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simply a great book very realistic and insightful i truly enjoyed every page
where to for gen Y. PTSD is less likely to be a problem with this crew who have been brought up zapping enemies on electronic game toys etc and suitably desensitised in so doing. I am an ex-serviceman (Australian Army 1965-1997). the frightening thing is that these individuals will be let loose on the streets of america when released from service. one would hope that suitable deprogramming occurs before that happens.
Marines are people with a twisted sense of humor.This book describes what happened as it happened. A journalist, Evan Wright, follows First Recon Battalion through their initial push through Iraq during 2003. You essentially get the entire experience with the except of a detail or two here or there. If you're not a big reader then just watch the TV mini-series. The book depicts the US Marines as they are and that's what I love the most. It doesn't sugar coat anything.
I'm strongly considering doing the six or seven part mini-series after reading this book. Fantastically written book. I have been unable to put it down since I got it.
Wright's asides and analysis are fascinating, but he largely removes himself from the tale, allowing the men to tell their own story and letting them express themselves. And yet, these men see them, and for that they deserve our respect and our admiration. Generation Kill tells the story of the Marines First Recon division and their incursion into Iraq in the first days of the war, and much like The Wire, examines the story not through a preconceived political lens, not through a predetermined narrative like "Heroic Americans to the Rescue" or "Villainous Baby-Killers Who Destroyed a Country", but as they were, embracing and exploring the contradictions, nuances, and complexities of the situation.
Much like the incredible United 93 (Two-Disc Special Edition), Generation Kill makes its story all the more admirable and moving by not insulting the reader's intelligence. Generation Kill is among the finest books on war I have ever read, and if I had my way, I would make every American alive read it. There are moments in this book which I will never forget, and not for their beauty; there are things that no one should ever have to see happen.
It's not surprising that the creators of The Wire: The Complete Series would latch on to Generation Kill and make it into the remarkable miniseries (Generation Kill) that they did. These men go through incredible things, and if Generation Kill accomplishes anything, it removes the political context from the war and forces the reader to appreciate what these men give up and undergo in the name of the country. Whether you are pro-war or anti-war, Generation Kill will make you think and challenge your assumptions, and while it provides no easy answers, its complexities and depth should be essential for every American to ponder.
The men of First Recon, as depicted by Evan Wright, are neither perfect examples of patriotism nor mindless killing machines, but something far more affecting: they are men. There are moments of hilarity (presuming you can tolerate the book's gallows humor), moments of absolute rage (largely at some truly incompetent commanders), moments of indescribable horror, and moments of incredible pain.
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