What is courage? Is it the absence of fear? Is it being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway? If courage is a virtue, how can it be twisted into a vice? We all recognize that the deficiency of courage is cowardice--and we recognize the dangers of cowardiced in the military profession. But can there be an excess of courage that is equally dangerous? 

Does courage come in different kinds? While physical courage--grit under fire--is perhaps the most commonly thought of kind of martial courage, what about moral courage? How can being moral be courageous? What does it mean to be both a physical and moral hero?

READ THIS

• Kirkpatrick: Can the Practice of Drone Operation Allow the Cultivation and Exercise of Courage (First Half)
  
• Marlantes: “Heroism” in What it is Like to Go to War

WATCH THIS (Optional)

Fire Chief Bobby Halton discusses physical and moral courage at the 2021 Fire Department Instructor's Conference

Complete these steps before you come to class

1. What is courage? How are the descriptions of courage in Kirkpatrick, Marlantes, and Halton similar or different?
2. What is moral courage in comparison to physical courage? 
3. Bobby stresses (in a particularly passionate way) the importance of moral courage. What does he think are the component parts of moral courage?
   1. He makes space for disagreement. What does he think are the component parts of disagreeing in a morally courageous way?
   2. How does his talk transfer to the military environment?
4. Look for the example of courage in the following image. Do you see it? 
   1. Bobby Halton says there is a relationship between intolerance and courage. How does this image help us make the link?