The warriors; reflections on men in battle

The author entered the army as a private in May 1941, having been drafted on the same day he was informed of his doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University. He was discharged as a second lieutenant in October 1945, having been awarded a battlefield commission during fighting France. The author saw service in North America, Italy, France, & Germany in a counter-espionage unit. Fourteen years after his discharge, he began to reread his war journals & letters in an attempt to find some meaning in his wartime experiences. The result is The Warriors, a philosophical meditation on what warfare does to us & an examination of the reasons soldiers act as they do. He explains the attractions of battle - the adrenaline rush, the esprit de corps - & analyzes the many rationalizations made by combat troops to justify their actions.