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Flagg: I'd love to see a book written by a compelling story teller and a performance psychologist focused on the parenting of high performing SOF soldiers.
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This is one I'd recommend as it covers just that sort of analysis:
True Americanism: Green Berets and War Resisters : A Study of Commitment - by David M. Mantell, published 1974
https://www.amazon.com/True-American.../dp/0807724297
Author interviewed Vietnam era SF combat vets and draft resistors who fled to Canada. Trying to figure out what made two opposite ends of the commitment spectrum "tick". One group being triple-volunteers for combat and the other group being "equally" committed to their flavor of moral/political beliefs. The book attempts to identify why polar opposites (in terms of action) were each willing to commit knowingly to difficulty. The interviews analyze a vast spectrum of formative experiences and personality traits. Alpha vs Beta Male, adrenaline junkie behavior, promiscuity, early sexual experience, competitive drive, IQ, socio-economic roots, education, youthful criminal behavior, parenting, personality types, religion, family values, etc.
As I recall, the author ultimately found the SF types more fascinating (less stereotypical and more complicated) than the uber-pacifists. I seem to recall that this was his psychology doctoral thesis grown into a published book. In any event, he included some alcohol fueled SF war stories that made for interesting reading.
In the words of one reviewer:
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"This book asks a simple question with rather large implications : does family environment correlate to ideological stance? Dr. Mantell examines the two vanguards of youth reaction to Viet Nam : war resisters active, vocal, and visible in the anti-war movement, and green berets - soldiers essentially volunteering for combat duty. Through rigorous examination of the various family dynamics and history of his subjects, he is able to show very specific commonalities within each group, and huge differences between them."
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Much of the SF interviewing conducted at 1-10 Bad Tölz back in the early 70's. The book was common in the Stars & Stripes Bookstores shelves up until the 1980's. I had a copy, but it got passed around team rooms and lost.
Well worth reading.