Aussies torture kittens: Debasement part of military makeup?

I read a book about how inductees for Vietnam were processed. Their sargeant would be talking to them in a classroom, holding a cute bunny-rabbit. The instructor would be petting and carressing the rabbit throughout the lecture, with some pauses to talk lovingly to the pet. The GI's would half-listen to the lecture and the other part of the time start digging the rabbit. They would wish they had one too.

After about 10 minutes of this demonstration, all of a sudden the instructor would take out a large knife and slit the rabbit from chin to tail with agonizing results.

The GI's would freak out (normal reaction) to this shock-and-awe. The instructor would calmly explain to them that he did this to make a point. And the point was that the GI's would be tight emotionally as a unit, as partners, etc. in combat. And because any of them could be suddenly maimed or killed in front of them at any given time, they had to keep their wits and continue their mission, whether it was to protect their unit or to kill the enemy in general.

I figure if that was normal operations 40 years ago, things can only have degenerated further.

the élite 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler were given dogs to care for throughout their training and were then ordered to kill the dogs they'd grown so close to. They were among the most phenomnal soldiers in the modern era, but what a scummy way to 'harden' them. Effective, maybe, but absolutely horrible.

These Australians were drunken larrikans -- oh, what a shock to find drunk people in Queensland -- and, to me, their actions are even worse than if they'd been required to kill kittens as part of their training...this was recreation to them. Fines are a start, but not enough -- may those involved be attacked by tigers while on training exercises in Asia.

motto of marine corp training facility (unofficial)