Old Man's War

The idea of following orders is a motif throughout Old Man’s War that emphasizes the CDF’s dehumanization of both its soldiers and its opponents. When John first enters the military, he repeatedly asks questions of the staff and doctors who prepare him for basic training, but each time, they refuse to answer him. In the end, he decides to simply do what he’s told, introducing the motif. When John is in his first battle, one of the tenets of his training is to “forget everything and follow orders, kill anything that’s not human and stay alive” (174). This idea of following orders permeates the rest of the text, as Viveros insists that John listen to her through multiple battles and as Jane instructs him to do what he’s told with the Ghost Brigade. In this way, the motif emphasizes the theme of The Ethics of War. The CDF produces soldiers meant only to follow orders, creating tools that can be sacrificed in the pursuit of colonialism.

While John repeatedly follows orders to survive, it is his intelligence and individual thinking that allow him to advance and be successful in the military. In the first battle, he designs a way to kill the Consu and shares it with his squadmates, securing the CDF victory. Then, when his ship skips above Coral, John quickly helps the pilot engage the escape pod and make it down to the planet, ensuring his own survival. Finally, in the battle on Coral, John ignores orders to save Jane’s life, carrying her to safety as the battle rages around him. While the CDF believes that following orders is the most important part of being a soldier, John’s arc conveys that his individuality makes him not only a successful soldier but also a full human being.