rapidly moved its troops into southern Korea to stop Soviet’s invasion.

An American soldier was motivated to take part in combat due to the love he had for the nation. For example, the attack on the Pearl Harbor which occurred in 1941 December presented to be one of the major reasons that encouraged soldiers to join the Second World War. The decision culminated from the love of the nation and the need to revenge. Initially, the US was reluctant in participating in WW II owing to the devastating outcomes of the WW I that had driven the nation into an economic status of depression. However, the attack on its harbor by the Japanese who critically brought destruction by bombing the American Naval Base made the American soldiers furious. Japan aimed at destroying the Americans Amery in order to move into the Malaya and Dutch East Indies in the attempt to conquer the territories that could provide it significant natural resources like rubber and oil. Due to the massive damages and the loss of many lives in the Pearl attack, President Roosevelt declared the war on Japan

The decision to intervene in the Korean conflict by the US soldiers emanated from the atmosphere that depicted a tense mood and characterized the politics of the cold war. The US believed that capitalism and freedom, as well as, the American way of living were threatened by the ideology of communism. The doctrine enacted by the President aimed at ‘containment “stopping the Communists gaining any more territory”. This idea drove many soldiers into the Korean War to roll back the communism effect. In 1950, June, an outbreak of war happened along the 38th parallel, and on this day, the North Korean troops made coordinate attacks at various strategic points along the barrel and helped to Seoul in the south. In efforts to contain this, the US soldiers were sent to combine with UN military efforts to stop the conflict. However, the entrance of the US military into the conflict signaled a reversal of policy towards Korea. Certainly, on the eve of the Korean invasion, President Truman became anxious due to the invention of an atomic bomb by the USSR in 1949 bringing an end the US monopoly in an atomic bomb. Also, President Truman analyzed Soviets military capabilities, and in the NSC 68 report, it was agreed that the US soldiers would be increased to contain Soviet’s intentions (Kindsvatter 21). Therefore, the US soldier motivation into involvement in the Korean War was fueled by the increased insecurity and the commitment to anti-communist credentials.

Furthermore, the soldiers were provoked to serve in combat with an objective of fostering security in the country against the enemies particularly those of World War II. The US soldiers aimed at plugging battle against the Axis powers and alliances which were Italy, Japan, and German in order to protect America. Notably, the historical motivation of the US military covers the war against the three Axis powers. The sudden defeat of France in 1940 made the US to start growing its military force in endeavors to defend the nation against the European forces. Hitler and Mussolini proved to be threatening figures to the prosperity of the nation, and a weak military force would have crumbled the nation and made the USSR a superpower. Hence military dominance was a strategic move to safeguarding it against the European powers and preventing aggression from the allied forces. Indeed, the need to protect the country in the Second World War was a defining factor that motivated its troops in combat.

Still, the economy required safeguarding from the opposing forces. At the onset of the Second World War, US was still recovering from the scars of the First World War, whose outcomes directed the nation to an economic depression. Inflation had skyrocketed, and the unemployment rate was hovering around 25%. The extreme downturns wreaked the economy, and the cost of living increased rapidly. The US had bitterly endured the 12 harsh months of economic downturns and foresaw a critical economic status if it failed to protect its economy in the Second World War. Protection of the economic rights and interest of the nation led to the expansion of unions, accessibility to security and loans as well as improvements in its GDP level.

Competition for world domination was an underlining factor in the Vietnam War. America aimed at overpowering the USSR by stopping its invasion into Vietnam. Here, the essential reason that made the US soldiers to get into the Vietnam War was to stop the spread of communism. The US soldiers felt that the nation was losing its fight in the Cold War. After the Second World War that saw the USSR conquer Nazi Germany using the communist ideology, the aspect of communist became popular and in the 1950s and 1960s, numerous nations adopted it including Vietnam. The fight in Vietnam was promoted by the French who struggled to maintain colonial power and control of the nation as well as regaining of national, pride after WW II. Capitalist southern Vietnam was losing the fight against communism in northern Vietnam and the fear that communism would take over the nation endorsed the US association in the war. Deployment of around 543,000 troops was made in 1969. However, the massive cost of the Vietnam War and the numerous deaths the US nation registered from made it withdraw its troops and surrender.



Conclusion

Kindsvatter explains how being a soldier felt and makes an exploration into the heart of combat darkness life that reveals the horrible reality. Wars have proved to be among the devastating events in the nation’s history. The U S soldiers were motivated by the love they had for their nation and the need to protect it. They wanted to revenge to their enemies such as Japan which had attacked the Pearl Harbor. The physical hardships, bloodthirsty graphics, and emotional stress spawned an emotional syndrome in the soldiers.



















Work Cited

Kindsvatter, Peter S. American Soldiers. UP of Kansas, 2003.