"As for cowardice, I respect that too, even though I realize the need to punish cowardice in the face of the enemy."

Sigh.

I should have said, a coward can still be a very good person; not every good person can be a good soldier. Moreover, one should not confuse those who refuse to fight for moral reasons, with those who suddenly freeze or flee when confronted by terrifying prospects.

As for punishment of cowardice in the face of the enemy, I think the basic idea is to persuade people who might consciously choose to freeze or flee not to do so. Those who truly panic do not deserve to be punished, but sometimes circumstances may require their punishment the for the good of the unit.

***

A Midnight Clear includes a very sympathetic treatment of shell shock.

I believe episode 6? of Band of Brothers shows the Battle of the Bulge through the eyes of one medic. Harrowing. The medic is very brave. One man develops shell shock as well. In episode 3? another man temporarily develops hysterical blindness.

Mrs. Dalloway includes a believable, sad, WWI shell shock victim, and his wife, a secondary victim.

I did not like Black Hawk Down, because it failed to emphasize that the fighting could have been vastly minimized had the American command had the forethought to ask coalition tanks to be ready to assist them, and because the boastful final words "19 Americans killed, estimated 1000 Somalis killed" made it sound like a brilliant victory, akin to the 1879 British victory at Rorke's Drift, instead of a ghastly cock-up by the American command. I left the theatre feeling angry.

And I am out of this thread forever and ever more. PM me if you want any clarifications.