Sarah Connery: A Short Story

“I think we reminded them of what peace was like, we boys of sixteen. We were registered with no draft board, we had taken no physical examinations. No one had ever tested us for hernia or color blindness. Trick knees and punctured eardrums were minor complaints and not yet disabilities which would separate a few from the fate of the rest. We were careless and wild, and I suppose we could be thought of as a sign of the life the war was being fought to preserve. Anyway, they were more indulgent toward us than at any other time; they snapped at the heels of seniors, driving and molding and arming them for the war. They noticed our games tolerantly. We reminded them of what peace was like, of lives which were not bound up with destruction (Knowls

The waitress came back to our table. She came down to the kids table and started asking what we wanted to order. It was my turn, I was a little worried about my order going in correct since she could hardly understand us.

“It requires no sophisticated psychological training,” he says. “Just form groups under a fellow squad or platoon member who has had a few days of group leadership training and encourage people to talk” (Marlantes, 32). Later, he goes into the importance of care when it comes to these fighting men, because most of them are very young. He points out “politicians and generals need to see these kids as their weapons and use them with care and consciousness” (Marlantes, 42). Later he expresses an extremely important belief that these young soldiers, most of whom are eighteen years old, must be assisted to find a healthy way to grieve over the things they had to do to survive. He never judges them for their actions. He was them. Throughout the entire chapter he makes the case for why this violence was necessary, but he uses that to bring the point home that while violence in combat is unavoidable, so is the sadness that accompanies

When the young are growing up they aspire to be fireman, superheros and other heroes whose names may never be forgotten, or never known, the unsung heroes or the valiant legends of the past when told in the distant future. This was especially true when I was a youngin’ yearning for my chance at glory, heroism, a chance for your name to be written in stone, remembered as a legend of the past such as Achilles, Hector, Leonidas and the 300, Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, Charlemagne and more recently the Desert Fox a.k.a Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. These are the legends of the past that I wanted to aspire to be, wanting to be a great taction, a soldier with honor and duty, but as one grows up as does your plans for the future. Consequently this schooling turned my desire of being a General Eisenhower in World War Two, to that of

When I got there the waiter asked me if I would like some French bread

With intricate detail the author explains these events as frightening and overwhelmingly difficult to tolerate. Beah, exposed to combat at age 12, was traumatized by battle and portrays details of the horrifying events through imagery. “When the rebels finally came I was cooking... My heart was beating faster than it ever had. Each gunshot seemed to cling to the beat of my heart.”

Soldiers experience a variety of situations that influences their relationships. Alcott’s reasons in paragraph eleven, she

The relative closeness to the present circumstances that this renders aids him as he constructs his “defense” (606). Early on, he lets on that he was not, and still is not, for war or this misuse of youth. His apparent contempt and disdain colors each passage in his piece. Although this stance may bias his opinions, he takes care to relay his message and provide relative insight into what life as a soldier is like. However, his assumption that “these kids signed up mostly to get some education” (606) is the principal evidence of his use of hasty generalizations by which he uses to reason their decision to enlist, undermining the credibility he draws from.

As a scout of the squad, Mr. Vegas role was simply to find enemy positions and relay it back to the mortar team. Asking him about his impressions of the men he was with Mr. Vega grew silent. Afraid that I had touched a painful spot I attempted to take back the question. He refused and said “We were all brothers; most people misunderstand on why we fought. It was not about being a patriot, the adventure, the money; it was simply fighting together in order for us to go back home alive and not in a body bag. Going on further he stated real close bonds were formed. Shitty conditions such as rain and mud, humidity, as well as boredom, forced soldiers to be close to one another. Going on I had asked him if he was influenced by anybody to regret enlisting; Mr. Vega stated that it was the opposite. The commander of the unit had constantly reminded on why they were there. Each day the commander said that all the men in the war are fighting to stop the evil, which at that time was communism. Mr. Vega also said “In addition I was constantly told that it was my duty to fight for the defenseless, which after being told thousands of time, I started believing it. Most of the soldiers at looked up Audie Murphy. Audie Murphy was one of the most decorated servicemen ever during World War II. Many of the guys saw his picture with all his medals as well as hearing his heroic stories envisioned themselves as him.

“We were trained in the army for ten weeks and in this time more profoundly influenced than by ten years at school” (21)

Paul Bäumer, at the age of 19 lives in a world where killing is the only way to live, and one of a friend would be no different, but yet a common occurrence. No longer does he or any of the solders consider themselves as the mere teenagers they once were when entering the army. “We are none of us more than twenty years old,” he says. “But young? Youth? That is long ago. We are old folk” (18).

Leaving off from where I last left off, noon was fast approaching. By then the town had nearly turned pitch black thanks to its gallery of unlit houses. The darkness somewhat contributed to a tranquil sense of complete nothingness. But on a lighter, less spiritual note lets focus on the plight of a commissioned streetlamp. This heritage lamp post, though not a rarity in Northbrook, was responsible for illuminating the town’s most noteworthy block. Industrial magnets, rags-to-riches lawyers and bankers, etc... a cast of people that one might expect to be somewhere on a communist poster next to the words enemy or capitalist baffoon, take your pick. Mustn't get off topic so often, doesn’t help the plot in any way. Anyhow lets return to the adventures of a certain beloved streetlamp.

After witnessing so much violence and suffering as a medic and soldier, he has become indifferent to violence. When he repeatedly shoots an innocent animal it provides emotional relief for him after he has just watched his friend die in front of him.

“Usually you come for Jack way later than 1900 hours.” Oscar gestures toward Jack, then to the clock on the wall, with his chin. Sometimes you wouldn’t even think both Oscar and Malcolm are twenty year old army captains. They always try and act as if they’re teenage boys again with no huge responsibilities whatsoever. But I know they feel the burden of responsibility every single day. It shows in their actions and faces,

"Just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God's feet, equal - as we are!"