Life Lessons In Black Hawk Down

To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who

The story that this book tells is the personal story of the deployment of Nicholas Irving aka ‘The Reaper’ a Ranger sniper during a 100 day deployment to Afghanistan, during which this sniper has 33 confirmed kills. The author tells us of his feelings and his actions during the various encounters, and while he does not tell the story of each and every one of his kills, it shows stories of how the modern battlefield works in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

The boys in “Scouts Honor” tried to be prepared but they were inexperienced. Horse tried to be prepared by bring a sleeping pad, but the pad was big and bulky, but nothing for if it rained. Max was unprepared because he tried to bring a hatchet, but the hatchet was dull , but they wanted to be prepared. The main character tried to be prepared by bringing an umbrella. This shows that the boys struggled to be prepared. Although, they tried to be prepared they could have been more prepared and I hope you would not make the same mistake. So be

Mark Bowden is a teacher, columnist for Atlantic Monthly, playwright, and a writer. His book Black Hawk Down A Story of Modern War a world wide bestseller that spent more than a year in the New York Times bestseller list and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Bowden also worked on the script for Black Hawk Down, a film version of the book, directed by Ridley Scott. Bowden is also the writer of the bestseller Killing Pablo The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw in 2001, which tells the story of the hunt for Colombian drug lord billionaire Pablo Escobar. He is the author of Doctor Dealer published in 1987, Bringing the Heat made in1994, Our Finest Day made in 2002, and also Finders Keepers

In the novel “Tomorrow When the War Began” written by John Marsden, one important idea that was developed throughout the written text was how life events change people. People develop the most during their teenage years which is when they are affected the most during their life.Major life events change people and teenagers need to understand this. In this novel, seven teenagers go camping and when they emerge from the bush there are fires everywhere, the power is out and the animals are dead. The small town of Wirrawee has been invaded by the army. The idea of how life events can change people is shown through the technique of characters. With the events of war, Ellie showed how she grew up and lost her innocence because of the choices she

Going through an era when the Vietnam War was a smash hit in your town, many high school senior boys would be drafted out if their number was on the list of people. The men drafted had to leave behind their families and aspirations. Tim O’Brien uses different perspectives in The Things They Carried to show if something tragic happens in life, consequently dealing with it may be hard. Moving on will help in the future.

The thought of going to war excites many young men that have not experienced or have been a part of one. Individuals want to find a way out of the routine, mundane lifestyle that plagues many suburban households. People that just want some excitement enlist in a military branch that will not benefit them or anyone for that matter. In Philip Caputo’s book titled A Rumor of War, the true side of how war demolishes the human spirit is shown. His nonfiction novel captures the nasty side to war. Philip informs us how the mentality of a young man can change with the constant thought of death and fear as a daily ritual. Men do not think about death occurring to them at a young age. This changes when death is surrounding them on a daily basis during wartime. Caputo intended to inform the young public about the horrible nature of war. Mistakes are doomed to repeat themselves if people are not well informed and Caputo is trying to avoid future mistakes. Death surrounded him and many of his comrades during the Vietnam War. When the life of anyone is on the line, one tends to do drastic and sometimes unthinkable things to cope with the fear of death.

Following orders, digging a foxhole, carrying a twenty-three pound M-60 assault weapon, or chasing Charlie does not erase the virtues previously programmed. Typically related to ethics and the distinction between right and wrong, morality exists throughout The Things They Carried in many forms. In the book, even the most deranged characters manage to be kind to one another. When dealing with death, characters experiment with ways to respect and remember the dead. In foreign Vietnam, the soldiers deal with cultural differences and work to find a middle ground. In the book, Tim O’Brien illustrates how morality manages to survive amidst the gore of the Vietnam War.

Ryan Smithson was born in California, but then early in his life, his family moved to New York. The book starts off with him in high school talking about typical high school things like his job, girlfriend, and what it means to be “cool”. He continues by telling how September 11, 2001, was a normal day in school until the teachers all turned on the TVs in their classrooms. He saw the North tower of the World Trade Center on fire; he thought it had to be an accident and it was just a rogue plane. Then, he witnesses the second plane come and hit the South tower and realized it was an act of terrorism. That day changed him, he started thinking about joining the Army once he got old enough. “If I don’t do something, who will?” (Smithson, 16).

Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.

Black Hearts tells the story of a few bad soldiers from 1st platoon, Bravo company of the 1-502nd Infantry Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division, that was plagued with toxic leadership and lack of control over soldiers. The book documents the events that led to the ultimate demise of the soldiers involved in the horrific incident that occurred on March 12, 2006. Four soldiers were arrested in the brutal murder of an Iraqi family, which was a result of the lack of leadership and structure these soldiers received. Black Hearts takes a deep look into what happened to this troubled platoon and what unfortunate events occurred during their deployment.

Wes Moore, the author, is living a meaningful life that brings about a positive change in the world, thanks to repeated positive actions. Of that series of decisions, the most significant in the determining of his fate was continuing military school after his first year. The self-discipline and desire to better himself the school inflicted proved to be crucial in leading as positive of a life as he does. Role models in that environment ignited a flame of diligence in Wes, “…the support of people like Cadet Captain Hill and the others in my chain of command and on the faculty…made it clear that they cared if I succeeded, and eventually so did I.” (Moore 115). Initially, Wes hated military school, saying he, “woke up furious and went to bed even more livid.” (Moore 90). Despite his hatred for the place at first, his mother’s encouragement, as well as blunt refusal to bring him home, kept

The short story that will be discussed, evaluated, and analyzed in this paper is a very emotionally and morally challenging short story to read. Michael Meyer, author of the college text The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, states that the author of How to Tell a True War Story, Tim O’Brien, “was drafted into the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart” (472). His experiences from the Vietnam War have stayed with him, and he writes about them in this short story. The purpose of this literary analysis is to critically analyze this short story by explaining O’Brien’s writing techniques, by discussing his intended message and how it is displayed, by providing my own reaction,

The article “Generation Kill” is written by Ewan Wright in 2004 and the author follows a platoon of US Marines in their advance through the Iraq war. Through the text there is given a characterization of the soldiers and how they respond to unaccustomed episodes that war brings.

There was war and famine all around us. Each horrendous battle was a nightmare in its most powerful form. I could never forget those nightmares.The suffering howls of injured men who died as pawns in a game of warlords, dark crimson blood seeping through their uniform and into the brass-covered Earth.The battlefield was dust and dirt, all baked under an uncompromising sun and an even uncompromising army of ruthless soldiers waiting for the taste of their new kill.