The Complexities of War as Described by Robert Graves

In Goodbye to All That, Robert Graves discussed the complex range of emotions felt by a wartime soldier.  As a soldier fighting in the trenches of World War I, Graves vacillated between a driving need to do whatever it took to survive the war and the conviction that his luck couldn't possibly hold out against another "show."  He and his fellow soldiers desperately wanted to go home, even if  it meant sustaining an injury, but, when they managed to get leave to go home or were sent to convalesce at home, they were uneasy and their minds were always on the battlefield. These conflicted feelings were best exemplified by the actions of Graves's poet friend, Siegfried Sassoon.  Sassoon, known for his extreme bravery, became so disillusioned by the futility of war that, while recovering from a war injury, he decided that he would refuse to return to duty and wrote a letter to his commanding officer entitled "Finished with the War: A Soldier's Declaration," which he then forwarded to the press for publication.  This letter was not only a denunciation of the war and current government, but, if not for Graves's intervention, it could also have been seen as grounds for court-martial.  However, Sassoon later decided to return to the French trenches, despite his continued disgust with the war, to fight alongside and help his fellow soldiers.  Even though Sassoon's actions seemed so contradictory, Graves was able to understand and sympathize with his friend, as he, too, battled with the same emotions throughout the war.

In fact, this hatred of war coupled with a sense of duty to fight with and protect the men sent to die for Great Britain and the Allied Forces followed him long after the First World War.  These warring feelings were evident in his decision to volunteer for infantry service as soon as World War II broke out.  By the time World War II broke out, Graves was a man in his forties who had already suffered a major lung injury and emotionally scarring during the last world war.  Although he knew of the horrors of battle and had spent several happy years living outside Britain, he didn't hesitate to serve Great Britain and the Allied Forces in the Second World War.  He felt that tug of military solidarity and camaraderie so he attempted repeatedly to join in the fighting.  Whether or not he believed in war, he believed in the young men and women, including his own children, who were risking their lives everyday during World War II.

What I found most interesting about this study of a wartime's soldier's mentality is that it is still applicable today.  We are still a country at war.  There are still many soldiers who have done several tours, either in Iraq or Afghanistan.  I have read many reports of severely injured soldiers who were aching to make full recoveries so that they could return to active duty and serve with their military "brothers and sisters."  Though it's never truly clear to me whether or not these men and women genuinely believe in the war, their commitment to helping and protecting their comrades is always evident.  Reading Graves's book really gave me an insider's view into this type of unflinching loyalty and the seemingly counter-intuitive desire to return to battle.