assuming ART is still able to access the site, i will detect his new alias shortly. axeman and i were on to him pretty quickly after OPTIONAL777 was banned.
Row, good day to you. Regarding Tillman, we'll never know precisely why he did what he did. Personally, I think it admirable that he turned his back on further riches and fame to do what his conscience told him to do. I don't know how much money he made prior to quitting football, but I'm sure his family was set up financially. What would really impress me would be some top-ranked basketball/football/baseball/etc. player coming out of college and, instead of going pro, enlisting as Tillman did. That would be an unassailable display of putting belief before riches and fame. Did he enjoy killing? We'll never know that, either. My sense of elite troopers is that they are driven by patriotism, competition, and very high egos. As I understand it, these best of the best undergo rigorous psychological testing in addition to the usual physical hardships. So the nutjobs are weeded out. The military, especially at that level, doesn't want psychos. Level-headedness and an ability to perform under intense pressure are paramount; there is little room for a sociopath in a team setting. I'm not saying these guys are angels. Certainly they are not averse to killing, but I do not think they enjoy it in a sadistic way. I think they dispatch the enemy with the mindset and manner of a normal person who must kill a rabid dog - quickly and efficiently.
I'm not so sure, hapaboy. While somebody gaining some sense of satisfaction from taking out enemies (as opposed to simply "killing") may have certain "psychopathic" personality traits (not in a nasty way), this could perhaps be seen as advantageous. As I mentioned earlier using the example of serial killers, this is not mutually exclusive with 'ability to perform under pressure'.
Maybe I'm wrong to assume Tillman and most ops enjoy killing people. Maybe the guy I met and his team were exceptions.
Don't flatter yourself. Hence the word maybe, and your inane logic of swimming seals doesn't help the hero image.
Point taken. However, I didn't say they don't take satisfaction from killing the enemy, but that they don't enjoy it in a sadistic way. There is a difference. I'm sure they take extreme satisfaction when they kill an al-queda soldier. Wouldn't you? I know I would. Because by doing so you're eliminating someone who's hell bent on destroying you, your family, and your country. Taking satisfaction from killing such a threat versus killing for the joy of killing are very different IMHO.