Courage

The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, defines courage as “the heart as the seat of feeling, thought, etc.; spirit, mind, disposition, nature.” While the definition of the word courage has changed throughout history, the soldier’s experience in battle often revolves around or relates to the particular intrinsic feeling described by this definition. However, as soldiers' experience changed over the past few decades in American history, the concept of courage changed as well. Military tactics evolved to protect soldiers as much as possible, so that courage no longer has to be exemplified by the traditional depiction of a 19th-century soldier waving a regimental banner in front of his brigade as he is hit with enfilade fire. In addition, the opposite of courage, cowardice, is something that ...