Pulitzer-Nominated Author Tours Northern Camps By Lance Cpl. Eric D. Arndt Article reprinted as first published by the Okinawa Marine Newspaper, Sept. 8, 2006; reprinted with permission. CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa (Sep 8, 2006) A captive audience of hundreds watches intently as a charismatic guest speaker methodically paces the theater floor. Suddenly, he whips a marker from his blue jeans the way one might unholster a sidearm and feverishly scribbles the word "KILL" on a large paper pad. The speaker, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Dave Grossman, shared his expertise with Marines and sailors from 3rd Marine Division recently, discussing a topic he has studied extensively: killing.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Dave Grossman speaks to service members Aug. 25 at the Camp Courtney Theater. The presentation covered a variety of subjects stemming from research on the psychological and physiological effects killing has on an individual. Grossman authored the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society." (Photo by Lance Cpl. Eric D. Arndt).

Grossman, author of the book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society," spoke at Camps Hansen, Schwab and Courtney Aug. 25, lecturing on a field he describes as "warrior science" - the study of an individual's mind processes and emotional conditions while taking the life of another human being.

"Let's talk about that dirty, four letter word," the retired Army lieutenant colonel said, his voice low - the calm before a storm of enthusiasm. "You can read a hundred military manuals and never come across that word."

Grossman, speaking about a sensitive topic, addressed his audience matter-of-factly.

"You have the most difficult task known to man," Grossman said. "You have to decide whether or not to kill another human being. I teach people all about the realities of combat. Thinking that you know about combat from watching the movies is like thinking you know all about elephants from watching 'Dumbo.'"

Although there is a great amount of knowledge amassed concerning warfare from a broad, overarching view, such as commanders' and generals' perspectives, the science of individuals killing is a relatively new endeavor, Grossman said.

"We have learned more about the psychology and physiology of the warrior in the past 50 years than in the 5,000 years before that," he said. "We've already studied the princes and commanders; what we need to know about now are the (men in the fight)."

Grossman used anecdotal evidence from the 2004 terrorist siege of a school in Beslan, Russia to affirm the necessity of trained personnel ready to respond to deadly force threats. He presented the idea of the "bulletproof mind" - a way of thinking that allows service members to come to terms with the realities of their mission and more successfully cope with the mental effects that can occur afterward.

Grossman said the establishment of the bulletproof mind requires individuals to change their methods of consideration because outside sources, such as Hollywood and the media, have established incorrect perceptions of the warrior.

"We have to understand that when we operate under the rules of engagement and under authority, our actions are not murder," Grossman said. "We are conducting an act required by our civilization in order to exist."

Grossman said individuals should focus on the fact that the broad majority of men and women who go to combat are mentally healthy and productive afterward, and warriors should avoid thinking of themselves as erroneous combatant stereotypes presented in movies, such as the depressed psychological wreck "pity party" and the cold, detached, amoral "macho man."

Grossman also described the way the mind works under immense stresses such as combat and why individuals who come to terms with the functioning of the brain have an easier time preventing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sgt. David Marruffo, the safety chief of Headquarters Battalion, 3rd MarDiv, said Hearing Grossman speak answered thoughts some Marines have had since deploying to war zones.

"I think everyone getting ready to go to Iraq should hear his speech," he said. "I wish I'd have heard him before (I went the first time). It made me feel better about performing (my mission)."