The three primary experiences of combat, as I understood them to be, are: fear, killing and love. Fear is obvious, and there’s obviously some state of mind connected with killing, but there’s also something you could loosely call love. If you’re willing to die for someone, its clearly for love, and it’s the core reason that men miss war –many of them really, really do miss it.
Interviewer: Veterans often feel a sense of alienation when they return home. What’s going on here?
Well, I think we’re a completely alienated society because most of us don’t have the experience of incredible closeness that soldiers are allowed to enjoy. Read more: Why Its so Hard to Come Home from War