Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor

One of America’s greatest athletes and three-time Olympic champion once said, “Sometimes we fall, sometimes we stumble, but we can’t stay down. We can’t allow life to beat us down. Everything happens for a reason, and it builds character in us, and it tells us what we are about and how strong we really are when we didn’t think we could be that strong.” The leadership Louie Zamperini portrayed in Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, helps his remaining crew when they were trapped in the Pacific Ocean all alone. In short, Louie stepped up and showed his crewmates that he could be strong for them, leading them to safety on the island in the distance. This courageous act act leads me to believe that Hillenbrand emphasized this act of

The Making of a Navy Seal is a true story told by Brandon Webb. Webb tells the story of surviving his toughest challenges and how he trains to be the best. He has a very unusual childhood and is eventually thrown out of the boat his family lives on. Even though Webb has a rough start in his adulthood, he overcomes difficult obstacles and works hard for his goals.

At a very young age, his father had abandoned him and his mom. His mom later found a sweetheart who showed Wasdin discipline. He was shown great discipline by being hit. After escaping an abusive stepfather, he joined the Navy Force in hope to earn money to finish his education. Always driven to master the next challenge, he promptly traveled through the best units in the military. Over the long haul, he joined the incredible SEAL Team Six. To get to the SEAL’s was one test of strength, but Team Six was a totally different trial. Despite the long road he made it and exceeded expectations in the Team. He proved to be the most he could be, even

An expectation that is shattered on his very first night when during the operation he ends up killing two Taliban gunmen. He tells the story of that night, and then the next, and then goes on to tell stories of the more complex operations that he ended up being involved with throughout the deployment. Each of the stories is told from a very personal point of view which is what makes this book work and work very well. We are told of his feelings towards his comrades, his attitude and approach to the others, and those little anecdotes of daily life that are either humorous or poignant. He experiences his comrade’s deaths as well as various injuries and he also experiences plans that go awry and situations where nothing happens. I think that the author sat down with his co-author and relived each event in his own words. These recordings (probably) ended up being transcribed and then arranged and edited into this book. This approach works very well in this case. Because of the "war story" nature of the narratives and the naturalness of the writing, this book is a very quick read across its 310

During boot camp, we were taught about the Battle of Fallujah, but after reading this book, I was able to understand so much better. I was able to picture their tactics, strategies, their emotions, and why the Marines were called the “Greatest Generation.”

Raymer was able to elucidate in explicit detail what the divers endured during the post-Pearl Harbor recovery operations, and successfully accomplished his goals of providing vivid insight. Raymer’s account of working underwater, operating in pitch black environments, and maintaining communication in a time of developing technology were done so in an entertaining yet educational manner. His goals were to captivate and capture the readers attention by sharing the experiences of true historical accounts, a goal which is easily accomplished by most casual and scholarly readers. The book was written in a fashion where it was sophisticated yet easy to comprehend and understand by most individuals. While articulate, Raymer aimed at providing a factual cut and dry depiction of what happened, essentially point blank memoirs that would have the most profound impact (evident considering the book is less than 220 pages including pictures).

This book is about 1stSgt. Kasal’s life leading up to his most honorable moment while in the battle of Fallujah. The book starts out by telling how 1stSgt. Kasal grew up in Afton, Iowa. He grew up on farm like most other families in his hometown. But with farming becoming obsolete in the shadow of large corporations, Brad Kasal already knew by junior high that he didn’t want to slave on a farm to barely scrape by like his father. He already had the Marine Corps in his sights. January 1984, Kasal left his hometown of Afton, Iowa and got a plane destined for MCRD, San Diego. Kasal shined right away and became a squad leader and was meritoriously promoted to Private First Class by graduation and instructed

In the novel Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, true heroism is shown throughout many events in the story. One of the many characters in the book, Lt. Carroll, was said to show heroism before the main character, Richie Perry, came to the war. Another example of heroism by Lt. Carroll is when he was trying to lead his squad to safety but ended up getting hit himself. The third way Myers showed heroism is when Monaco, one of the squad members, was captured by the enemy and Richie and Peewee, another one of the squad members, saved him.

“Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir” is a memoir written by Joseph R. Owen, a lieutenant of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment. Lt. Owen narrates his experience as an officer in the Korean War, in an attempt to show the public what war is from a soldier's point of view. Readers are shown what sacrifices soldiers have to make during times of war, they are shown the experience of war through a different pair of eyes. The Chosin action is justly called majestic; and in this memoir, Lieutenant Owen tells the tale of the common men who made it so. Joseph informs the public about the experiences of the 7th Marine Regiment and the tragic end of the Chosin Reservoir where many Marines lost their lives. He shows us what sacrifices a soldier must make for his country, and he helps readers understand the impact of war on a man. The memoir was an extraordinarily detailed and realistic account of war, allowing the public to read the tale and enjoy not only a thrilling retelling of Chosin Reservoir, but also a memoir

The book The Ugly American clearly demonstrates several of the established Special Operations Force (SOF) imperatives outlined in ADRP 6-22. As a Special Forces soldier I can relate these imperatives to stories illustrated in the book and apply them to real life situations that I have experienced in the field. The Ugly American is a goldmine of wisdom and a handbook for special warfare. All Special Operations soldiers should read it.

The subject of this book has affect my life by serving as a reality check of what my Marine predecessors went through in order for me to be able to obtain the deep-rooted fighting tactics today. I will never have to deal with and survive the adversities that the Marines of Fox Company did. It also affected me by teaching me that as a Marine, no matter what struggles may present themselves, I will always thrive and keep fighting.

Corporal Thomas Searles underwent a drastic change from a nerdy, bookish man, to one of the most bravest soldiers in the regiment. The minute he found out about the 54th Massachusetts regiment, he didn’t think twice in enlisting and was very eager about it. The minute he got in his

Chris Kyle Personality Analysis The film American Sniper depicts the true story of Chris Kyle, a former U.S. Navy SEAL. Kyle was a skilled marksman whose main objective was to protect his fellow troops from above. Kyle performed his task very well and became the most lethal sniper in U.S. Military history, tallying up over 160 confirmed kills. The film also shows many glimpses into Kyle’s personal life.

In this essay, I will discuss how Tim O’Brien’s works “The Things They Carried” and “If I Die in a Combat Zone” reveal the individual human stories that are lost in war. In “The Things They Carried” O’Brien reveals the war stories of Alpha Company and shows how human each soldier is. In “If I Die in a Combat Zone” O’Brien tells his story with clarity, little of the dreamlike quality of “Things They Carried” is in this earlier work, which uses more blunt language that doesn’t hold back. In “If I Die” O’Brien reveals his own personal journey through war and what he experienced. O’Brien’s works prove a point that men, humans fight wars, not ideas. Phil Klay’s novel “Redeployment” is another novel that attempts to humanize soldiers in war. “Redeployment” is an anthology series, each chapter attempts to let us in the head of a new character – set in Afghanistan or in the United States – that is struggling with the current troubles of war. With the help of Phil Klay’s novel I will show how O’Brien’s works illustrate and highlight each story that make a war.

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 film directed by Steven Spielberg dealing with the World War II Battle of Normandy. During its intense first twenty minutes, the film depicts the brutal, gruesome realities of what happened on June 6, 1944 on Omaha Beach. The historically accurate portrayal of the D-Day invasion by Allied Forces is the background for the fictional plot of a rescue mission for a single soldier, Private Ryan. The story of Ryan, his family, and his rescue is not true but it is symbolic of the heroism and terrible losses suffered in this crucial military campaign. Historian Steven Ambrose was a consultant on the film and views this kind of fiction as “the kind that illuminates truth rather than diminishing it.”