“Despite what your momma told you, violence does solve problems” (Ryan Job, 2nd class SEAL operator). This is a mantra made famous by the story of the American Sniper Chris Kyle and the slogan of his company Craft International; and frankly it’s true. The violence of war has produced some of the greatest, strongest, and most influential men in history. War is a necessary evil in this world. There is definitely a large opposition in today’s world to war but it isn’t really something that we fully understand. War is something that we engage in to attempt to prevent or suppress violence despite the common misconceptions of war; it is a means to an end.

War is something that people believe only brings out the worst in us and that simply is not true. While war should definitely not be romanticized to the degree that it is, there are upsides to it all. The military produces some of the finest men this nation has to offer. Of our 44 presidents of these United States only 11 of them have no military history; one of them being FDR who attempted to resign from office of assistant Secretary of the Navy to join the service although his resignation was not accepted. Of the Top 15 presidents in our nation’s history FDR was the only one without military service. The stress of War and the Armed forces hardens a person and can often times make themselves a better leader.

People in our world today who have not served in our Armed Forces don’t fully understand and truly grasp the impact that war has. While there is a large mental impact on the individuals who serve there is as well an impact on society. One thing that people do not understand that American Sniper touches on is the strengthening as well as the breaking down of the members of the Armed Forces. Chris Kyle goes on and describes how BUDS training is made to initially break a man down who he is and strip him down to the core fibers of his being. It is then made to build him up and form him into a leader and man of action. War then throws these men into a fresh hell, the likes of which they have never experienced and proceeds to rock the foundations of their being and harden their personalities beyond belief. War produced some of the strongest men in history and it also brought about the innovated ideas of some of our smartest men. Some see that war brings out the worst in us and are too blind to see that it can also bring out the best.

Although war is seen by many as only a means of strictly violence and atrocities, it is mainly a peace making endeavor. The illusion that a war only result in the needless loss of life is not true, those lives lost were not needless. If the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, then what results in the fact that the life of one man, while still precious, should be spared in an attempt to save the lives of hundreds if not thousands? War is definitely not pretty and that’s not what Chris Kyle’s book is trying to say. It is a very cruel, brutal and awful thing but it is something that needs to happen to improve and serve the greater good. In his book Chris Kyle even goes as far to say that although he thrived when he deployed overseas and he lived for it. He as well admitted that his time on deployment brought about some of the most terrible and lowest points of his life as well. “It was my duty to shoot the enemy, and I don’t regret it. My regrets are for the people I couldn’t save: Marines, soldiers, buddies. I’m not naïve, and I don’t romanticize war. The worst moments of my life have come as a SEAL. But I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job.” (Chris Kyle).

The purpose of war is not a means for destruction and decimation, it is a means to an ends. The use of war is a weapon that must be harnessed and executed swiftly, precisely, sternly and with the entire weight of the military raining down fiery justice. We use the violence of war as a way to end the violence of others, such as our counter-insurgency efforts overseas. It is something that we must learn how to use in a controlled way to prevent mass amounts of unnecessary violence and needless death. “Violence is the gold standard, the reserve that guarantees order. In actuality, it is better than a gold standard, because violence has universal value. Violence transcends the quirks of philosophy, religion, technology and culture. (…) It’s time to quit worrying and learn to love the battle axe. History teaches us that if we don’t, someone else will.” (Jack Donovan, “Violence is Golden”). As much as a paradox as it may sound violence is a necessity to end violence.