In celebration of Veteran's Day (and weekend), I watched large chunks of a variety of war movies, including Saving Private Ryan, Heartbreak Ridge (what's with the tiny shorts?), several of which I don't know the titles, and a couple I didn't recognize at all. I don't generally watch war movies, but I felt compelled to honor those who served America in a truly American fashion. I think my favorite of that genre is Saving Private Ryan. Schindler's List is great in its own way, but I rarely have the patience to sit through any long movie more than once.
I will honor one other tradition (my dad's) by asking you what your favorite (war movie) is? Did you do anything today (or this weekend) to celebrate, besides watching movies?
Thanks again, veterans!
Brandon
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
a good place to vacation! (Cape Hatteras NC)
5 comments:
Thanks for your "Thanks again, veterans!", Brandon. Your sentiments are appreciated.
I really can't say that "Platoon" was my favorite movie, but it certainly came the closest to replicating my experiences in Vietnam. It showed how war is dirty, chaotic, bloody, hot & sweaty and if possible, would have revealed it was smelly. The air in Vietnam was always permeated by the oder of ignited jet fuel burning 55-gallons drums of human waste. That's how we got rid of it. Think about that for a minute.
What I did special: There was a man from Lathrup Village, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Manoukian, who was killed in Iraq, November 2006. The City bought a stone commemorating his life and planted a tree in his honor. I placed a single red rose near the stone on Sunday and tied it to the tree. I could think of nothing profound to say as Connor and I stood there so I just brushed away a tear and walked on.
altho i DO appreciate the vet, i
DON'T watch war movies (maybe
'operation peticoat'). 2 movies that
did have an effect on me - albeit not really favorites - were "deer hunter"
and "apocalypse now".
oddly enough, i never saw "saving private ryan".
i worked all weekend so that's it.
Rereading my entry, I realize that 'Thanks again' is awfully casual for sacrifices and accomplishments it was intended to address. Thank you, UF, for seeing through my artless phrasing.
I have had what I consider the very good fortune to never have experienced war. I know nothing about it. I don't understand walking around with a gun, shooting at people, trying to kill them (despite the many hours of Halo I've logged). Or knowing that someone else is doing the same to me, and that I might wind up dead at any moment. I just can't grasp it. And I don't know any of the sights, sounds, or smells, or anything else that might bring it to life. Most people I know are the same way, especially those of my generation. [Obviously, we have those who have had those experiences and do understand what it's like to thank, and we owe much to them; that was what I very awkwardly tried to convey before.] Watching these movies this weekend got me thinking about this a little. How do you think it has effected our society to finally have a generation that has been so vastly deprived of the experience of war? I keep reading and hearing about how my generation of the workforce needs to be coddled and rewarded all the time. I was horrified at a conference a few months ago when two rather green attorneys advised an entire room of judges and seasoned lawyers that they have to be nice to young attorneys and heap praise upon them, because otherwise their feelings will be hurt and they will go work somewhere else. No more old-school berating, or punishing bad behavior. Something similar was on the news a couple nights ago: apparently consultants are making a killing off holding conferences on how to treat this new batch of pansy workers. Has anyone actually found this to be true? Are any of you giving us this reputation? Where are all these jobs people are leaving because they can't schedule work hours around their yoga class? And, more to the point, do you think there is a correlation between this phenomenon and the majority of this generation's failure to experience the 'challenges' of a war?
Thank you - always- to our veterans. I am grateful every day for the freedoms I have as an American, and these same freedoms would not be available to me if not for the efforts of our veterans and our current armed forces.
John, Tim, Adam,and I watched Saving Private Ryan this weekend. Like Band of Brothers (another favorite) it showed the side of war Frank mentions: noise, smell, chaos, and pain on many levels. The type of bonding that occurs (as portrayed in both movies) is incredible. The movie also makes it clear that unless you have had experience in a war, you really cannot understand it the way a participant has. Finally, both movies underscore how very valuable and precious our freedoms are, and that our country is very much worth fighting for.
-meg
Brandon, I hope we as a society will grow out of the need for the challenges of war. There are better ways.
I also caught that news item where the newest generation of workers were being coddled and fussed over in the work-place, lest they would leave. I observed this first-hand when I was at Ford Motor. The Company recruited what it thought were the best choices, promised them fast-track advancement status (this means management levels within 15 years) and were astounded when these recruits were leaving for other companies within 5 years. They think they should be promoted sooner. Yeah, well so did the rest of us who had already been there for 25/30/40 years. However, despite all the time, effort, training and money that was spent on the recruits, the Company made no motion to give them counter-offers. Ford Motor's policy on this issue was to have those who chose to leave for better jobs to exit the door quickly so it would not hit them in the ass on the way out. I don't know if that was the best way of dealing with it but it was their way.
Post a Comment