Once We Put Our Helmets On, There are No More Friends: The ‘‘Fights’’ Session in the Israeli Army Course for Close-Combat Instructors

Abstract

At their final training session, soldiers at the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) close-combat instructors’ course are faced with an extreme situation. Clad in full protection gear, they must face consecutive opponent and fight until they can fight no more. The training setting presents to the soldiers a dilemma epitomized in the instructor’s question ‘‘Do you want to quit?’’ The author argues that the question, as well as, the situation as a whole presents the trainees with a paradox that seems at first to be a moral dilemma. However, since the training setting simulates real battle, the question which also has an existential facet, is in fact a pseudo moral dilemma, reversing the order of self-interest and self-regard.