Preparation can be Costly

How costly can preparation (or the lack thereof) be? If there is one thing America has taught me through war, is that being prepared for it can save many lives, and lacking preparation can lead to the death of many. Lets portray American Sniper for example, it depicts a unique situation, one in which they are at "war" in order to prevent a war. Ironic isn't it? but it's just as real as it is ironic. Chris Kyle has over 160 credited kills to his name, these are all people that could have "potentially" lead to a severe war and/or death of many people. Kyle is seen as a hero, but in reality also viewed as the bad guy, after all, who are we to decide whether or not someone will choose to do something catastrophic until it does happen?
Morever, we have a situation in which we are doing everything we can, to be prepared for potential threats following the 9/11 attack that we didn't have a clue would happen. Now take Saving Private Ryan, a very distinct film that has a purpose within the purpose. One that, although is supposed to be about saving a Private in the midst of war, conveys how difficult it was to obtain victory during WW2 after the conquering of much of Western Europe by the Nazi Germany reign and the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese Navy. Here we have a situation in which the lack of preparation caused us many lives. These two events and many like it, have shaped the way we think and take threats now. We have to make a choice on "potential threats" as Shelly Kagan states in Intending Harm, we either choose to kill one/a few in order to save two/a multitude, or we run the risk of that person killing many before facing justice.
Being in the position of the military, what exactly are you supposed to do? Do you go on a killing spree of these "potential" threats, or do you sit back and wait for a drastic tragedy to happen? One could argue that America wouldn't be in this position in the first place if they would just stay out of other countries; then again, had America stayed out of the way during the first two world wars, they would not only have ran the risk of being conquered as well, but they would have simply sat back as the holocaust was occurring and dictatorship engulfed the world.
Many believe wars and armies shouldn't exist in the first place, I can partially agree with those bold statements, there shouldn't be a need for either to exist, but the truth is, there is evil all over the world, and power being handed down to one person or one group of people can be heavily dangerous, thus leading to a need for systems of self-defense. America began with the Militia, whom along with all the other brave people who stepped up are responsible for our independence. Evil actions have forced the world to create armies and self-defense systems. American Sniper depicts both a hero yet somehow a bad guy, similar to a vigilante, it shows the way America now prepares for future events, safety at the cost of lives. Saving Private Ryan depicts what the consequences were for the lack of preparation, victory at the cost of lives. We end up with two unfair options, Safety and preparation first at the cost of lives or lives at the cost of the lack of safety and preparation.

War is a Drug

The distinct contrast between the views of soldiers and the views of civilians fuel the disconnect between them. Soldiers operate under a condition with a few principles.

They have a job. Their job is to protect their men at all cost. The lives of their men is worth more than the lives of their combatants. They are fighting to sustain the strength and ideals of America, because they strongly believe that the United States is worth suffering and dying for.

These principles are heavily loaded, and often lead to expressions of outrage while they are doing daily civilian tasks, such as going to the mall or shopping in a grocery store. The soldiers in American Sniper and The Hurt Locker become frustrated while they are not on tour, because they know there are American men dying in war at that very moment.

Chris Kyle, famous American sniper, and Sergeant William James, leading IED technician and bomb defuser, have entirely bought into the beliefs of the military and support them in their entirety as a result. Soldiers are almost forced to accept the principles of military life in order to psychologically survive the war and the horrendous acts against humanity they are ordered to commit. However, as Dr. J pointed out in class, defending the ethical decisions and morality of military acts from the stance of the ends justify the means is a dangerous way of approaching moral and ethical dilemmas. As Nagel wrote in “War and Massacre,” “In the present war such measures [the deliberate killing of the harmless: civilians, prisoners of war, and medical personnel.] are sometimes said to be regrettable, but they are generally defended by reference to military necessity and the importance of the long-term consequences of success or failure in the war.” Although, the military is a necessity to our American way of life and military men deserve both honor and praise for their sacrifices and contributions to our country, this does not negate the need for ethical criticism when evaluating our military practices as a whole.

As civilians, we harbor the rights of U.S. citizens without having to experience the cost of protecting those rights first hand. For this reason, I am grateful for the military members and their sacrifices. American Sniper and The Hurt Locker highlight the way that the excitement and socialization of war is so intense that it is difficult for military men and women to acclimate back to civilian life. Immoral acts are nearly always a derivative of selfish behavior. The acts of individuals in the military should be judged on whether or not they are ethical, based on their reasons for committing them. If they commit acts with the intention of protecting their own men and women, their acts, depending on the severity and philosophical viewpoint, can be argued as permissible. On the other hand, if their acts are a result of their lust for the excitement of war, then their acts are of a selfish derivative, in which they expended the suffering of others for their own superficial gain.

Team Chris Kyle for America

Team America, the movie with puppets and was a joking war movie.  In the first couple minutes, the movie really represents the problem with war when Americans invade, in my opinion.  We go into a country balls-a-blazin' straight for the enemy, not considering what the cost is for the people whose land we are intruding on.  I.e. In Team America, they blew up the Eiffel Tower and this huge building, costing many lives, just to say that they "got the bad guys". In my personal interpretation  I felt as if them blowing that up was to illustrate how we don't really respect the damage we can possibly do as long as we neutralize the target, mission accomplished.  Likewise, Chris Kyle, who killed around 160 people as a Navy Seal, to protect his homeland, our homeland, from the terrorists and people who "potentially" want to harm America.  In American Sniper, Chris after his first kill lost his sense of who he is, the people he killed became almost target practice with little moral repercussions. Intending Harm, by Shelly Kagan helps us relate Chris Kyle’s actions by “if I kill the one to save the two, the death of the one- although intrinsically evil- is on the balance of a good”. Chris Kyle killed all of those civilians/terrorists/humans for the safety of his fellow marines.  Even though his kill count was around 160, he aided in the saving of hundreds of marines, some he saved more than once. 
Just War theory, allows death in war to be called as morally acceptable as long as certain specifications are met. One main aspect that could be potentially be seen as violated in Chris Kyle’s movie, was the fact of the civilian home invasion in a way that we beat certain members of the family; whom may not know a single thing about who or where the main rebellion leaders may be.  The one aspect of that possible violation is that they have the cities evacuated because of a war zone, but honestly who wants to be kicked out of their home leaving everything behind to run away because Americans are fight with a small specialized group in your country.  These people fight back against Americans most probably because they just want to live how they want to live, they want to protect where they have set up home, and protect their family.
Team America though, was all about how this actor named Gary will help learn of the terrorists plans and save America, at the expense of killing the people who just want justice for the way that America has damaged their homes and invaded their lives, forever changing who they are and what they think of the rest of the world.Chris Kyle in America’s eyes could be interpreted as a murderous villain, a martyr, and or a soldier who was doing his job, and as a person who had two military parents growing up, I believe he was just doing his job.

‘Merica.