S3: What can we learn from this section on the theme of readiness? What examples of readiness were presented and what tertiary effects were seen from readiness or lack thereof?

During this section we see a rapid decrease in readiness as the truce talks take place. Most soldiers grow complacent and lose there sense of purpose while they are in defensive positions for long periods of time. Soldiers were told “Fight on, but don’t fight too hard. Don’t lose-but don’t win, either. Hold the line, while the diplomats muddle through.” As a soldier, I would lose focus if I was given that kind of guidance and that is exactly what happened. “An army in the field, in contact with the enemy, can remain idle only at its peril. Deterioration–of training, physical fitness, and morale– is immediate and progressive, despite the strongest command measures. The frenchman who said the one thing that cannot be done with bayonets is to sit on them spoke an eternal truth.” In both bloody and heartbreak ridges,this “deterioration” of readiness resulted in large amounts of US casualties.