The Alternate Ending: A Warrior's Death In Fact, Fiction, And Film

Abstract

To give ones life in service to country conjures images of young soldiers willingly sacrificing their lives on the battlefield, perhaps even the single seat pilot who faces overwhelming odds in one final, heroic act. The warriors death is self-sacrificing and establishes the difference between victory and defeat, good or evil, or in the most dramatic case, survival versus the death of mankind. These are the images of Hollywood films and though the audience wants the hero to win and to live, a warriors sacrificial death for the greater good is the only alternative narrative the audience willingly accepts. This heroic death becomes the standard from which all modern warrior deaths are measured. In reality, deaths that match this image are extremely rare, and are recognized with a countrys highest honors.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1031571

Entities

People

  • Tenaya G. Humphrey

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accident Investigations
  • Accidents
  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Aviation Accidents
  • Chaplains
  • Crossings
  • Department Of Defense
  • Images
  • Instructors
  • Literature
  • Military Personnel
  • Second World War
  • Training
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Personnel Management and Statistics in the Military and Department of Defense