[February 6, 2023] At the request of many readers and to pursue what I’ve wanted to do for a long time, I will discuss some of my thoughts on war and brotherhood and try to understand what they mean. Using common thinking tools, I’ll shed some light on the human mind and, frankly, expand our thinking regarding the crucible of combat.
I begin with a well-known English proverb, “Blood is thicker than water.” In simple terms, family bonds will be stronger than other relationships. For regular readers of my blog, you know this cannot be true. And contrary to what others say, the quote is not from the Bible.
The actual quote, translated from medieval German poet Heinrich der Glïchezäre 1180, is “The Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Ironically, the real meaning is the opposite of the ordinary meaning. Put this way, it means that the bonds you make by choice are more important than the people you are bound to by birth (water of the womb).
The bonds of brotherhood forged in combat against the enemy are the strongest of bonds and supersede familial ties. Stories of brotherhood are common among soldiers. Brotherhood means you voluntarily agree to put the group’s well-being ahead of yourself. Nothing outside the group is of more importance, nothing. No relationship is more robust than brotherhood.
The movie Fury, directed by David Ayer, explores the latter idea that voluntary brotherhood bonds are stronger than family. It is about the strong bond between people who shed blood together. In this movie, there is no mission. It’s not about saving someone; no senior officer sends them on a mission, no one to assassinate, or no rescue.
The movie story is about five men living together inside an M4A2 Sherman tank (the most commonly used by America during WW2). If you like action, Ayer’s movie is one of the best. But the conversations between this small group of men make it one of the best war movies in recent memory.
To understand the crew of this tank, we start with tanker Staff Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier (played by Brad Pitt). He’s the fatherly figure who tries to protect his boys and keep them grounded. Collier is set up to be a ferrous fighter but keeps his humanity intact. It is fitting that Collier is a tanker in the movie, a reference to the horse cavalry of old, a bond that goes back millennia.
The film shows how these men communicate during combat, especially against their biggest threat, German tanks and anti-armor guns. They know their jobs and understand their limits and weaknesses. The lessons are harsh. Kill the Germans and stay alive if possible.
My favorite scene is where five American tanks face off against a German Tiger Tank (with superior armor and firepower). It’s nerve-wracking, it’s fantastic, and it’s as realistic as I can imagine. We see Collier’s crew working closely as a team. The team cannot be genuinely a combat unit until they shed the enemy’s blood together and all have suffered.
I don’t do movie reviews. I let Lynn Pitts (USMC Veteran) take care of that for me, but I wanted to outline my thoughts on a recent war movie, Fury (2014). Thank you for reading my blog.
I recommend this movie.
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This is a very thoughtful and surprising article that I will say that I very much enjoyed. War and brotherhood (among men) is something that deserves more exploration. I would hope Gen. Satterfield continues to think and write about this very topic, for it gives us a better understand of men and the human race. Only good can come of more thought and discussion.
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” is a phrase that talks about the importance of what you do rather than where you are born. The phrase refers to how real bonds are formed over shared experiences, not necessarily familial relationships.
War and brotherhood. Love the article. Please give us more on this subject. I think Gen. Satterfield has hit upon something very important and very ancient and very necessary to learn more about. Stay safe everyone, and ditch your face diapers.
Liz, you are just too funny sometimes. I never know what you are going to write.
But serious topic, nonetheless. Yes, I will also vote for Gen. Satterfield writing more on this topic of war and brotherhood. Why not sisterhood? Because it is nothing like brotherhood.
Just to point out that Gen. Satterfield does read our comments and responds, see his note. “At the request of many readers and to pursue what I’ve wanted to do for a long time, I will discuss some of my thoughts on war and brotherhood and try to understand what they mean. Using common thinking tools, I’ll shed some light on the human mind and, frankly, expand our thinking regarding the crucible of combat.” I like this about this blog.
Roger Ebert does not give the movie Fury much of a rating.
“”Fury” isn’t so much a bad movie as it is a fairly unnecessary one. From a technical standpoint, it is occasionally quite impressive and fans of the WWII genre as a whole might find it to be of some interest, though those with weaker constitutions may want to give it a second thought considering all the blood and guts on display. From a dramatic and emotional perspective, however, it just sort of lumbers along without ever generating a real sense of interest in what is happening on the scene.”
I do think Roger Ebert is an armchair quarterback and never has skin in the game. Poor review by Roger Ebert.
Good insight Bryan. Occasionally Robert Ebert swings and misses. He missed the whole point of brotherhood in the movie.
Yep, nailed it. 😎
This is common among the secular purveyors of reality. Roger Ebert overall has done us a favor but he is on his high-horse when it comes to understanding such things as war and esp. brotherhood.
Brotherhood is the ultimate human experience. Bless General Satterfield.
Next question, “Is there such a thing as sisterhood” or is brotherhood a catchall term?
The Observer, now that is a great question. My first shot at the answer would be that there is a such thing as sisterhood but that it is based on being female and similar, BUT not on a fight with the enemy and giving your all to your brothers.
I’m not so sure. When women in combat with the enemy (and that is very rare) have the same experience, we best still call it ‘brotherhood’ to distinguish it from just another category. Brotherhood, for example, is never about victimhood like sisterhood has it ingrained.
Brotherhood, yep, the top human experience. Very very very few ever experience it. Nothing in the civilian world comes close.
Good points. 👀👀👀👀👀
The film Fury was one of my favorite war movies. I never considered that my attraction to it would be because of my desire to be part of a brotherhood.
The actual quote, translated from medieval German poet Heinrich der Glïchezäre 1180, is “The Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Ironically, the real meaning is the opposite of the ordinary meaning. Put this way, it means that the bonds you make by choice are more important than the people you are bound to by birth (water of the womb). We can argue that this is or is not the case. But human bonds are much stronger than we might actually think they are. Human bonds are not random.
Yes, well said. 😎
If you want an example of this just look to our combat veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Talk with them and you will confirm what Gen. Satterfield is writing here. But note that even in combat there are those who are in the direct fight with the enemy and support troops who are on secure bases that never have to face the enemy. The former will know brotherhood, the latter not.
True!!
Who better to explain this than a soldier himself.
Now this is a great blog post.
— and exactly why so many of us read it daily. Now I know better when I say “blood is thicker than water.” WRONG.
I think that if you read any of the two books that Gen. Satterfield has written, you will find that he spends a lot of effort on the idea of “brotherhood.” He may not call it brotherhood exactly but that is what it is. Read esp. “55 Rules for a Good Life” and you will get the full gist of his ideas. Great job, Gen Satterfield, keep up the work you are doing.
Go here on Amazon to get his book: https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
Another great article by Gen. Satterfield.
Yep!!!!! Read this blog. Read this leadership blog by General Doug Satterfield and learn more about yourself and about humans. Learn it or pay a great price in the future.
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/