Conquering Fear - Development of Courage In Soldiers and Other High Risk Occupations

By Halim Ozkaptan PhD, General Crosbie E. Saint, USA Ret. and Colonel Robert S. Fiero, USA Ret.

Conquering fear by summoning courage is a neglected human dimension that is an important combat and performance multiplier for professions that go in harm’s way. Why a person risks their life in the face of danger is explained. The factors that lead to a person's courage and heroism and how it can be developed through training are described. A set of principles with illustrative techniques and representative applications are presented to provide an insight into ways of developing fortitude and courage. The rationale for these considerations is also given, so that they can be acted upon with confidence. Through training, high risk professions can reduce the fear of their personnel by increasing their fortitude or inner strength. While the soldier is the key focus of this effort, the term "warrior" is used to represent all members of the military and other professions who go in harm's way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312604766

Book preview

Conquering Fear - Development of Courage In Soldiers and Other High Risk Occupations

Conquering Fear -

Development Of Courage In Soldiers And Other High Risk Occupations

Halim Ozkaptan PhD with

General Crosbie E. Saint, USA Ret.

And Colonel Robert S. Fiero, USA Ret.

Copyright © 2010 by Halim Ozkaptan

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-312-60476-6

This book can be purchased from Lulu Press at the following web address: http://www.lulu.com/ebsi

Photo Credit: The cover photo/montage of the American Flag and Medal of Honor is reproduced with the permission of the EBE Company Inc., Edwin P. Hart.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my father, Mehmet Hamdi Ozkaptan, who served as a soldier in the Turkish Army during World War I. As a little boy, he would answer my questions when I asked Weren’t you afraid? He replied, Yes, but the other man was also afraid. He died at a young age due to his wounds.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Kent Williams, Professor, University of Central Florida . He supported and contributed to the research effort.

Preface

The fruits of this effort began with a chance discussion of a common interest shared by the authors. While addressing some training needs, our conversation led to the tough question, What makes one soldier conquer his fear and fight better than another? Veterans' accounts of their fear during combat and firsthand experience provided the forum for more discussion and research into this perplexing question. While many historians and scientists have addressed the subject of fear and courage, none have answered the important questions of how a person's courage can be developed. These shortcomings became the catalyst for this book. An explanation is given as to what leads to a person's courage and heroism and how it can be developed through training.

The thesis of this book is that in the presence of danger, every person must deal with the effects of their fear. Through properly conducted training, high risk professions can reduce this fear by increasing the fortitude or inner strength of their personnel. A person's fortitude is what leads to courage in the face of danger. Conquering fear by summoning courage is a neglected human dimension that is an important combat multiplier.

To support this thesis, a set of principles with illustrative techniques and representative applications are described to provide an insight into ways of developing fortitude during training.  The rationale for these considerations is also presented, so that they can be acted upon with confidence. While the soldier is the key focus of this effort, the outlined concepts have application to other branches of the military service. Accordingly, the term warrior is used to represent all members of the military and all other professions who go in harm's way.

It is our hope that the thoughts, ideas and concepts of this book will assist all leaders in better understanding and addressing the individual spirit of their warriors ( e.g., pride, self confidence and discipline), and the collective spirit of their unit (e.g., comradeship and élan). This individual and collective spirit leads to a warrior's fortitude, the inner strength to face adversity, fear and hardship with confidence and resolution...the will to persevere and succeed in this mission.

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

COURAGE

War has been a constant in human affairs since the dawn of mankind through the present day. It is not the number of soldiers involved, but their will to win that decides battles. Countless men and women have willingly or unwillingly faced the threat of death. Many, not all, have conquered their fear in the face of danger and performed their duty or persevered with courage. Courage is one of the quintessential elements of a human being. It is also the first quality of a warrior.

War is the province of danger, and therefore courage above all things is the first quality of a warrior.

Clausewitz, 1832

Courage is the quality or state of mind that enables a person, despite his fear, to face danger with resolution. It is also a quality of spirit that gives a person control over himself, enabling him to accept responsibility and to act properly in a threatening situation. There are two kinds of courage, physical and moral. Physical courage is the courage to face the risk of losing one's life and limb in a life threatening situation. Moral courage is the courage to accept the risk of losing one's status or position in the face of personal responsibility and conscience.

Both kinds of courage are products of the character development process that leads to a person's fortitude or inner strength to do his duty, and are vital to leadership and a warrior's effectiveness in the face of danger. Moral courage begins its development in the family and school environment as values are implanted, and continues through maturity. Knowing right from wrong and the willingness to stand up for what is right despite personal risks is the end result. Moral courage is routinely displayed in the business world and is a measure of success for executives. It is extremely important that the warrior possess strong moral courage, as this becomes the building block for physical courage. It is through the military environment and training that physical and moral courage is fostered. Unless otherwise identified, the use of the term courage in this book implies both types of courage.

Courage can be judged apart from danger only if the social significance and meaning of courage is known to us, namely that a man of character in peace becomes a man of courage in war. He cannot be selfish in peace and yet be unselfish in war. Character as taught is a habit, the daily choice of right versus wrong; it is a moral quality which grows to maturity in peace and manifests itself in time of war.

Lord Moran, 1945

In 1832, Carl von Clausewitz wrote about 19th Century Warfare and devoted a large part of his work to an evaluation of the moral factors involved in warfare. His book On War addresses the intangible qualities of courage, audacity and self-sacrifice. He further states that, exceptional qualities of character, a deep devotion to duty and a well-rounded personality are the prerequisites of military leadership. His insights have withstood the test of time.

The need for courage in today's complex world has not lessened. War today is characterized by intense violence within islands of conflict. These conditions will challenge the courage of the bravest warrior. Only the well trained and cohesive units will achieve success. Leaders are responsible for ensuring that their unit their warriors can succeed when placed in these trying circumstances.

As the world transitions into the 21st Century, significant changes have occurred that will impact the United States' foreign policy and use of military force. The fall of the Berlin Wall brought an end to the Cold War era and former Communist adversaries became democratic and free nations seeking a new way of life. The age-old pattern of conflict among and between a few nations has become intertwined with capabilities for global destruction now in the hands of many nations.

Emerging regional threats that are less predictable, but just as deadly, are now the challenge and conflict confronting decision-makers. The 21st Century has all the indications to be even more dangerous than the 20th Century. The new emphasis on peacekeeping, peace enforcement, peace engagement and preventive diplomacy hasn't changed the Nations' Armed Forces fundamental mission to provide for the common defense and to fight and win conflicts, if so required. As in the 19th Century, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen will still have to deal with the effects of danger.

TRAINING IS THE KEY

Today, as in the past, no greater challenge exists than the demands placed upon a military leader, considering the required combat skills, diversity of missions and combat environments. Success ultimately will be determined by the ability of his warriors to fight, persevere and win despite the fear and adversity with which they will be faced. Training is the glue that holds a unit together. Training is not just what you do at the local training area and firing range, or at training centers. You train every minute that you are in command.

Clausewitz said, ... that no general can accustom an army to war. Peacetime maneuvers are a feeble substitute for the real thing; but they can give an army an advantage over others whose training is confined to routine, mechanical drill. To plan maneuvers so that some of the elements of friction are involved, which will train officer's judgment, common sense and resolution is far more worthwhile than experienced people might think. It is immensely important that no soldier, whatever his rank, should wait for war to expose him to those aspects of active service that amaze and confuse him when he first comes across them ...

Training is absolutely critical to successfully off-setting the effects of danger and the resulting emotional consequences. The great difference between combat and training is the presence of danger and confusion in combat. These two obstacles can be overcome by positive leadership and by developing a positive and automatic reaction in the individual soldier.

Concepts are outlined that contribute to the warrior's will and spirit to persevere and win in the face of danger. It goes beyond esprit de corps and addresses a warrior's fortitude, which leads to courage in combat. Also, an explanation is given for the basis of courage in combat, and other dangerous situations, and how courage can be developed through training. The concepts focus on the military, whether in combat or support units, but there is equal application to other professions. Prudent leaders will adapt the concepts to fit their situations. While the concepts also apply to men and women warriors alike, the male gender is used to facilitate expression.

This book seeks to help you in that training by giving you insights into why warriors fight, examining what individual and group values and skills contribute to unit combat success, and providing practical tips that can be used in a training program. These insights and tips come from leaders who have achieved success on the battlefield: leaders who understood how to maintain the fighting spirit in their warriors. A framework is presented relative to the United States Army training model of Leader, Individual and Collective Training to develop a warrior's courage. Also, the demands of the modern battlefield and the expectations of today's warriors are explained.

How well a leader blends doctrine, training and peacetime needs and requirements normally results in the degree of combat effectiveness of his unit. The force structure changes and reductions place increased demands and requirements in order to meet contingency missions. This places an even greater burden on military leaders to properly prepare their unit and warriors for combat. Your warriors deserve the best that you can give. You will find the concepts and information presented in subsequent chapters useful material to help you prepare your warriors to face danger.

Chapter 2

A WARRIOR'S CHALLENGE

HUMAN DYNAMICS OF COMBAT

The effects of battle are sudden, intense and life threatening. It is usually a brutal, bloody and terrible experience to endure. Warriors with combat experience know that the battlefield is a radical change of environment from what they, or any person, is normally accustomed to or has experienced. A warrior can be challenged to his very core by the awful conditions and stresses of battle. His potential demise is no longer in the realm of theory, but a very real possibility.

Many of the factors contributing to a warrior's performance in combat have been intuitively discerned by successful military leaders. These factors and insights are presented in ways with which it can be used to stiffen the initiative and resolve of warriors. It is a vital part of a warrior's training and preparation for combat.

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and the man who leads that gains the victory.

GEN George S. Patton, 1943

An overview of the factors that interact and impact a warrior's performance in combat are explained below and discussed more fully in subsequent chapters.

FEAR

Fear plays a central role in the human dynamics of battle. It is a strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger (Webster 1985).