Platoon

While at the same time not to be hesitant to voice my own opinion and plan because my plan just might be what the mission needed in order to be completed successfully. My biggest strength while being at CLC was the amount of trust I put into my platoon and squad when in leadership. It takes time for me to be able to trust someone but I stepped out of my comfort zone and trusted everyone to do their part. Everyone was there for the same reason, which was to better our skills so I expected nothing…

Look at chapter 2“War is a big and sprawling word that brings a lot of human suffering into the conversation, but combat is a different matter. Combat is the smaller game that young men fall in love with, and any solution to the human problem of war will have to take into account the psyches of these young men” (Junger 2011, p. 234). Sebastian Junger, the author of War (2011), was born in Belmont, Massachusetts and grew up to become an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times Bestselling…

Mid Fall 2012 The plane ride here was a long one. The droning engines of the C-17 went on for hours and pierced through my earplugs. I could only feel overwhelmed and excited by what was happening. I was finally getting sent overseas after four long years of basic training. A few nervous thoughts had passed my mind about what could happen, but was soon drowned out by the engines. The passenger section of the C-17 was nothing like a civilian aircraft. A few rows of seats with our gear packed in…

Professor Ortiz, I am currently an E-6 staff sergeant, E-6 is the pay grade and staff sergeant is the Rank. I am going to be promoted to E-7 sergeant first class with in the next few months. Becoming an E-8 Master Sergeant is a goal I set early in my career. As an E-8, you can be in many different positions such as a first sergeant. There are many rewarding benefits, such as More Money, More Responsibility, and fewer people giving you orders. What I truly find rewarding is that as an E-8…

My first major mission, a young 18 year old, the lead gunner behind a M240B as the first line of defense for our platoon; would soon be a situation that left an imprint in my life and has forever changed how I now lead as an NCO. This mission took place in 2007 near the city of Ad Dawr, Iraq. The mission was complex but my orders were simple, protect the convoy and provide security. The main objective was to expose and detain (if possible) a cell leader to include destroying his know cache point…

On April 23, 1985 Lori Greene and David Widdifield were officially husband and wife. On April 25, 1985 David left for basic training. After only two short days the newlyweds were torn apart and thrust into a new way of life. They had no idea how much these fifteen weeks would impact the rest of their lives. They had no idea that this brand new would lead them down a path to a wonderful exciting future. The infantry basic life consists of long days and short nights for new recruits. By 4:00 A.M…

Strunk and Dave Jensen have both learned valuable lessons from their actions, as Dave does a weird way of apologizing. Overall, the two carried around suspicion, guilt, jackknives, and new bond between two men. In The Things They Carried, the platoon under the careful eye of the great Lieutenant Jimmy Cross hump a great deal of things. Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen carry the guilt of childish behavior that escalates to violence, and a fresh bond that sprouts from their quarrel. Jimmy Cross…

and he himself- “…would get their shit together, and keep it together… (O 'Brien)”, further demonstrating his determination to prevent history from repeating itself. The narrator does a brilliant job of showing the reader the struggles of Cross’ platoon, conveying the feeling of both being there as another soldier, and as an omniscient chronicler where no detail or fact is spared;…

The short stories, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and “The Fireman’s Wife” by Richard Bausch have resonated with me after reading them this semester. I am able to draw similarities from what I’ve read and associate them with the story. Doing so made what I read capture my full attention and transport me into the story. Also, I discovered and tackled flaws in my own character in the process. I found both of these short stories to have been thought provoking and an interesting read as…

Platoon is the first film written and directed by Stone that can be used to examine and explain his thesis and perception towards the Vietnam War. In this film, Stone gives a generalized few of the Vietnam War but uses a lot of symbolism. In the “Platoon” Stone depicts the Vietnam War as having been quite gruesome and deadly (Richman, p. 45). This description, contrary to what the world was made to believe, is in fact, the truth about the war, according to Stone. However, some Vietnam veterans,…