BANG, BOOM, BLAM,TAT-A-TAT, TAT. My ears are assaulted with noise, my eyes witness squirting blood a soldier is shot. I observe soldiers blown away by bombs. I see blood that saturates an infantry man. I view maimed men and observe limbs with fragmented bone. I witness militia dead on the ground. I listen to screams, grunts and gurgling blood in a man's windpipe. WHOOSH, flame throwers make a path with flames blazing burning men instantaneously. My eyes reveal the emotion that rips through my heart, tears drip down my cheek. I turn my head. I cannot watch a soldier cradle his buddy as he dies. The Great war is in full rage. The Generals are commanding the war and they are discussing acceptable losses as they plan and strategize the next move into battle. The battle of Argonne Forest is started. That phrase strikes me as I listen to the movie. What are acceptable losses? I research the words and I find the meaning of the phrase. It is a euphemism for men killed in combat. It is a pleasant way to say x amount of men will get killed in order to mount an offensive in battle, to achieve a military objective. My reaction to that expression is no! There should not be any acceptable losses. For what purpose does this fulfill? Why so much sacrifice, why so much senseless loss of: friends, fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons? At what point does this couch something unacceptable? It is beyond me to answer those questions. I cannot understand why there has to be war, and such phrases as acceptable losses. I do not think that anyone's sacrifice should be referred to so callously. Men die. That it is war, however one should not call their death acceptable, tragic perhaps, but never ever allowable. Although most readers will... ... middle of paper ... ..., and I know I will favor the protection of our nation's military. Incidentally, as I write this paper I gaze upon a framed picture of a man. Over the right shoulder in the background is a blue field with silver stars behind his right shoulder. In juxtaposition behind his left shoulder is a field of red containing a pattern of gold and silver. His cover is stark white, precisely in the middle a gold eagle globe and anchor symbol. Determined blue eyes gaze back at me. His mouth set with resolve. His uniform, deep blue trimmed in red. Gold buttons run down the center. The leather neck fastened tight with two gold eagle globe and anchors on either side of the closure. A United States Marine stares back at me and I weep because some general, some officer one day may consider my son to be an acceptable loss. Works Cited The Lost Battalion, Hank Jackson, 2001
Randall Jarret stakes his claim in “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by using imagery which concurrently expresses the literal horror of death as a World War Two gunner and a metaphorical representation of the death of an aborted child. By connecting the disparate themes with dual imagery, he creates an impact greater than either standing on its own.
Even visual media, which has improved remarkably over the last several decades, cannot express these feelings accurately. Today’s movies, photography and other digital media about wars are considerably more visual and realistic than in the past. They are capable of portraying events very close to reality. However, these photos and movie scenes still cannot make a person experience the exact feelings of another person who actually fought in a war.
When the flag was finished and he showed the men, they all saluted it and many began to cry. When the guards came across Mike’s treasure, he was beaten bloody. But remarkably, “He recovered in a couple of weeks and immediately started looking for another piece of cloth,” (Thorsness 109). This event is a clear demonstration of the pride each and every soldier feels for America. It demonstrated their ever growing desire for freedom.
When people think of the military, they often think about the time they spend over in another country, hoping they make it back alive. No one has ever considered the possibility that they may have died inside. Soldiers are reborn through war, often seeing through the eyes of someone else. In “Soldier’s home” by Ernest Hemingway, the author illustrates how a person who has been through war can change dramatically if enough time has passed. This story tells of a man named Harold (nick name: Krebs) who joined the marines and has finally come back after two years. Krebs is a lost man who feels it’s too complicated to adjust to the normal way of living and is pressured by his parents.
Exemplary performance has always attracted accolades and numerous prices; this gives morale and vigor for everyone to achieve their best. In the disciplined forces, particularly the marine, the service members always receive a major reward that elevates them in rank; this is the medal. This rewards them for their bravery and contribution in the missions they are involved in. Indeed, they contribute a lot to the peace and security of the world at large and they truly deserve these medals for recognition (Tucker, 2011). This has been a practice for the U.S. Marine to issue Corps medals since the Civil War to present day. Among the Corps Medal categories include American Defense Medal-WWII, Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal among others. Since the Civil War there have been over 120 U.S. Marine Corps Medals. This paper identifies Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller and describes why he has been one of the most decorated marines in the history of the U.S.
One of those things is the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A young soldier with a face as solid as steel, hands as strong as iron takes twenty-one steps as he crosses in front of the white tomb. The words etched into the tomb are “Here Rests in Honored Glory An American Soldier But Known To God.” Americans from all walks of life watch, tears clouding the eyes as a young Boy Scout lays a red, white and blue wreath at the foot of the tomb. The soldier stopped and announced that all in attendance were to stand in silence, with their hand laid across their heart. All Veterans or current military personnel were encouraged to salute. I was fascinated by the young family beside me who was visiting from France. As they all placed their hands over their hearts I realized that American soldiers don’t just fight for America, they fight for the world. The patriotism swelled in my already overfilled
A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain ...
It is apparent that the topic of war is difficult to discuss among active duty soldiers and civilians. Often times, citizens are unable to understand the mental, physical, and physiological burden service members experience. In Phil Klay’s Ten Kliks South, the narrator struggles to cope with the idea that his artillery team has killed enemy forces. In the early stages of the story, the narrator is clearly confused. He understands that he did his part in firing off the artillery rounds, yet he cannot admit to killing the opposition. In order to suppress his guilt and uncertainty, our narrator searches for guidance and reassurance of his actions. He meets with an old gunnery sergeant and during their conversation, our narrator’s innocence
... horrors of war such as, his parents who still view war as glamorous and idealistic. War takes a heavy toll on soldiers who fight in it and in these dangerous moments anybody would have gone insane. It takes a very special type of soldier to be able to handle both the psychological and physical challenges that a soldier has to face in everyday battle. A soldier such as this must be capable of handling the sight of a mutilated comrade and not immediately chatter to pieces. The author conveys this message in his extreme use of words with negative connotation such as shells, typhus, dysentery, and trenches. In this portion of the novel a great deal of emphasis is placed on the word death which is repeated several times and standing on its own it holds a great deal of negative connotations. Therefore, due to the severity of the situation and the extensive use of words with negative connotations the overall tone of the novel appeared to be very depressing or serious. This selection also demonstrates just how mythical the character of war that many individuals who have not experienced the tragedy of battle believe to be true by illustrating just how appalling and grim war is in reality.
War is a hell of a thing. War is misery, suffering, pain, and anguish. From the days of rocks and sticks to today’s high tech drones and aircraft carriers, one thing above all others has remained the same: war is a terrifying, nightmarish endeavor. Unfortunately for those who fight for their nation, the battlefield does not remain in the far off land where the battle took place. In fact, those warriors bring back that battlefield, festering in the hearts and minds, sometimes long after their uniforms have been put in the closet to collect dust.
This is about the bullets that puncture the air and the image of ‘smacking’ refers to the winded feelings the solider has as he runs for his life across the field. His ‘numb’ rifle and ‘smashed arm’ have a the same meaning: he could feel numb to the pain he has to cause with the rifle. He could have smashed his rifle into his arm in his panic. This highlights both the soldier’s inexperience and trauma at what he has had to do in the war. This poem highlights the reality of conflicts and the fear and terror that soldiers feel.
War is one thing that we all know is a necessary evil. The United States has been involved in many wars since being founded in the late 1700’s. There are many reasons that the United States has been involved in, or is currently involved in wars. Although war is not always a popular thing to become a part of, the full effects of the war are not always known and may never be known as long as the United States is a country. Stephen Crane tells us that there are many effects of war in his poem “War is Kind”. From that it can be derived that physical, mental, family, etc are all effects of war needing to be monitored. All of these effects are causing hardships among the people that are coming home from these battles either directly or indirectly. The full effects of any war are never known and are something that is going to need further investigation to allow professionals such as mental and physical health doctors to provide soldiers with the help they so greatly deserve.
Put into another form, “[The Marines] pour forth with the poignant power of superb human beings doing what they believe is truly righteous. There is grace and magnetism in the way these clean-cut kids hurl themselves out of planes, surge through forbidding terrain and leap with awesome fortitude over one barricade after another. The ads use sophisticated psychology to lure today 's peace-loving young adults into our "humanitarian" military.” (Kronstadt, 2014). It’s through these images and power attached to words and amazing propaganda that gets youth to dive into the world of war with the Marines. The ad under analysis, tells the recruit they will get to “walk with honor”, “command with resolve” and “take your place among the most elite warriors on earth”. They get to ‘take their place’, saying it as though they already have their place, as if the place is waiting for them. The ad also highlights the that the Marines are the more elite warriors on earth, the word warrior itself is captivating. Warriors are seen as the best of the best when it comes to fighting, adding on to the that the elite warriors, projects a view of the ultimate, best fighters there could ever be – and for a lot of people, that is beyond exciting. The ad is also illuminating the fact that they will ‘command with resolve’, meaning they will become firm and determined as a leader. The Marines will give them the skillset and knowledge to be able to command and hold people’s lives in their hands by training and lead them into battles – even though that word is not touched upon in any advertisement. The “walk with honour” has already been highlighted in this essay, but it is important to note that honour, patriotism, freedom and democracy are all tied together in...
...played an excellent model of military ethics. Finally, I showed how my leadership decisions, although not combat related, bear some similarity in vision and ethics to Chesty’s standard, as set seven decades earlier. I can think of no better leader for today’s officers, both commissioned and noncommissioned, to emulate than the most decorated and idolized marine in history.
War is a howling, roaring creature, using its power to ignite destructive and fatal consequences among the masses. Conflicts have risen between nations yet no one seems to understand what breeds the conflict. While destruction may be the end, deception is its mean. War ...