Douglas Macarthur said “the soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
For decades, the Boko Haram war has been a major task for the Nigerian military force, as endless as the fight against the dreaded terrorist group appear, however, this do not deter the Nigerian military from tackling the relentless insurgents squarely.
We must give accolades to the Nigerian military because at a point, Boko Haram was declared as the deadliest terrorist group in human history. And it looks like the best equipped military nations in the world, in the likes of American soldiers, Russian Army, Israelis and so on would not have done better.
Though, mismanagement of funds and delay in supply of hardware equipment have been attributed for the setbacks to unleash final crush on the enemy’s front, there is a factor that should be considered; stakeholders. The media and government often trade blames on why the war against Boko Haram linger but at no time has there been a serious subject of debate on the state of the soldiers on the frontline units.
How do we describe the state of mind of soldiers who has been on the battle field since 2016? I mean constant active duty on the battle ground. No spared time to see their children or wives. How will such soldiers fight with a sound mind? And many after surviving the physical battle field start the psychological battle to put their families together. Some of these soldiers suffered broken home, some have lost touch with their families.
Though all soldiers at the front line are exposed to post-traumatic experience but soldiers who over stayed in the front line are worse. A psychologist website states that the post-trauma is characterized by symptoms like nightmares; feelings of detachment, irritability, sleeplessness and difficulties in concentrating.
Their homesickness can lead to intense feelings of solitude. Their trauma brings them mental insecurity. The violence, the injuries and the heavy destructions result in distress.
We must learn from history, a report from the WWI shows that some women had become responsible of supporting the entire family after their husband has gone to war. The children are scared they might not see their fathers again and become confused when their fathers did return.
It is of no doubt that soldiers left unchanged at the front line for over three years would be psychologically demoralized to fight and the capacity of endurance is lost. All war veterans know that what makes a sound soldier is not only his weapon nor his physical fitness but his state of mind also. In my humble opinion, soldiers who overstay at the front line might cause a major setback for the final onslaught on the enemy.
Therefore it is imperative that the army authority look into this matter and redeploy the soldiers that have overstayed.
Seun Folaranmi
Ibadan.
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