Tactic Quote by Michael Herr
““Search and Destroy, more a gestalt than a tactic, brought up alive and steaming from the Command psyche. Not just a walk and a firefight, in action it should have been named the other way around, pick through the pieces and see if you could work together a count, the sponsor wasn't buying any dead civilians. The VC had an ostensibly similar tactic called Find and Kill. Either way, it was us looking for him looking for us looking for him, war on a Cracker Jack box, repeated to diminishing returns.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Dispatches, 1977
The narrative describes chaotic military tactics, emphasizing the futility and moral ambiguity of violent strategies that blur lines between hunter and hunted.
In simple terms: War tactics become confusing and morally gray, leading to endless cycles of violence.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the cost of dehumanizing combat methods.
Themes
war
morality
strategy
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- military history
- psychology
- ethics
Key Concepts
military ethics
psychological impact
conflict cycles
Questions to Reflect On
- Can violent tactics ever be justified ethically?
- How does dehumanization affect soldiers and civilians?
A Different Perspective
Progress tactics often cause civilian harm and erode moral clarity.
![“Going out at night the medics gave you pills, Dexedrine breath like dead snakes kept too long in a jar. [...] I knew one 4th division Lurp who took his pills by the fistful, downs from the left pocket of his tiger suit and ups from the right, one to cut the trail for him and the other to send him…” quote by Michael Herr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4d2/michael-herr-21675_too-long_going-out-at-night-the-medics-gave-you-p_1189943.jpg)
