Which Kind of Hero? Thoughts on Archetypes of Military Heroism

This contribution starts from the idea that military heroism is a manifestation of what is called the “social construction of reality”. This implies there is change and variation—in time and place—regarding to what and who a military hero is. A military hero there may not be a hero here, a hero then may no longer be a hero now, and vice-versa. Also, it is important to recognize the heroes in civilian life who seem to become increasingly important. Next, two types of military heroes are distinguished: Achilles versus Odysseus. Achilles connects to the ‘absolutist’ way of doing things military, i.e. the military is seen as the core of regulating tensions in (inter)national affairs, whereas for Odysseus and the ‘pragmatist’ way of dealing with tensions military action is only one of the options. ‘Pragmatism’, i.e. the Odysseus way, seems on the rise given the emergence of important operational notions to be used on the battlefield such as “tactical patience” and “courageous constraint”. However, there are enough signs that indicate that the ‘absolutist’ way of thinking is still seen as the right manner to solve issues, both in the Western and the Eastern hemisphere.