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Conspicuously Absent
Linguistically Confused
Well the term 'gun' is used for big-ass-weapons such as artillery, ship-guns, tank guns, etc. so they are quite phallic, heh.
We call our weapons rifles, the scene in Full Metal Jacket 'This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun' is something they make you do at Boot Camp if you call your weapon a 'gun'. Or they just completely fuck you up. Fun fact.
We call our weapons rifles, the scene in Full Metal Jacket 'This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun' is something they make you do at Boot Camp if you call your weapon a 'gun'. Or they just completely fuck you up. Fun fact.
Thanatopsis123
ç½é¬¼
Okay. Why do you think the U.S. military is hurting for intelligent personnel? Many want a draft just to get a better cross section of society in hopes of pulling in some people that qualify as more than grunts. They need more men period, but there is a serious brain drain that's just as much a concern.
I'll be fighting with Canadians, among others. Direct quote from my Battalion Commander today, 'The Canadian Sniper teams, they are doing some good killing gents'. Your snipers have a reputation, and the longest range combat-shot in history.
The Danes and Brits are fucking shit up as well. So far I know I will be with the Irish Royal Rangers, Royal Marines, British Army, Danish Army, Canadian Army, Spanish Army (maybe).
Thanatopsis123
ç½é¬¼
Reign in Acai
Of Elephant and Man
Quiz time-
How do you tell the difference between a chink and a jap?
My grandfather who fought in WWII enlightened me on this subject.
How do you tell the difference between a chink and a jap?
My grandfather who fought in WWII enlightened me on this subject.
Thanatopsis123
ç½é¬¼
I don't notice this very much to be honest, being a grunt myself. Grunts very very rarely are not voluntarily in their position. The cross section of the Infantry is extremely diverse, I don't know anyone at all that was 'put in' the infantry, most infantryman went to their recruiter and told them 'If you do not get me into the infantry, I will not join' or something similar. It is a HUGE misconception that the infantry is just where people 'end up' that are to stupid to do any other job. Being in the infantry is a huge point of pride for a Marine.
Even our running cadences are based around that fact:
'Cocksucking motherfucker eat a bag of dick, if you aint infantry you aint shit.'
When running by POG's during PT:
'Look to my right and what do I see? Weak ass POGs trying to be like me. POGy POGy can't you see, no amount of PT makes you INFANTRY.'
'Hey Hey Army, what are you doing? Get off your tanks and follow me, I am Marine Corps Infantry.
Hey Hey Navy, what are you doing? Get off your ships and follow me, I am Marine Corps Infantry.
Hey Hey Air Force, what are you doing? Get off your chairs and follow me, I am Marine Corps Infantry.'
...and on and on, many more.
Honestly, the reason I see the hurt is because most intelligent people will get out after one or two enlistments, the ones that stay in are the fucking idiots, as far as I can tell by my higher-ups.
I know this isn't a very good response, but the Infantry is what I know.
Reign in Acai
Of Elephant and Man
MajestikMøøse
Membrum virile
dorian gray
Returning videotapes
- Apr 8, 2004
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cthulufhtagn
Went Out for Smokes 13 Years Ago
MajestikMøøse;6851351 said:
Yup, great great book. Also, it's required reading for the infantry. Commandants reading list.
E-bortion
Omae wa mo shindeiru
- Dec 23, 2004
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Ars Magna
Ars Magna Recordings
spaffe
Geisterglut
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780142437902&itm=1
Best war novell ever
[/nag]
Seriously though, I would be interested to know if what he describes in this book from his experiences of the first world war still hold true today. He is no nationalist and he says straight out that he is not fighting for any country. Now, he doesn't say so, but it's pretty obvious that he's in it for the adventure, the thrill and game. The thing is, even though he's not glorifying all the terror and horrible things he sees, what he is experiencing on a personal plane is at times very positive; this war is to him a singular experience. In short this book makes me want to go to war...
Ellestin
one-click buy
seconded, a consuming read anytime. Some of the descriptions of total warfare he pulls off are breathtakingly beautiful (especially the last few moments before the assaults), for all the horror they conceal. And he never allows himself to go dramatic about it, all the uplifting lines with a kind of poetic rhythm to them are but the necessary outlet of all the tediousness and dreariness dutifully recorded in the previous pages.
I think you got it right about the "in for the thrill" part, the man-shaping experience. Reading, I ofttimes found myself wondering what actually kept him going on and returning after his periods of leave/wounds healing. I mean apart from the fact that he would be tracked down as a deserter and killed. It's definitely not really clear what he was exactly after, at any point in the book, and that's precisely what makes it all the more fascinating and compelling. This factual approach yet underscored with a great sense of depth that is almost too fearsome to fathom, probably even for him in retrospect.
spaffe
Geisterglut
It's hard to say of course, but I think that it was mainly his sense of honor and duty and, more importantly, his lust for adventure that made him want to return and that which brought him through the whole thing in one -- mental -- piece. As you might know, just before that war started, he ran away from home to join the French foreign legion, by the looks of it in search for excitement and adventure. His father managed to get him back though before he had the chance to experience any fighting.
But more than just giving a personal rendering of this war, he's also a witness to a new age of machines and mechanized warfare, which manifested itself most strongly in the trenches. Somewhere he describes the task of the soldiers like that of engineers, not individual fighting men, working like moles under the earth to keep the enormous machinery of war running. Just like a factory where everyone is replaceable, where if you die, someone else just steps in and the war machine rolls on without paying the slightest respect to a personal death. It's really fascinating and horrible at the same time.
Have you read his Feuer und Blut as well? It's more of an outspoken hymn to the mysterious glory and experiences of war. I like it almost as much as Storm of Steel/Im Stahlgewittern. Actually, some of things he describes there, like when they are standing hours on end in the trenches waiting to attack, while their artillery are pounding the french lines with all their might, are more of a proper mysterious kind, eg religious. All conception of the self is washed away as the earth shakes and the constant noise of hundreds of canons firing reaches above reach of hearing. Hm hm... I'm getting carried away, better stop
But more than just giving a personal rendering of this war, he's also a witness to a new age of machines and mechanized warfare, which manifested itself most strongly in the trenches. Somewhere he describes the task of the soldiers like that of engineers, not individual fighting men, working like moles under the earth to keep the enormous machinery of war running. Just like a factory where everyone is replaceable, where if you die, someone else just steps in and the war machine rolls on without paying the slightest respect to a personal death. It's really fascinating and horrible at the same time.
Have you read his Feuer und Blut as well? It's more of an outspoken hymn to the mysterious glory and experiences of war. I like it almost as much as Storm of Steel/Im Stahlgewittern. Actually, some of things he describes there, like when they are standing hours on end in the trenches waiting to attack, while their artillery are pounding the french lines with all their might, are more of a proper mysterious kind, eg religious. All conception of the self is washed away as the earth shakes and the constant noise of hundreds of canons firing reaches above reach of hearing. Hm hm... I'm getting carried away, better stop
