The nation-state is a ruthless god, consuming members of its members. 

In Dismembering the Male (1996), Joanna Bourke states that the most important thing about the First World War is that the male body was “intended to be mutilated.” What was the purpose of dismemberment?

To feed the hungry nation-state. 

If one could not sacrifice one's entire body, at least one could provide one or two of one's limbs.