That’s the major key that makes the US military work. They lie to, and take advantage of the naivete of youth. Very few soldiers re-enlist as most *outgrow* their naivete. I outgrew it less than 24 hours after entering but had to endure the rest of 4 years, back i the 70′s. I have nothing good to say for the military and plenty bad to say about it.

I would argue that many naturally intelligent people are susceptible to this brainwashing if it begins at an early age. Early enough so that they do not have the ego or defenses to resist it. Once these lies are embedded in the the psyche and sense of self-identity, they can be extremely difficult to dislodge.

They can also contribute to some of the mental ammo needed to employ aggressive violence against other peaceful human beings on behalf of a criminal organization like governments.