ColumbiaMagazine.com
Printed from:

Welcome to Columbia Magazine  
 



































 
Letter defines, in psychological terms, the look in a soldier's eyes

It's a defense mechanism, Kenneth Scott learns from this letter from his daughter, Cheryl Holland, who sent this note to him on Tuesday:"I read the article--very nice--in the ColumbiaMagazine. Thanks for giving me credit for the gift. Ernie Pyle was recognizing that the mind "detaches" itself from reality somewhat in situations that are too horrible or stressful to deal with on a day-to-day basis. I have read about this in psychology. It is a defense mechanism that allows us to survive and also not go crazy when we have to do things we would not normally do (like kill other people ) or are so overwhelmed by seeing others killed and/or tortured. It is almost like you are not really there, but watching it from a distance, and it helps to protect you emotionally."
See "Adair Countians in War: Explaining that look in a soldier's eye" by Joe Hare.




This story was posted on 2007-06-21 06:45:28
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.



 

































 
 
Quick Links to Popular Features


Looking for a story or picture?
Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com.

 

Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728.
Phone: 270.403.0017


Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.