Class Films

Many aspects of the Generation Kill episode that was shown in class were not only striking but also reinforced many of the themes we have seen in this class regarding wartime and patriotism. First, the mental and cultural divide between soldiers conditioned to war and the civilian populace was most obviously presented through the soldier's reception of the letters from students. A well-intentioned letter from a student became the object of ridicule by a marine due to its perspective on the war. The soldier made it very clear that he did, in fact, want to fight, and this reveals an aspect of modern war that we have not considered with much thought: that due to the mental conditioning imposed on these soldiers in wartime, the have a genuine desire to kill, to make use of all of the hard work they have put into sharpening their soldierly skills. Coinciding with this idea is the show's commentary on the fighting tactics in Iraq. The group had an opportunity to kill armed Iraqis (the soldiers did not know who the Iraqis were) that would later turn out to be one of the death squads that a group of refugees were trying to escape.
Regarding the experience of being in the military, the show portrays the marine corps as a kind of massive family. The unit has its levels of loyalty, with the commanding officer of one of the units lying to a superior officer in order to protect his men from disciplinary responses. Furthermore, the superior officer serves as a father figure while the subordinate officer works as a big brother for the men. When one of the sergeants orders one of his men to tuck his shirt in while doing some mechanical work, the man's immediate commanding officer permits him to untuck his shirt when the sergeant isn't looking. There are family squabbles that operate on a different level of decency than most interactions back in the states would; for example, racial and sexual comments pervade the atmosphere of the camp.
Moreover, it is interesting to see how the reporter was received into the camp. Immediately, he was the source of ridicule; however, he soon was accepted through his experience writing for Hustler Magazine and ability as an unlisted personnel to buy large amounts of what would otherwise be considered contraband, like chewing tobacco. He was rejected through his stereotype as a reporter, someone who has made the lives of soldiers harder since Vietnam, but was then accepted through his utility to the rest of the company. Obviously, the reporter is not a soldier, as shown when the entire squad put their gas suits on while the reporter is left in the middle of all of the trucks, struggling with his suit and stumbling while trying to duck for cover. The reporter's character serves as a test subject regarding the exclusivity of groups within the marines; how well would a civilian "outsider" would be accepted, much less integrated into the unit.
One thing Generation Kill struck home was the frustrating and dangerous inconsistencies in command that damaged the initial war effort in Iraq. Marines were not allowed to open fire on armed Iraqis that ended up being members of a death squad. À captain, in a lapse of professional and command conduct, was hysterically yelling about the lack of armor support for the marines. The lack of armor is a military lapse in planning, but an officer's loss of composure in a wartime scenario is unacceptable. Finally, Generation Kill comments on modern war, modern soldiers, their relationships, and the war in Iraq. These perspectives give us a greater understanding in examining and understanding war and patriotism.