War is a sequence of impossible choices

The choices we make everyday, whether grand or small, have an effect on our lives once the choice is made. In war, soldiers are forced to make impossible choices every single day. Every step taken or word spoken can be a soldier’s last. Their finale. Their end. Within one split second, one’s life could be drastically changed by the choice that was made. A child from the opposing side. Holding a gun. A soldier clutching his gun. Will the child shoot? Will the soldier have time to react? Or, will the soldier aim and fire before the child gets the chance? Shooting and killing a possibly innocent person, especially a child, is not an easy decision to make, but more times than not in war, that impossible choice is made. To protect oneself and the other members of their platoon, the soldiers need to make quick, difficult decisions that when looked back upon, cause an internal war within themselves. Do I aim, fire, and pull the trigger on the enemy child? Or, do I hesitate and risk the lives of those in my platoon? These are the types of questions soldiers must ask themselves before they make their impossible choice. The difference between life and death is just a matter of seconds, so these soldiers do not have enough time to always make the decision they feel is morally correct. The soldier in the photo is pointing a gun at a young child, not because he has something against the child, but because the child threatens the lives of those who matter most. It is not fair that one has to choose, but that is what war is… a sequence of impossible choices.

American Sniper. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Bradley Cooper. Warner Home Video, 2015.