Dreams in Infrared: Inside the Drone War

I'm a bit behind, so there's some "old news" I need to catch up on commenting which I'll hopefully get a chance to do once I power down for the holidays.

Here's a fascinating article from the German magazine Der Spiegel (translated into English) that takes a look at the affect of the drone war in Pakistan on the pilots flying the missions.

Spiegel Online International: "Dreams in Infrared: The Woes of an American Drone Operator"

Warfare has a human face and lasting physical and psychological effects on those who fight it on both sides, even if the weapons of modern warfare places thousands of miles of distance between the combatants.  The "empty battlefield" and psychological distance in warfare has been growing since projectile weapons finally overtook melee weapons; is the unmanned system the ultimate expression of this phenomenon?