Captains: A Fictional Narrative

Wars meant more than violence and actions to the soldiers. After having analyzing multiple letters, now I could understand better, how these soldiers and veterans were not only physically, but mentally remained in pressure. “I have flown 1500 hours now, and in those hours I could tell you a lifetime story.”

'One of the paradoxes of the War - one of the many - was that this most brutal of conflicts should set up a relationship between officers and men that was... domestic. Caring. As Layard would undoubtedly have said, maternal.' -Pat Barker: Birdsong

The American military prides itself on its devotion to loyalty, honor, brotherhood, and patriotism. Those in the military place the lives of their fellow men and country above all else. It is the most intense example of selflessness and self-sacrifice. This extended commitment to God and country is made possible through codes, vows, and unquestioned obedience. If a lieutenant is given an order, he will follow through with it because the lives of countless depend on his obedience. A soldier’s actions always contribute to the overall action of the military and work towards the greater good. If an order is questioned and not obeyed, the lives of those in his squadron will be endangered

Deceased philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “War does not determine who is right- only who is left”. Those left are the soldiers of the 1-502nd, specifically Bravo Company 1st plt, and the Janabi family and to a greater extent, the ever-changing global world we all live in today. The tragic events that conspired in a small Iraqi village became a microcosm of how leadership failures at every level shaped the actions of a few soldiers who committed atrocious acts. One can also see how a high operational tempo, along with prolonged violence and death, has on a person’s psyche. It is the ugly side of war that the average American citizen may not want to hear or talk about. For a soldier, it is inevitably what they train their

In 2014 I had just started my senior year of high school. I was eighteen with great grades and captain of the colorguard. One would think that I was responsible with everything in my life. A huge responsibility that I took on was the privilege to drive. My license was freshly laminated, and I was ready to get out and experience one of the first steps of adulthood. Soon I realized that glancing down at my phone for just a split second could have changed everything.

When I started high school as a freshmen I was grateful that I had the presence of my brother, who was a senior, but also because I had a Link Crew Leader. Starting high school was intimidating and gave me anxiety. Although I was apprehensive, I knew I had someone who I could talk to who had already survived their first year. I had a momentous amount of respect for my Link Crew Leader, Tori. She gave me advice, tutored me, and encouraged me to come out of my shell. It was with her help that I was able to become less nervous and focus more on school and forming friendships. Tori’s guidance is what gave me the confidence to later become a Link Crew Leader and help others who were just like me.

Life would have been different if Capt. C had been my CO the last couple of years. Going over to the barracks, I covered myself with the salve and lay on an open bunk for the rest of the day. After a few days, I began to feel better and started shedding like a snake, and learned my lesson well. Going out to see the gang, Bob, Willie, CA one last time, I told them of my plans and found out what they intended. They had not seen Barb or Bonnie they were nowhere to be found and had not been to the house for weeks. That was not surprising; they were free spirits and always traveling on the USO tour circuit so there was a chance that we might never see them again. I will always be grateful to how they came up trumps for me in my hour of need, though. We fired up some hash, snorted some coke and reminisced about our adventures and wondered where Scott had ended up in Florida. We said our goodbyes and exchanged phone numbers; I asked for their parent’s addresses figuring they would be a more stable location and that they were always likely to know where their kids

As we drove through the city, scattered trees started to appear. Before I noticed it, we were surrounded by a dense forest. There was a tiny slit of light in the distance, which we headed towards. We slowly approached it and there were many soldiers, their uniforms had a small American flag on it. The man from earlier spoke to the soldiers quickly and we entered through the gates.

The next day I got commissioned to a higher rank, just like I had planned. I was the new Lieutenant General. The joy overwhelmed me however a put up a façade of sadness so I didn’t look so suspect. It may sound sadistic but I was happy, for their deaths lead to my upheaval. Now only one problem remained ahead of me…

I watched out the window as he ran outside and thought to myself, maybe he is just out for a walk. Leaving that to the side, I went downstairs and bumped into the Fury, who told me my brother was transferred to another camp and I would be offered the job to be a soldier. I did not like the way this was going.

We heard approaching footsteps so we hid inside some bushes. Later in the day, we ran into heavy German resistance. We heard a German shouting to us. One of our guys translated the German into English; "YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SURRENDER OR WE WILL SWEEP THE DITCH FROM BOTH ENDS, AND THERE WILL BE NO CHANCE OF ANYONE SURVIVING." Lt. Bodak gave the order to surrender, but a few of us slipped through a hedgerow and fled towards a barn. As we entered the barn, three German Soldiers were trying to get out of the same door. We grabbed the German Soldiers and pulled them back inside. We had them as prisoners. While the prisoners were being guarded, I slipped away alone to another part of the barn. I pulled up a loose floorboard and stuffed my package which contained General Falley's command post flag, replaced the floorboard and covered it with straw. With our German prisoners as insurance, we left the barn safely. After travelling a few hundred yards, we came face to face with a German Tank, which fired its big gun at us. A shell exploded just behind our group, wounding many. One of the prisoners although bleeding from his wounds jumped up and waved cease-fire gestures to the tank commander. The insurance paid off, the tank commander decided to take prisoners rather than kill us. After being taken prisoner, we walked several miles to a chateau where there were about 250 prisoners, American, British

English Professor Carol Burke’s interest in military culture led her to research the prevalence of superstitious charms in the military through a series of interviews; she published these findings in “The Things They Bring to War.” In Humanities Core lecture, she further analyzed military culture through the lens of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987), which explores how military training psychologically wounds many soldiers. Our most recent Humanities Core project is the Literary Journalism assignment, in which we have to interview someone who has experienced war—such as a veteran or someone who was displaced due to war—and write a story that recreates their experience. Since I

Chris meet his after his initiative to the navy seals at a bar in san francisco. When he was sent on his first tour his wife was pregnant with their first kid. During his first he had to overcome not knowing if his kid was a boy or girl. His wife called his as soon as she found out that it was a boy. But a couple seconds later the were under a tack. He had to live with not knowing if he was going to life to go home to his kid.

Finally in a determined pause, he pulled up a chair directly in front of me as I was yet

In the morning, I packed some food, and a bambo-boo stick, for my walk to find this soldier. I had made an SOS signal earlier, wondering if It would help.