American Quote by Malcolm Nance
“To help students steel themselves for captivity, SERE used a variety of 'stress and duress' techniques. The military's encyclopedic knowledge of these techniques was paid for in American blood because it was gleaned from former POWs tortured by totalitarian regimes. One technique, waterboarding, was a historically well-known torture.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Art of War in the Modern Age, 2018
Describing how military training uses extreme stress techniques derived from historical torture.
In simple terms: Military training borrows harsh methods from past atrocities.
Key Takeaway
Question ethical implications of such training.
Themes
ethics
military training
human rights
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
ethical
political
When to use this quote
- combat preparation
- psychological research
- policy debate
Key Concepts
torture
psychological resilience
legal boundaries
Questions to Reflect On
- Is it justified to use past suffering for training?
- What alternatives exist?
A Different Perspective
These methods risk normalizing cruelty and may cause long‑term trauma.
