LARPing as Military Personnel

[DISCLAIMER]

Intentionally, I’m taking a less refined approach to the current blogpost. This is because, even though I was never deployed to war or experienced armed conflict when serving in the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps, I rigorously trained to take the lives of men, women, and children.

It was an ugly affair, the process of engaging shoot/no-shoot firearms drills for unconventional targets (e.g., acquiring skills related to shooting steel targets of varying heights, specifically concerning the possibility of killing humans across the spectrum). Still, it was a necessary affair.

Hearing from a psychotherapist and life coach that in his former occupation he was prepared to neutralize threats (i.e., a euphemism for lawfully and justifiably killing people) is a fact that some people may find unsettling. Well, fuck it, because I’m addressing truth about reality herein.

Regarding “truth,” I’m referencing the body of real things, events, and facts: the state of being the case. As I stated in a blogpost entitled Truth, Do You Speak It? “I value speaking truth even when doing so isn’t otherwise advantageous.”

Regarding “reality,” I’m referring to the quality or state of being real: something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily. Concerning reality, I stated in a blogpost entitled Interpreted Reality:

How does science explain how a shaman calls the lightning? Well, it doesn’t, because that’s an unfalsifiable claim that aligns with one’s interpreted reality – not actual truth and reality. Standards of cultural competence be damned! I reject the concept of interpreted reality.

While I agree that people interpret or often misinterpret reality, interpretations and misinterpretations of reality don’t comprise reality itself. Reality exists despite an individual’s perspective. Rather than representing bigotry, my stance comports with logic and reason.

Truth about reality pertains to my military service (1996-2007), in that I was prepared to neutralize threats of any individual that placed me or fellow Marines in danger. As an example, when serving with other Marine Security Guards (MSGs) on a tactical team, I trained to kill.

If someone of the age of majority or minority entered the U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, regardless of sex or gender, and presented as a threat, that person wouldn’t have received special dispensation (exemption granted to bypass a specific rule, law, or obligation).

For example, a seven-year-old with a bomb strapped to the chest and who disregarded loud verbal commands to stop advancing toward Post One (the specific Marine stationed at the main entrance of a U.S. embassy or consulate) would be eliminated. That’s the ugly nature of security.

As General William Tecumseh Sherman is credited with having stated, “War is hell.” By “war,” I’m referencing a state of usually (not solely) open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations: a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end.

Any individual visiting war upon Post One would’ve received hell in response from MSGs. This isn’t because Marines necessarily desired to take the lives of men, women, and children. Rather, it’s what we were trained and ready to do in the event of ugly warlike conditions.

Given my subjective view, it’s personally distasteful when people live action role-play (LARP) as military personnel. For instance, saying fitness “boot camp,” using military vernacular (e.g., “Roger” [misused as “Roger that”] when expressing that a message is received), and so forth.

Despite my disagreement with LARPing as military personnel, I can tolerate and accept the undesirable actions of those who never shouldered a rifle in their fucking lives, let alone who wouldn’t eliminate a threat—especially harm which presented in the form of a woman or child.

Besides, many people take on the characteristics of cowardice (lack of courage or firmness of purpose). They sit in privileged positions of influence, making analogous military comparisons while relying on those of us who’ve prepared to bloody our hands for their safety.

Historically speaking, such behavior is nothing new. Rather than prepare for war and experience hell, people who behave in cowardly fashion LARP according to desirable attributes while the unextinguished fire of cowardice burns within them. Of this topic, I’m reminded of a book.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

As far as I know, Epictetus didn’t serve in the military, though he was born a slave, gained freedom, and later became a renowned Stoic philosopher. Nevertheless, authors of The Daily Stoic quote this ancient source who wisdom, as Epictetus stated (page 185):

Don’t you know life is like a military campaign? One must serve on watch, another in reconnaissance, another on the front line. . . . So it is for us—each person’s life is a kind of battle, and a long and varied one too. You must keep watch like a soldier and do everything commanded. . . . You have been stationed in a key post, not some lowly place, and not for a short time but for life.

Epictetus effectively LARPing as military personnel is a solid “no” for me. He never stood fire watch (a night duty, consisting of short shifts of one-to four hours, to watch over surroundings for fires or other security concerns, providing for safety so others can be alerted if trouble arises).

How then can the ancient philosopher analogize this military term in a meaningful way? Oh, I’ve witnessed childbirth in a video when in seventh grade. Therefore, I can speak about what it’s like to push an infant through the birth canal. Would anyone cosign that bullshit? I don’t!

Comparably, while one may assume what it’s like when preparing to bring hell to anyone who chooses to bring war in the still of the night, Epictetus knew nothing of this experience. Not to be outdone by a long-deceased philosopher, authors of The Daily Stoic add (page 185):

The writer Robert Greene often uses the phrase “As in war, so in life.” It’s an aphorism worth keeping close, because our life is a battle both literally and figuratively. As a species, we fight to survive on a planet indifferent to our survival. As individuals, we fight to survive among a species whose population numbers in the billions. Even inside our own bodies, diverse bacteria battle it out. Vivere est militare. (To live is to fight.)

To my knowledge, Holiday, Hanselman, nor Greene served in the military. I’m open to correction regarding this matter. For the sake of argument, let’s presume that what I’ve stated is accurate. Can any of these men adequately describe a true account of the birthing process?

How about what it’s like to train for shooting a woman or child using the Mozambique drill (two to the body, one to the head)? Let’s discuss truth about reality, as, per authors of The Daily Stoic, “our life is a battle both literally and figuratively.” Let’s talk about neutralizing threats.

If one doesn’t know shit about “literally” drilling two rounds to the body, one to the head, how in the fuck am I (or anyone) expected to take such drivel seriously? I don’t! Thus, LARPing as military personal isn’t something I respect. For now, let’s shift from my anecdotal experience.

After all, many military personnel wouldn’t consider my service honorable—especially since I never deployed to war (though I served in an area worthy of hostile fire/imminent danger pay). When contemplating nonsensical LARPing as military personnel, let’s view truth about reality.

Per one source, “Europe is no longer just talking about war — it is quietly preparing for one. Conscription is returning, bunkers are being rebuilt, budgets are exploding, and plans now exist to rush thousands of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] troops to the Russian border.”

Here, “conscription” refers to compulsory enrollment of persons, especially for military service: draft—a system for or act of selecting individuals from a group, as for compulsory military service. Historically, men have overwhelmingly been the primary subjects of conscription.

While conscription isn’t considered a legal form of slavery, it does involve involuntary labor against one’s will. I unequivocally oppose these sorts of drafts. War is hell, and sending people to kill and die against their will is an ugly affair. According to a separate source:

Germany’s Bundestag voted for a bill on Friday [12/12/2025] that allows the country to move towards conscription, as tensions with Russia spur calls for Europe to gain more independence from the US security umbrella. […]

The bill does not provide for mandatory conscription. Instead, it incentivizes voluntary enlistment […] However, if the new quotas still aren’t reached, the government retains the option of “Bedarfswehrpflicht” – what Germans call needs-based conscription – following another vote for an extra law in parliament.

In effect, “Bedarfswehrpflicht” allows voluntary enlistment and thereafter draft measures for bolstering military member numbers. I presume that those who LARP as military personnel will gladly overcome cowardice and shoulder a fucking weapon. In any case, another source states:

Across the bloc [a temporary combination of parties in a legislative assembly], 9 EU [European Union] countries have mandatory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden.

France and Germany have recently followed suit in a bid to bulk up their reserves without reverting to full-blown conscription. Paris has moved to roll out a 10-month voluntary national service programme by 2026, and Berlin is openly weighing a return to mandatory service, after years of ruling it out. The models, however, are anything but uniform.

In the Nordics, Sweden and Norway use selective, gender-neutral drafts. They screen entire age groups but call up only the numbers they need, roughly 6,000-8,000 people a year, to avoid draining reserves. Denmark relies on a hybrid lottery. Militarily neutral Austria maintains traditional male conscription but provides conscripts with the option to participate in civilian volunteer activities instead of traditional military ones.

The Baltics see conscription as existential. Lithuania revived the draft in 2015 and now pulls in about 3,900 recruits a year to keep mobilisation plans credible, while Latvia also has a selective lottery. Greece, meanwhile, still has one of Europe’s longest drafts, 9 to 12 months, in large part due to long-standing regional tensions with Turkey.

Apparently, the EU is preparing for war. This isn’t the stuff of a “bacteria battle,” per authors of The Daily Stoic, as mostly men and some women will likely be involuntarily sent to their deaths in literal conflict. War is hell, and, in my opinion, LARPing as military personnel isn’t necessary.

How about we value truth about reality, stop analogizing everyday living to the conditions of war, and perhaps put a rifle up or shut the fuck up when misappropriating military culture? Of course, people are free to do as they please.

Thus, I’m addressing preferences and not expectations in this blogpost. If people such as authors of The Daily Stoic want to LARP as military personnel, then too fucking bad for me. Taking a principled stance on free speech, I support their right to openly express themselves.

Forbid that our nation foolishly chooses to engage in conflict against Russia. If such an undesirable event unfolds, perhaps those of you LARPing as military personnel will be sent to fight and see what hell looks like. It just may be a seven-year-old needing to be neutralized.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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