Pishta, the first part of the article you posted made me think of the character played by Maximilian Schell in the movie 'Cross of Iron'......
On the other hand, I have seen things such as that happen in situations and places other than combat zones. I just hope the author finally got it all straight in his mind and no longer 'envies' (his word, not mine) those who have served in combat. I volunteered 3 times for duty in Viet Nam. Went once. That was my choice. I did it out of a sense of duty. Not envy. It was an obligation...... Something I had to do.
