Destroying Morale Among the Troops is Akin to Laying Mines in Their Hearts and Minds!

Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 19th of April 1982 we would have found the Argentines busy laying mines in areas where they anticipated British forces would eventually land. The young men who constituted the bulk of the Argentine forces were clearly having a bad time of it, however, settling into their new surroundings. For one thing, they could not stand the cool weather. And I do mean "cool" for it was not so cold in the Falklands in April of 1982 as it usually was. The local people were even noting to one another how unseasonably "warm" it was (with daytime temperatures sometimes reaching even to 10 degrees Celsius)! Despite this seeming respite from much colder temperatures, the young recruits from Argentina were suffering terribly. In addition, the recruits were not permitted to shop at local shops, for the military higher-ups did not want the shops to be emptied of provisions originally intended for purchase by Falkland Islanders, the true residents of the Falklands. The military brass had wished to avoid having to bring in provisions for the Falkland Islanders, since they had their hands full enough already trying to supply the Argentine troops with food and supplies. Compounding the woes of the very homesick young Argentine recruits was the fact that they were no longer allowed to make telephone calls to their friends and families back in Argentina. All this lowered the morale of the recruits -- especially when seen in the light of the preferential treatment their officers were receiving. So low was the morale of the lower-ranking soldiers that they felt much less hesitant to ask the locals to buy them cigarettes, biscuits, or chocolate than to beg for such "non-necessities" from their superiors. The Falkland Islanders could see quite clearly that morale among the rank and file of the Argentine troops was low... And -- as these Islanders knew! -- low morale contributes to a formula for defeat! Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.