November - CSA Fraternal Life

Learning from the Past Military StyleUndermining your enemy’s confidence,strength, and skill are the weapons ofintimidation. Over 900 years ago,Mongols, led by the great and ferociousGenghis Kahn, perfected these weapons.Thundering across Europe and Asia,their notoriety and pageantry attainedmythical proportions. Their reputationas savage, highly-disciplined soldierswas so fearsome that many opponentssimply surrendered without a fight.Intimidation took the form of body “art”used by Native American tribes, whopainted their bodies and horses to givethem magical powers of protection. Butthey were not the first: Aztecs not onlypainted their bodies but dressed as animalsof prey, such as eagles, jaguars, orwolves. The Celts (Remember MelGibson in Braveheart?) colored theirfaces using an indigo blue dye. Alongwith their spiked hair, and shrieking battlecries, the Celts terrified their enemies.Roman conquerors painted theirfaces with vermillion to mimic the wargod, Mars. The fearless Maori tribesmentattooed war symbols on their facesand bodies. Modern soldiers use “cammie”paint to blend into their environmentand swipe black paint across theirfaces to cut down on glare, as do “warriors”of the gridiron.Today, we practice a new brand ofintimidation called diplomacy. Nationsrattle their sabers symbolically, threaten,cajole and, after a time, warring factionsagree to terms of peace negotiated witheach other or through a third party, suchas the United Nations or theInternational Court of Justice (TheWorld Court).The earliest proponents of treating theirwounded were the Mamluks, slave soldierswho fought for the sultans of theMiddle East. Uniquely well-trainedarchers and horsemen, they eventuallyseized power for themselves and ruledEgypt for years! Prior to this time, thewounded were left to die as troopsadvanced or retreated. Napoleon wasthe first to assign soldiers to care for thewounded. These early medics were consideredexpendable. Generals assignedlitter-bearers during the AmericanRevolution and Civil War. World War Isaw, for the first time, medics rushinginto the field to treat the wounded andtransport them to aid stations. Nolonger expendable, they were welltrainedand courageous. During WorldWar II, a wounded soldier had an 85 percentchance of survival if treated by amedic within the first hour. Korea sawthe advent of helicopters air-liftingwounded to M*A*S*H* units. Themedic’s job in Vietnam was to treat andevacuate, resulting in survival rates ashigh as 98 percent. Because theybecame easy targets, medics in Vietnamwere the first to eliminate the Red Crosssymbol from their helmets and armbands.Thankfully, conflicts do end: one sideusually surrenders. Surrender often isaccompanied by specific measures and apeace treaty. Defining the terms ofpeace, from boundaries to disarmament,has remained through the centuries. In12 BC Ramses the Great, ruler ofancient Egypt, created and signed theTreaty of Kadesh, the first peace treatyin history, ending the war between theEgyptians and the Hittites. Other peacetreaties followed: The Peace of Callias(449 BC) and The Treaty of Thirty YearsPeace (446 BC). In 1192, Saladin agreedto peace with Richard the Lionhearted.The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 grantedrecognition to Catholicism andLutheranism. Of the 25 agreementssigned at The Peace Treaty of Paris in1763, the most important was the formalend of the American Revolutionary WarRead the Journal online at: www.csafraternallife.orgfor Independence.The peace agreements ending the CivilWar, World Wars I and II, and recentconflicts borrowed from these earliesttreaties. With the peaceful dissolutionof Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993,the Czech Republic and Slovakiabecame members of NATO and theEuropean Union. Both countries haveactive reserve armies, and have contributedto numerous peacekeeping andhumanitarian operations. As long asnations battle for domination, there willbe the need to negotiate settlements.Hopefully, they will recognize thelessons of the past, respect the culture ofthe parties involved, and lead to lastingpeace and prosperity.Submitted by Gerri Romanelliwww.listverse.com/2010/04/20/top-10greatesthistoricalwarriors.comwww.wikipedia.org/mongols/massacre/listofancienttreaties/World_War_IIwww.1stcavmedic.comwww.battlefile.info/waterloowww.deadliestblogpage.wordpress.com/warpaintwww.historymedren.about.com/liberary/text/bltxtgermanywww.ancient.eu.com/article/78www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1192peace.aspwww.warpaths2peacepipes.com/nativeamerican-culture/warpaintwww.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Czech_Republicwww.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_SlovakiaNOVEMBER 2013 — CSA JOURNAL — 11