“Why Do You Want To Go Back?”

by Patrick Appel

Jonathan Raab has difficulty explaining to civilians why he would return to a warzone:

How can I say that I would feel guilty if I did not go, or, even, the full truth, I would hate myself if I did not go again, to someone who has never worn combat boots? How can I make a statement about my own choices about war, risk, sacrifice and death, without making an inherent value judgment about their own?

I have taken to saying that I am going back because “chicks dig the uniform.” It is simpler that way.