Dick H.,
I read that book - well... most of it I never did get a chance to finish it - "Generation Kill" written by that author from Rolling Stones.
Good book. Though the author traveled with Battalion Recon, and though I was in what's considered "not the real Marine Corps" (barracks duty), the book seemed real to life when it came to the culture of the Marine Corps or military life I knew.
In the movie "Black Hawk Down" (I never read the book) the Army Rangers are portrayed as very idealistic and very Leave-it-to-Beaverish in my opinion. I can't say if most in the Rangers are like that but from what I have experienced of the U.S. military (early 90s) I would suspect not.
The young Marines in that book came from homes that are not uncommon in contemporary America e.g. crack homes, violence, despair.
The book was called "Generation Kill" because one Marine officer pointed out to the Rolling Stones guy, after his Marine wasted no hesitation in mowing down some vehicles with of course drivers in them, and I paraphrase, "See, this generation of Marines don't mind killing."
That officer went on to point out that according to statistics it took young Marines in WII much longer to fire their weapons at the enemy (many froze). In Vietnam this became less so with young Marines and desertion was less a problem than it was in WII. But in this newest generation of Marines, according to what this book says the Marine officer said, young guys fire their weapons (and to kill) far quicker (really with little to no hesitation) than young Marines did in Nam or WWII.
|