I didn't know that there were other female POWs captured with Jessica Lynn in Iraq.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_pow_memoir
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_pow_memoir
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The Staff of SOH
Female POW
- Thread starter rayrey10
- Start date
Bjoern
worst developer ever
Report on the action:
http://www.army.mil/features/507thmaintcmpy/AttackOnThe507MaintCmpy.pdf
Geez, what a mess that was.
http://www.army.mil/features/507thmaintcmpy/AttackOnThe507MaintCmpy.pdf
Geez, what a mess that was.
TeaSea
SOH-CM-2014
Most action is a mess...it's only in the movies where it looks clear cut. All those nice camera angles and wide shots.
Reality is confusion, fatigue, fear and anger, all rolled into one big happy package.
I will note that the 507th really wasn't a unit anymore when it's folks were taken prisoner. I note that because since the Korean War, no U.S. Army unit has surrendered. Individuals (what the 507th had become) have been taken prisoner, but no unit has surrendered.
Part of it is because most of the guys we fight don't take prisoners.
K
Ken Stallings
Guest
Much is made that they took one wrong turn in the dark. But, there was just as much a chance that they would have followed the surveyed route and ran into the same trouble. In war, it happens.
Cheers,
Ken
Cheers,
Ken
Bjoern
worst developer ever
WTF?
Reading that report seemed to make it even more of a mess than the mess a war already is.
And theatrical depictions of conflicts are...well...a bit overdramatized nonetheless?
I know that too, but despite all fatigue, stress and fear, why didn't anyone double and triple check their positions?
K
Ken Stallings
Guest
Not sure I understand your point. If you mean they tend to compress the firefights and leave out the more mundane daily facts, then I agree. But, if you mean movies tend to overdramatize the firefights, then I totally disagree!
In fact, movies tend to under-dramatize the actual firefights. Based upon my personal experiences, I thought the recent movies, "Stop Loss," and "Hurt Locker" were both very accurate in depicting the firefights of this current war. I also think the HBO mini-series, "Generation Kill," was outstanding in depicting the experiences of grunts in the OIF invasion.
Ken
Bjoern
worst developer ever
GK is an awesome series. Gotta love Ray!
Well, the depiction of firefights in there seems to be pretty accurate as well, but stuff like Black Hawk Down was what I was on about with that "overdramatized" thing.
K
Ken Stallings
Guest
Yeah, in the sense they used a lot of pyrotechnics for dramatic effect, I totally agree.
In terms of the story, the movie was painstakingly accurate.
As an aside, I worked a few times with Michael Durant. Got a signed copy of his book on my bookshelf. Very nice man, very humble, and lives his life consistent with the awareness he's alive today because two other men died to keep him alive. His book adds some details he chose to keep quiet when the author wrote the Blackhawk Down book.
I cannot imagine what it must be to reach that understanding.
Ken
In terms of the story, the movie was painstakingly accurate.
As an aside, I worked a few times with Michael Durant. Got a signed copy of his book on my bookshelf. Very nice man, very humble, and lives his life consistent with the awareness he's alive today because two other men died to keep him alive. His book adds some details he chose to keep quiet when the author wrote the Blackhawk Down book.
I cannot imagine what it must be to reach that understanding.
Ken
Bjoern,
If you haven't read the book, Black Hawk Down, I recommend it. Also, if you rent The Hurt Locker on DVD or BluRay, in the Derector's Commentary they go on at length about the difference between real explosions and Hollywood explosions. There's also a good deal of discussion as to what shock waves do to the human body.
JAMES
wombat666
Administrator
K
Ken Stallings
Guest
I would offer a similar expression of concern. And that be that people reserve judgement until such time as they clearly understand the intent offered in the words. The mistake too many in society today make is that they associate mere words as touchstones without taking the time to fairly ascertain the intentions of the words.
It's a bit like hearing the word dam versus hearing the word damn. To a third party operating devoid knowledge of the intent and context, it might be confused as profanity, while the engineer looks in amazement why someone scolded him from speaking profanity when he was speaking about a multi-billion dollar project to create a man-made lake!
Cheers,
Ken
It's a bit like hearing the word dam versus hearing the word damn. To a third party operating devoid knowledge of the intent and context, it might be confused as profanity, while the engineer looks in amazement why someone scolded him from speaking profanity when he was speaking about a multi-billion dollar project to create a man-made lake!
Cheers,
Ken
MaddogK
Sim Junkie
Be very careful on broaching that subject.
Yes, I had forgotten for a sec how utterly suffocating the PCness is on this forum. Sadly I can't delete the post now, so just ignore it.
The intent of that post was clear, and you know it.
K
Ken Stallings
Guest
discoo ... I think this is the point many others are trying to make.
And no, neither I nor you really understand the point being made.
Ken
Bjoern
worst developer ever
Story yes, but firefights...
"The Hurt Locker" is still on my to-do-list. But without the commentary.
Director's Commentaries are a mixed bag. Some of them are a lot of giggling and self congratulations, but I recommend this one after a first viewing with it off. Just my opinion.
EVERYONE,
This is a question to which I can never get an answer: At what point in human history did we NOT have PC? When was the Golden Age? If someone knows please tell me. Don't worry, I'll wait. (Warning: upon receipt there may be a repartie. A retort.) IMO this is a VERY well behaved forum. There are a lot of places that are just wall to wall s--t slinging, and I for one have no interest in that.
JAMES
Bjoern
worst developer ever
My take:
Political Correctness was there since diplomatic relationships got invented; however back in the day it was limited to higher circles that actually had exchanges and relations to other cultures. The average Joe, like you and me didn't have much to do with those "others".
However, with the advent of travel and - more importantly - communication, a wider spectrum of the population (nowadays, almost everyone) gets into contact with other cultures, attitudes and ways of thinking. Political Correctness should *theoretically* provide a minimal base for non-offending communication between two individuals with vastly different backgrounds.
However, technology rapidly outruns human ability to adapt and cope with the new situation, so all we have now is humans with prejudice and scepticism and on the other side overdone political correctness that is trying to hammer it into their heads with all means poissible.
Both sides are at fault and as long as average Joe doesn't open up and tolerates, government Garry is making him to.
Tl;dr: Golden times? Stone age.