We Were One By Patrick K. O ' Donnell

60 veterans were interviewed threw out this story , so the author gets all of the experiences in their own words. we learn about their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military. A very great bio of one of the characters was the one of Herman Darden Jr. He begins to talk about the reputation of the marines at the time which was marines were rough and ready to go. He then talks about his reason for joining which was "because marines are supposed to be the first to battle and the first ones home, so I don't want to stay out that long". Even though the racial barrier between the blacks and whites was big alot of these black men still found it in them to join the marines and fight with honor.

The book “Lone Survivor” deeply develops Marcus Luttrell individually by explaining his life previously to becoming a Navy Seal. It goes through the process of his pre BUD/S training with Billy Shelton. It describes the rigorous training with Shelton from hundreds of pushup a day, to running down the side of highways carrying telephone polls. The book then progresses into describing what BUD/S training was personally like for Luttrell and the mental and physical strength he had to withstand in order to make it through Hell Week. The characteristics of courage, selflessness and perseverance he learnt in training transition into how he handles the failed operation in the book.

The non-fiction novel Making the Corps follows sixty-three boys into one of the harshest boot camps in the world, Parris Island, South Carolina; furthermore, it also gives a brief history of the Marines while explaining their role in the United States military. The book was written by “…The Washington Post’s senior Pentagon correspondent,” as well as a member of two Pulitzer Prize winning teams—for national reporting—Thomas E. Ricks (Ricks cover). Not all of the recruits made it to the end of the eleven week long “living hell;” however, the ones that did successfully earned the title, “marine.” Thomas E. Ricks narrates the true stories of the diverse men in platoon 3086 who prevailed the harsh Marine Corps training and moved on to deployment

At the very beginning of the book, Erich Maria Remarque says "This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war."1 The book does not focus on heroic stories of bravery, but rather gives a view of the conditions in which the soldiers find themselves. The monotony between battles, the constant threat of Artillery fire and bombardments, the struggle to find food, the lack of training of young recruits, and the

Not only should this book be recommended to other A.P. US History students, it should be read by people regardless of their age. It allows the reader to fully visualize what the soldiers saw, heard, experienced, and felt. While reading, an atmosphere is created in which the reader is transported to that specific moment in time and can envision themselves on the

The book’s body is divided into six main sections, not including the introductory and conclusion chapters. These sections are aptly named and reflect Krulak’s views of the Marine Corps and what they are as a whole. The sections are: The Thinkers, The Innovators, The Improvisers, The Penny-Pinchers, The Brothers and The Fighters.

The author effectively makes war more realistic and understandable for those of us who have never fought. One of the best techniques he uses is creating personable characters, who are interesting and relatable. These stories show the actual effects of the war on the soldiers and that they’re real people. The book does not contain all fighting, shows actuality, and is heroless, as compared to other war stories. The author creates attachment to the characters and an emotional and hilarious ride for the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this

I did very much enjoy the book due to its action packed and realistic stories of a child having to escape from danger. Beah was not afraid to expose the truth on the lives of the children in Sierra Leone. Further explanations and background information about the actual war would have made it more informative, but I do understand that the story is coming from a twelve year old boy who was probably experiencing confusion as well. I can connect with the book in several ways, starting with how I moved to the United States, just like Ishmael had, at the age of nine from South Korea. Adapting to a new place with different customs was extremely challenging for me, so I can imagine how much more difficult it must have been for him. Ishmael also experienced the misery of losing his loved ones. I can relate to this as I was heartbroken when my great grandmother passed away. Death of a loved one is an unfortunate thing for any child to have to experience. A clear world connection from the book relates to the current issues we have with the terrorist group, ISIS. As part of Iraq and Syria, they express their power through violence, much like the rebels had in the book. Growing up in a safe environment, I never realized how much of a devastating effect war actually had on people worldwide. Beah’s inspiring words helped me become more appreciative for the

Every Marine knows that we fight for each other and nothing will ever come between the brotherhood of Marines. The book Leading Marines talks about three major keys Ethos, Foundation, and Challenges of the United States Marine Corps.

It really gives you the perspective of how the Marine Corps really was barely hanging onto the last string of life, and yet we are still here. In pages 103-104, there is a moment where the Marines still out do the rest even as they try to eliminate us. In pre WW2 times, the USA was in a search for a vehicle that could land on a beach head deploy units of men and then return to pick up more men, repeat. Lt.Gen Krulak was able to get Higgins to invent the machine that would win the competition. Not only win but do it 2 more times while the competition sunk, literally

Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.

This part of the book discusses how Marines endure hell and take pride in the misery of being willing and eager to embrace adversity. The love a warrior has for his brothers masks his fear, being his fear is that he may not prove worthy to his brothers. This is what brings groups together to work as a team and not as individuals. The desire to give back, push harder and sacrifice become acts of courage, as you realize that you are bonded to your men and you are not alone. The will to fight and never quit is inspirational and Marines tend to honor such unselfish acts that lead to fallen

An expectation that is shattered on his very first night when during the operation he ends up killing two Taliban gunmen. He tells the story of that night, and then the next, and then goes on to tell stories of the more complex operations that he ended up being involved with throughout the deployment. Each of the stories is told from a very personal point of view which is what makes this book work and work very well. We are told of his feelings towards his comrades, his attitude and approach to the others, and those little anecdotes of daily life that are either humorous or poignant. He experiences his comrade’s deaths as well as various injuries and he also experiences plans that go awry and situations where nothing happens. I think that the author sat down with his co-author and relived each event in his own words. These recordings (probably) ended up being transcribed and then arranged and edited into this book. This approach works very well in this case. Because of the "war story" nature of the narratives and the naturalness of the writing, this book is a very quick read across its 310

In this essay, I will discuss how Tim O’Brien’s works “The Things They Carried” and “If I Die in a Combat Zone” reveal the individual human stories that are lost in war. In “The Things They Carried” O’Brien reveals the war stories of Alpha Company and shows how human each soldier is. In “If I Die in a Combat Zone” O’Brien tells his story with clarity, little of the dreamlike quality of “Things They Carried” is in this earlier work, which uses more blunt language that doesn’t hold back. In “If I Die” O’Brien reveals his own personal journey through war and what he experienced. O’Brien’s works prove a point that men, humans fight wars, not ideas. Phil Klay’s novel “Redeployment” is another novel that attempts to humanize soldiers in war. “Redeployment” is an anthology series, each chapter attempts to let us in the head of a new character – set in Afghanistan or in the United States – that is struggling with the current troubles of war. With the help of Phil Klay’s novel I will show how O’Brien’s works illustrate and highlight each story that make a war.

He talks about how the soldiers handled death and fighting, how family members handled the loss of loved ones, and how our country was changed by the war. Personally, I think having all these perspectives is the most important part of the book. It’s a reminder that anything I do will affect everyone else around me. Humans do not get redoes and family members count on each other every day to make the right choices. This book opens my mind to understanding the ripple effect war can have on individuals and their country.