Generation Kill

[Lizard3]

Just picked up this book and am halfway through it. Anyone else read it yet? Its by a reporter imbedded with the 1st Marine Recon who acted as the spearhead on the latest Iraq invasion.

Its been compared to "Dispatches" by Michael Herr. Whats funny/weird is I had just finished Dispatches the day before I picked Generation kill up. Dispatches is a severly wild ride through the early/mid VN war through a reorters eyes. Its like the guy(Herr) is looking to get a little distance from it all and pukes up big memory hairballs.  Maybe it was therapy. It is pretty well written and does take allot of the glory and romantacism out of "war". I definetly didn't "get it" when I picked it up in 1984. I'm glad I re-read it, esp in context with this new one I'm reading. Both will kinda make you shake your head at Marine mentality.

Neither seem anti-war, but sorta are just by putting the reality of the up close and personal look at death and destruction in your face. It also made me glad that we have those we count on our side who can belly up to the blood and guts bar for us. Many of us just couldn't do it.

Jarheads. Thanks for being willing.

[Guppy35]

Dispatches is a longtime favorite of mine.

Not pro or antiwar so much as like you say, his replay of events as he tried to clear his head of the war.

Herr of course was heavily involved with the writing on Apocolypse Now and Full Metal Jacket as well.

Guess I'll have to track down Generation Kill

Dan/Slack

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Guppy35
Dispatches is a longtime favorite of mine.

Not pro or antiwar so much as like you say, his replay of events as he tried to clear his head of the war.

Herr of course was heavily involved with the writing on Apocolypse Now and Full Metal Jacket as well.

Guess I'll have to track down Generation Kill

Dan/Slack

Yup me too.  I watched alot of Imbeds on several news chan. during the invasion to include Fox (wich had alot w/ the Marines) and cnn.

It allways seemed to me the imbeds had a totally different attitude when they were reporting from a Marine unit.  

I'm not trying to bag on the Army here at all, but from first hand experience I know Marine mentality is totally different.  Every reporter I saw reporting from a Marine unit seemed to have absorbed this OOH RAH Gung ho mentality from the Marines around him.  


I've also talked to a couple of Grunt friends of mine that made the invasion and the drive to bagdahd and had an imbed with them.  They said the guy at first was kind of a salamander at first.  they said he thaught the Marines were no different than their Army counterparts but sooned realized what made them stand out.  

Thanks for pointing this book out, I think I'm gonna order from amazon right now.

[Gunslinger]

I got my copy a couple of hours ago and can't put it down.  This is a great book.

[DYNAMITE]

I'm not sure if there is another thread going or not... but I've been watching the show on HBO and it's freak'n amazing.  I'm wondering if those who have read the book have been watching the show, and how it compares. 

From my impression of the show so far, it's on par with Band of Brothers in quality.  I'm totally hooked.

[Gunslinger]

I'm not sure if there is another thread going or not... but I've been watching the show on HBO and it's freak'n amazing.  I'm wondering if those who have read the book have been watching the show, and how it compares. 

From my impression of the show so far, it's on par with Band of Brothers in quality.  I'm totally hooked.

Yea there's a thread somwhere.  I started watching the series and it's pretty good.

"I'm not the retard that lost a whole supply truck"  I knew a guy that was JUST like him!

[Rollins]

FYI, was in another thread on the series by rpm I believe, but Sgt. Kocher is the adviser on the show.  Great book, should be a great show too.

[rpm]

Rudy Reyes plays himself in the HBO miniseries. The show is excellent.

[Grayeagle]

Had a Marine lootenant explain the difference tween Army and Marine if attacked.

Army will fall back and regroup.

Marines will return fire, one shot one kill.

-Frank aka GE

[Stoney]

I read the book as soon as it came out.  I've been watching the series for the last 3 weeks and I'm extremely impressed.  While I don't think it has the polish of Band of Brothers, it is extremely true to the theme of the book, and extremely entertaining.  The most impressive part to me is the technical accuracy.  The lingo and slang is right on, and some of the radio transmissions you hear at the end during the credits are textbook.  To hear a show on HBO have a dead-on accurate "Non-standard SEAD" call for fire is not something I think we'll see again.

Kudo's to HBO for this one.  A departure from a cookie cutter military mini-series, but, in my opinion, extremely effective and well made.

[Rollins]

Stoney, I think having the devils on scene to make sure all's well made it that good. <S>