What is a warrior?

[1depd]

I don't know why but for some reason this question came back to mind not long ago. Maybe it was the news that a good friend of mine was told he had given enough of himself to the US. Maybe it was a conversation I had with a co-worker about being a LEO and the current LEO's we work with who have not earned their "bones". These people aren't bad officers, but neither of us would trust them to have our back when stuff happened. It was first put to me by one of my young troops when I was in the military. I started thinking about all of the warriors I have known, both in the military and in the various LE agencies I have worked at.

My young troop defined a warrior as, "one who who is willing to act." At the time I didn't know whether that was a good definition and now believe it falls short. I don't think a warrior is someone who is necessarily eager to get into a fight, although willing to fight is a necessary element. I think my young troop had the definition partially correct. The part he left off was always willing to do one more thing for the fight.

The people I thought about and who are in my estimation are warriors all seem to have a few things in common. The willingness to act is definitely a requirement. But why do many police officers die shortly after retiring. Why do many military members retire then go to work as a LEO? My thought is they are the warriors of our society. They are told they are no longer needed and as with most warriors when they are no longer needed they pass away. My friend, who was told he had done enough, went through the typical phases of being told he was not good enough, anger, denial, and depression. I am not saying that being the biggest or baddest is a requirement for being a warrior. I worked with a woman in the military who was unable to do one push up due to an injury. I would go into the fight with her any day. She was more of a warrior than some men I've worked with. I can count the warriors I've worked with on both hands and have fingers left over. That is something considering the number of people I've worked with (well into the several hundreds). Most don't have what it takes. Some just haven't developed the mentality.

So my definition of a warrior is one who is willing to act and always will be there to do one more thing to further the fight. These are the people who earn the trust of their co-workers to get the job done.

What do you think is the definition of a warrior?

[Kimble]

Hard to define. I don't think of myself as a "warrior," not at all. I also don't see myself as a "hero" or really anything other than one of the good guys trying to do a little right and what's best for my family.

Warrior - by my understanding - is a fighting mentality and a "won't quit" attitude, and can apply equally to good guys and bad guys. I agree with your viewpoint that the young troop's definition is on the right track but lacking the full definition. Being willing to act is a good start (as so many in society won't even go that far), but continuing the fight against all odds, to the point of true sacrifice on your part, is the embodiment of what a warrior is. There's street thugs who have a warrior mentality as much as there are cops who do. There are Al Quaeda terrorists who are warriors as much as Army SF operators who are, though they are clearly on totally different planes of the moral right and wrong. Being a warrior, by the way I perceive the word to mean, has nothing to do with "what is right," "integrity," "courage," etc, though when coupled with those virtues it can make for someone I'd consider a hero.

I think that among the traits a great LEO will have is a warrior mindset (the viewpoint of doing whatever you have to - to include using deadly force when justified - to get home to your family is a perfect example), but must be combined with other character traits to make the LEO truly great.

Sorry if I got all philosophical there, but good discussion topic.

[1depd]

Hard to define. I don't think of myself as a "warrior," not at all. I also don't see myself as a "hero" or really anything other than one of the good guys trying to do a little right and what's best for my family.

Sorry if I got all philosophical there, but good discussion topic.

I don't think you will find many warriors or heroes who consider themselves such. I think the label is applied from outside and all we can do is strive for those values.

This kind of is a philosophical topic so getting all philosophical is expected.

[cntryboy0531]

Rambo.

[Samuel]

“Out of every hundred men, ten shouldn’t be there, eighty are are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” - Attributed to Heraclitus

Off the top of my head, like what Kimble wrote, a warrior is someone who fights through adversity...

[SANE-A30]

Here goes nothing....

what is a warrior...
A warrior to me is someone that exceeds the expected they sacrifice more then what they actually ever recieve back in return. they do not seek recognition for a task well done they are humble and not boastful, they strive to complete the task at hand even if it deems impossible, they are not afraid of the ultimate sacrifice. They display a strong sense of bravery/courage. They thrive to be a leader...... thoughts off the top of my head...

[retdetsgt]

My young troop defined a warrior as, "one who who is willing to act." At the time I didn't know whether that was a good definition and now believe it falls short. I don't think a warrior is someone who is necessarily eager to get into a fight, although willing to fight is a necessary element. I think my young troop had the definition partially correct. The part he left off was always willing to do one more thing for the fight.

I think that's a pretty good one. And you don't know who will fit that definition until it hits the fan.

A lot of people take this job for all the wrong reasons. Unfortunately, some see it as a way to get the power in their lives that they never had. I know a lot of cops I worked with that just made me think they were no doubt the kids that got picked on in school and now "nobody dares do that". They have the swagger, the ego and being a cop is their entire identity and being. Not always, but by in large, they're the ones who fold. They're just enthralled with the idea of being a cop. That's why passing a civil service test and becoming a cop doesn't impress me by itself.

When I was in the Army, I learned to not judge people until I saw them in actual combat. Sometimes the big mouths did perform, sometimes they fell back and filled their pants. I had a mousy little guy in my platoon who had nerves of steel. One of those people I wanted near me when hell erupted. I don't know how afraid he was, but he never failed to act and he did with with composure. But you would have never known that by looking at him. I had no idea that he had all the self confidence in the world when it counted.

I saw that in police situations too. When I first started, I worked our ghetto just after the race riots. Just about everyone there was impressive to me because they all wanted to be there and we were routinely up to our butts in alligators. There was no hiding out. But now and then if it really got bad, they would call in people from outlying areas and you could just see the fear in their faces. They were less than worthless because they not only didn't help, they got in the way. They were a small minority, but I never forgot who they were and I never trusted them again.

I've investigated a number of police shootings and there is a pattern that always occurred when there were more than a couple of officers at the scene. One or two were right there in the middle, some were close and probably willing if they had to, and several held way back. And unless I had prior experience with the various officers, I couldn't have guessed who did what until I got the information.

I've also seen a tiny minority of people who out there trying to prove something to themselves (or others, I dunno) and seem to look for that fight. I don't put them in the warrior class either. To me, there's a difference between being a warrior and a thug.

I guess it's like a lot of things in my life, I can't really define it, but I sure know it when I see it.

[Outshined]

Your post is too long, I can't concentrate on it long enough to give you an answer.

[retdetsgt]

Your post is too long, I can't concentrate on it long enough to give you an answer.

That's okay, real warriors never read the fine print either.....

[Sgt. Slaughter]

“Out of every hundred men, ten shouldn’t be there, eighty are are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” - Attributed to Heraclitus

The Sarge believes he recognizes this.

[retdetsgt]

The Sarge believes he recognizes this.

It's also more or less verified by Grossman in his study and book, "On Killing".

[Sgt. Slaughter]

It's also more or less verified by Grossman in his study and book, "On Killing".

The Sarge was referring to his signature.

[Norm357]

I don't know how to answer the question, and it has been 20 or so years, but I still consider myself a Warrior. An older, heavier one to be sure, but still a Warrior.

Maybe it's all mindset?

[1depd]

“Out of every hundred men, ten shouldn’t be there, eighty are are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” - Attributed to Heraclitus

It's funny that the numbers you provide, work out to about the correct number I would consider warriors out of all of the people I've worked with.

[MikeG]

So my definition of a warrior is one who is willing to act and always will be there to do one more thing to further the fight. These are the people who earn the trust of their co-workers to get the job done.

What do you think is the definition of a warrior?

I think it will always be a relative measure of a person. A warrior is someone who is willing to consciously put "it" on the line for their cause.

But "it" all depends on your point of view. Businessmen might consider their careers or fortune as "it". Law enforcement and soldiers have their lives as "it". In some wars, "it" can be the lives of their family as well as themselves.

The native American tribes that committed and prepared their families for war and fought alongside their children and wives and still made the voluntary decision to fight knowing that would happen is, in my mind, the ultimate warrior.

Samurai are the same mentality where the entire family was dependent on the honor of the warrior. Carrying that burden and preparing for that trial must have been one heck of a crucible for honing a warrior mentality. Defeat could mean your entire family would be executed.

The person who prepares his entire life around that single moment when it's time to put "it" on the line, and then does so without hesitation, is a warrior.

Just my 0.02.