U.S. "Soldier's Creed" changed by Rumsfeld to stress "Warrior's Ethos"

[PepperFritz]

After hearing Naomi Wolf make a reference to this in an online interview, I decided to look up the details on the internet. What I found pretty well speaks for itself:

Pre-2003 Version:

I am an American Soldier.
I am a member of the United States Army -- a protector of the greatest nation on earth.
Because I am proud of the uniform I wear, I will always act in ways creditable to the military service and the nation it is sworn to guard.

I am proud of my own organization. I will do all I can to make it the finest unit in the Army.
I will be loyal to those under whom I serve. I will do my full part to carry out orders and instructions given to me or my unit.

As a soldier, I realize that I am a member of a time-honored profession--that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom for which my country stands.
No matter what the situation I am in, I will never do anything, for pleasure, profit, or personal safety, which will disgrace my uniform, my unit, or my country.
I will use every means I have, even beyond the line of duty, to restrain my Army comrades from actions disgraceful to themselves and to the uniform.

I am proud of my country and its flag.
I will try to make the people of this nation proud of the service I represent, for I am an American Soldier.


Current Version implemented by Rumsfeld in 2003:

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

A video of British journalst Robert Fisk discussing the the changes to the Soldier's Creed can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_Ethos

[GRiM]

I guess the new version will not generate those pesky cognitive dissonance when you are herding US civilians and shooting protesters later down the road.
Notice that all 'verses' begin with "I", not that the pre-2003 ver. was so much better but It seems bad can get worse.

A sentence that stands out for me is:

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

Why would they specify that its close combat?

[PepperFritz]

Why would they specify that its close combat?

Good question. Wikipedia provides the following information under Close Combat:


CLOSE COMBAT

Close combat has two close meanings which sometimes overlap; close quarters battle and hand to hand combat.

Armed combat

The basic meaning of the term close combat relates to a close battle between two or more combatants. Synonyms for close combat at that meaning are the medieval Mêlée and modern Close quarters battle (often abbreviated CQB). Military tactics generally perceived as close combat are Shock attacks and especially the Charge tactic using bayonets, dueling with swords and aerial dogfights between fighter aircraft. Urban warfare is considered a warfare environment saturated with close combats.

Unarmed or partially armed combat

In modern times, (since the World War II), close combat has also come to describe hand to hand combat, which is also known as close quarters combat. William E. Fairbairn, who organized and led the famous Shangai Riot Squad, devised the system of close-combat fighting which bears his name, "the Fairbairn System".

In this sense, close combat usually relates to people fighting outside a military environment. Hand to hand combat is usually carried out without the use of firearms, but using the body and sometimes utilizing cold weapons. The knowledge of martial arts is quite essential for an adequate implementation of hand to hand combat. Most modern armies train their soldiers, especially those belonging to special forces, for close quarters combat. The use of hand to hand combat in the military further dims the distinction between the two meaning of close combat.

Armed/Unarmed combat

    * Close quarters battle (CQB)
    * Mêlée
    * Shock attack
    * Charge (warfare)
    * Urban warfare
    * Dogfight
    * Duel
    * Shock troops
    * Mêlée weapons

Unarmed or partially armed combat

    * Hand to hand combat
    * Close quarters combat (CQC)
    * Mixed martial arts
    * Hybrid martial arts
    * List of martial arts
    * Combat sport
    * Combatives
    * US Army Combatives School
    * MCMAP
    * Pugil stick
    * List of modern infantry-related terms and acronyms

[Belibaste]

Why would they specify that its close combat?

Maybe it's a way to suggest that this time the combat zone won't be far away like Iraq or Afghanistan but quite close like directly on the US territory.

Maybe it's a way to hint that this time the combat won't be based on remote weapons like laser guided missiles and bombs targeting building or troops but on handgun, tazer targeting crowds, individuals.

[Michael]

The new version mentions nothing of freedom.

Old Version:

As a soldier, I realize that I am a member of a time-honored profession--that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom for which my country stands.