“Move your team, you have to get to the objective!” I shouted.

“1-Actual this is 1-1 come in.” I screamed into the handset of my radio.

“Send it for 1-Actual.”

“We are pinned down, we need suppression on objectives 1 and 2 how copy?” I released the transmission button and took a few seconds to survey the scene in front of me.

My squad was stuck in the open, low on ammo and with nowhere to go but straight at our first objective.

In the infantry, the worst decision is no decision.

Breathe. This is only training.

Medium machine guns echoed through the mountains as they fired over our heads.

Damnit Jesse, decide!!!

We are at War.

When we look at war, we envision the common definition – “War is a violent clash of interests between or among organized groups characterized by the use of military force.”

Using that definition it is nearly impossible to relate war to our daily lives. Very few of us are currently caught between organized groups using military force. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t at war.

In the words of MCDP 1, “the essence of war is a violent struggle between two hostile, independent, and irreconcilable wills, each trying to impose itself on the other.”

Every day when you wake up you are engaged in a violent struggle between wills. You debate yourself, should I sleep or workout? Should I eat junk food or eat healthy? Should I spend money I don’t have? Should I go the extra mile and do something nice for someone?

And every day, you rationalize with that other will. You find excuses why you can’t do your job, or why you can’t go workout.

You are at war with yourself.

Would you like to Dance?

War is continuous. It is a fluid movement, “appreciating this dynamic interplay between opposing humans wills is essential to understanding the fundamental nature of war.”

The nature of war is a constant, violent struggle for victory, but victory is only achieved when one will has prevailed over the other.

In order to understand the nature of war however, one must dig deep into the factors that collectively make up the foundation of warfare.

You must first understand your enemy, then you will be able to defeat him. This constant clash between opposing wills is like a ferocious dance. It is moving, countering, challenging. Sometimes it is fun and exhilarating, until you discover that the song never ends and the dance goes on forever.

The Factors of Warfare

According to the Marine Corps, there are 10 factors of war. Each one carrying its own unique definition and complex perspective on war.

They all go hand in hand. An intrinsic and ever changing dynamic that attempts to find the balance between these two opposing wills. Directly and indirectly these factors affect the battlefield.

It is up to the warrior to learn and understand these factors in order to use them to their advantage.

Even though these factors play an equal role in warfare, there is one that tends to stand out more than others.

We have to move.

We were stuck, pinned down in the open. If my squad didn’t gain a foothold in that first objective, our attack would fail.

The coyotes yelled at me, questioning my decisions as they manipulated the battlefield in front of me.

Pushing my knowledge and tactics to the limit I surveyed the area in front of me, observing the accuracy of fires.

Shift some guys, increase rates of fire from machine guns. Bring up another squad.

My plan was set. It was quick, I communicated it. It wasn’t pretty, but we gained a foothold and seized the objective.

I watched as my Marines distributed ammo by the ones and twos. With two more objectives to take and with supporting assets either cutoff or out of ammo, we were on our own.

After hours of running, diving, moving and shooting, my platoon had finally finished the range. It wasn’t pretty, but we never quit.

In hindsight, I can see the determination in their faces, from the platoon commander to the most junior Marine.

That day we imposed our will on the will of the range. That day, our human dimension took control. Within the friction, uncertainty, disorder and complexity of the battle, our warrior spirit emerged victorious.

The Daily

We are at war every day. It isn’t always deadly and not every decision is life or death, but it is always dangerous.

How we choose to exercise our will every morning we wake up will determine our outlook and approach.

Raise the warrior in yourself. Allow your heart to be full by accepting your hardship, overcome it and move on. Your warrior spirit flows directly from your heart. Winston Churchill believed that courage as the foremost of all virtues, because he saw that all the other virtues depend on it. It takes courage to love, because we all know loving means you will be hurt. Repeatedly.

Allow your human dimension to take over, allow it to cultivate that warrior spirit. Because when everyone else around you falls, and when the other factors of war come cascading down around you, it is your human dimension that will give you the strength to rise up and preserve.

Above all, never allow yourself to quit.