Re: Tanks

In a message dated 2/2/00 4:15:10 PM Central Standard Time, 
andya@speechsolutions.com writes:

<< 
 How do you differentiate a one man tank from an infantry man in combat
armor
 or a mech-walker.  Do you lose the spirit of the tanker?   How
important is
 that?
  >>

There's even more to it than that - history shows that the average 
infantryman is fasr more concerned with keeping his own skin intact and
reac 
ting to the horrors ofwar that sometimes he is less likely to actually
fire 
his weapon and engage the enemy. Crewed weapons are entirely different 
psychologically. When acting as part of a crew "serving" a weapon system
- 
you are one more step removed from the concept that you are killing
fellow 
sophonts. Ship weapons, artilery and missile units and TANKS are much
more 
liely to service targets and not immediately face the situation that
they are 
killing. This can get a man through his combat initiation and allow him
to 
function as a soldier - noit a human. He'll pay for that later on in
life, 
but he will tend to the business of fighting your war right now, instead
of 
balking at the act.