You don't "get" young men like this, you "make" young men like this. This is why Marine boot camp is about transformation from an identity of self to one of being a Marine. It's where you learn the meaning of "Esprit de Corps" and "Semper Fidelis". It's why we're proud to be called "Marine".
I've given this topic a LOT of thought, because variations on it have been rolling through my head for the past 6 months. LT's post finally helped me find the missing link and put it all together, especially when it was juxtaposed with the "transmission from Dad" that mentioned "My Ivy League Son."
LT, plus "My Ivy League Son" and "My Heart on the Line," plus Victor Davis Hanson's "Long Riders," plus my own experiences reading Roman history and hearing from military families as I covered the
Maine Educators Incident... at last, the picture began to make sense.
"
Where They Get Young Men Like This" brings all of those sources together to reveal an important pattern, one that matters a great deal to the future of America. Parts of it will make for disturbing reading - but in the end, there is hope. I'd be interested in your thoughts.