"The other thing that happened was my last military assignment - this was in the air force; I had enlisted in order to avoid being drafted as a private, and of course I only practiced medicine or psychiatry in the air force so I was never in any kind of violent combat"
- Robert Jay Lifton
About this Quote
This quote by Robert Jay Lifton speaks with his experience in the military. He got in the Air Force in order to prevent being prepared as a private, and he was assigned to practice medicine or psychiatry. This suggests that he was not in any kind of violent fight, which is likely a relief for him. This quote talks to the idea that getting in the military can be a way to prevent being prepared into a more unsafe function. It likewise speaks with the idea that the military offers a range of roles, which not all of them include fight. This quote is a testimony to the reality that the armed force can be a way to serve one's country without needing to remain in a harmful scenario.
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