The rifle squad came to attention as they carried the casket across the short expanse of tarmac and placed it in the back of the hearse and then stepped back, rendered a salute until the rear doors shut and it pulled away. Afterwards, the honor guard relaxed and came forward to greet the men, inviting them for a drink tomorrow evening at the VFW hall. As soldiers, they didn’t care Jackson, and his men were fugitives, they were war veterans who just lost a friend, and that was all that mattered to them. After the honor guard departed, Mikey’s family, Mangus, and Frank walked up to the physically and emotionally drained men, which was easy to see with their shoulders slumped over, including Jackson as he stood leaning against the aircraft stairs
The ride towards the abandoned warehouse was deafening and harsh. There were countless military trucks holding soldiers from all across the country, all of them fighting for a prize that seemed too perfect to be true. Fletcher was in Unit 1, the highest ranking soldiers of them all. There were already tons of soldiers, although it seemed emptier than usual. No one ever spoke during the transportation because they were either grieving over the absence of their family or thinking about the things they could do with their prize.
In the story “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien explores the themes of the emotional and physical objects soldiers in Vietnam carried along with them on their marches. Some men carried more ammunition because they were scared, others carried letters from their loved ones. Lieutenant Cross, who is perceived to be the protagonist of the story carries the responsibility of his platoon. He spends most of his days fantasizing about a girl he loves from back home, Martha and it’s not until Ted Lavender is shot in the head that he now has to carry the grief of being responsible for his death. Meanwhile, a fellow member of the platoon, Kiowa, admires the lieutenant's capacity for grief, since his emotional response to Lavender’s death is just surprise.
1. It is with great pleasure that I recommend Sergeant Aedo, Jorge to the position of full-time Honor Guard Sergeant in the NJARNG. He has proven that he has the potential and the requisite skills to be successful in this position, no matter how difficult the task or assignment.
In the story titled “The Man I Killed” O’Brien reflects on the events leading to and following his killing of a Vietnamese soldier via a grenade. He goes on to tell the reactions of his platoon mates as well as his own. The explosion of the grenade left the Vietnamese soldier’s face burned and unrecognizable. This symbolizes the life of so many of the thousands of dead Vietnamese soldiers that too were killed and consequently buried. These dead soldiers went unidentified and failed to bring their respective families closure. O’Brien struggles to cope with
Having the ability to foresee the future is having a visionary outlook. In the book “Medal of Honor, A Vietnam Warriors Story” by MSgt Roy Benavidez and John R. Craig. Master Sergeant Benavidez was a visionary leader in his career as an Army airborne ranger because he embodied idealized influence and to emergent leadership further his military career.
In the twenty years following the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien failed to share any stories from his experiences in Vietnam. Finally he decided to write a book that he titled, The Things They Carried, in 1990 where he details all of the struggles he experienced after being drafted into the Vietnam War. In chapter twelve, “The Man I Killed,” O’Brien details Tim’s uncertainty after killing his first Viet Cong soldier. As the soldier lay on the ground physically destroyed by a grenade that once resided in Tim’s hand, Tim could not look away from him. He felt that this soldier could have been his friend if it was not for the war, for which the reasons were ambiguous. As he knelt beside the body, he mentally eulogized the man for his life accomplishments. Even though Tim had never met this man prior to that moment, he was able to take his own life experiences and project them into the life of the deceased. Tim says of the man, “He imagined covering his head and lying in a deep hole and closing his eyes and not moving until the war was over. He had no stomach for violence. He loved mathematics” (“Killed” 801) which paralleled Tim’s feelings after being drafted into the war. O’Brien did not understand the political reasons that the United States had entered the Vietnam War, and he did not want to come home in a body bag from a war that he did not believe in. In chapter four, “On the Rainy River,” of his novel he shares this ambiguity by writing, “certain blood was being shed for
Following the Normandy Landings operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. 2nd Ranger Battalion under Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) fight ashore to secure the beachhead on Omaha Beach. During the fighting two soldiers are killed in action on the beachhead and are later found to be brothers of a soldier Private Ryan along with another brother fighting the war in New Guinea who is found to be killed in action as well. The mother of these three soldiers receives the Army’s grave telegrams for all three soldiers within the same day.
Throughout different time periods and civilizations come many different types of art that would never be comparable to those of another time or place. There are also the pieces that come from a completely different time and place, but yet they can still be compared to one another. The Torso of a God (Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, last decade of the reign of Amenhotep III, Granodiorite, 1359-1349 B.C.) and the Statue of Asklepios (Greek, Hellenistic period, Pentelic Marble, 2nd century B.C.) are two sculptures made hundreds of years apart, yet they both display many similarities and show how art is constantly changing whilst keeping the same core ideas.
The men who were in Tim O’Brien’s platoon caught on quickly, if they talked about everything that was going on as if it was only a story, their lives became a little easier. It became easier even for the men who didn’t practically like the guy who died. In the war it wasn’t about liking one another, that didn’t matter, what mattered to them was expressing their grief without showing it. “In any case, it’s easy to get sentimental about the dead, and to guard against it” (82). Being able to guard against their grief was something that was hard for many. No matter how many stories they told, there was still a sadness that some of them never could get over. The death of Kiowa was one of those impossible to get over. His death impacted everyone in the platoon. Even though Kiowa was just their guide, they treated him like he was a part of their family of misfits. Every man in the platoon had a story for Kiowa. There was some who told people stories that had Kiowa never dying, there were two however where his death left such a huge impact on them. All they
I had been in band for about two years and today was the day Mr. Heggins would put us to the test that determined if he would let us try out for honor band or not. I was excited, but also very fearful. What if I didn’t do well and had to hear him say “maybe next time” I was tired of hearing that. I had worked so hard and I just wanted a chance to audition. To be able to audition for honor band would be great, just a chance, and if I didn’t make it, there was always next year, I just wanted to try.
The footsteps echoed all over the police station as he looked around it for the last time. With the supply bag on his right shoulder, he checked every room from valuable stuff. The chief's office was empty with papers all over the ground and one of the file cabinets was on the ground. Owen looked at it to relieve the memories of his chief and the things that he has done from everyone. The remaining officer didn't know what happened to the chief, but he hoped that he either died peacefully or got away with the military. Soon enough, he left the office and check the other rooms. They were also messy as the place was cleared out by both the military and the group that Owen was apart of.
Passing the Jefferson Memorial he headed over the Potomac River and on to the Pentagon. The front gate of the parking lot offered the usual credential check and let him on through. Closing in on five is this place was starting to buzz with activity. This was normal shift time for the military in a facility that never closed. Again he found his reserved parking space near the front it even had his name on a sign Reserved Gen. Hunter. He wondered whose name would be on it tomorrow, people and officers are always falling in and out of favor. His replacement would be up to General Armstrong he had made his recommendations to him but that didn't mean much. The Military was politics and vice versa. The General was a good man and valued his advice
Samantha once thought she could take anything life could throw at her. Terrible jobs and worse men, it could all be taken in stride. But a tragic event leaves her beside herself and she wonders if she can ever really love again. When a stranger barges into her life, life might be throwing her a curve ball.
If you have ever been in one of the branches of services then you know that it will not be good news when people in uniform come to your house. Two people in uniform come to Justin’s house which is where most of the setting takes place (top row, middle picture). “Soldiers at the door could only mean one thing…..Kyle.” “What had happened to him? Had he been hurt (pg.9)”?
Today's Army in an extremely nostalgic organization with a copious amount traditions and has about a million different methods of conducting its business. Some are old and some are new, but possibly the oldest one that has been around since before the Army was officially established and still lives today is the Army’s rules, regulations and policies on customs and courtesies. In this form of a remedial block of instruction given to me, due to what I believe to be false targeting, I am to explain the Army’s customs and courtesies and their importance.