Warfare is warfare is warfare

I love reading things that leave me thinking "Well, there you go, what else is there to say?" Chuck over at Chuck for... has written such a piece on the inherent violence and destruction of war, and in particular, how much we have insulated ourselves here in America, from its realities.

Warfare is a bloody inhumane exercise and you've been insulated from that fact. There are veterans who know, they say little. If you fault them, you are a fool. To speak to the horrid realities of warfare is to relive them and they have already served you. It is not their job to educate you about the obvious that you ignore. Guns are not magical, they put a small projectile in the air at thousands of feet per second, far beyond the speed of sound, and the target is hit well before the sound of firing reaches it. The effect of that bullet depends on its caliber, speed, and what it strikes, it may inflict a fraction of an inch hole through a body or it may strike bone, shattering it and virtually exploding the surrounding flesh. Military rounds are considered humane, use of destructive bullets is banned. Humane.

The entire piece is graphic and shocking, which for me only reinforces his message. We can wrap ourselves in righteousness and the illusion of humaneness all we want, but guess what? Truth is truth is truth. And here is the rest of it.