I know that we have already discussed the event in Vietnam, but I have still been thinking about it off and on....the one question that I still have in my mind, is if the soldiers reverted back to how they were trained, what made them come out of that trance? I can understand both sides of what we discussed in class, I was just wondering if any one had any ideas?

~Hannah

When a person is in a high intensity, complex situation as combat training does take over. The same could be said for doctors, EMTs, firemen, etc. However, once the situation is over and ordered society returns to normal, the person or persons involved return to whatever they were doing. I know several nurses that just try to put the highly intense situation out of their minds, most do not even think about it because they were so concentrated on the moment. I do not believe that it is a trance-like state, rather it is more of being called upon to engage in actions that a person would not normally do.

I know in certain situations, I just react. My training has been beat into me, both literally and figuritively, throughout my military career. It becomes instinct to an extent. And I agree with Travis, that once the actual moment is over and the adrenline has stopped pumping, you feel both relieved and exhausted because the rush of the moment is gone.