My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military.

Meaning of the quote

When you're in the military, you often have to follow orders from your superiors without questioning them. This means that your ability to think for yourself can kind of "pause" or "freeze" while you focus on doing what you're told. This is something that happens to everyone in the military, not just you.

About Smedley Butler

Smedley Butler was a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps officer who fought in multiple wars, including the Philippine-American War, Boxer Rebellion, and World War I. He later became a vocal critic of American wars and foreign policy, writing the book ‘War Is a Racket’ in 1935. In 1933, he was involved in a controversial plot known as the ‘Business Plot,’ where he claimed wealthy industrialists were planning a military coup to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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