Apparently, Jarhead is nearly as bad as a lot of us feared it would be. Very little verissimilitude for anyone who's ever served in the armed forces—much less a veteran of the first Gulf War such as Joyner. In the comments section, James is challenged to come up with military movies that are true to real-life experience in uniform. Naturally, Band of Brothers gets raves—but of course one of the reasons it's so successful is that it takes eight hours (or was it ten?) to tell its story. There's a lot of time to capture some of the varied experiences of the men in the 101st Airborne.

We need more people who have actually served writing stories about the military; as it is, what we're given is too far off the mark.

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Attila the Hub and I are watching the series for the third time. Our copy is on VHS, and it's starting to degrade in quality: we got it sent to us for free ("for your Emmy consideration") because Attila Hub is a member of the television academy, and every once in a while the words "for your consideration" flash across the bottom of the screen.

So we need to get it on DVD before our next viewing.

But I definitely recommend seeing it more than once, because the more you watch it, the more you get to know the "characters" (who are real men, of course: this is a true story). And, loving these men, you notice the "cameos" they play in each other's stories before Tom Hanks turns the spotlight on their own individual narratives.

We watch it at least once a year, but each time I see it I notice more and more subtleties that I didn't see before. All the performances are incredible, but David Schwimmer's is especially noteworthy if you've only seen him do light-hearted situation comedies.

It's not a particularly easy thing to watch, but it fills me with gratitude and awe each time I see it. And it's beautifully done in an epic style: like Middlemarch, except that it's set in the 20th Century and people are getting their legs blown off.

If you haven't seen it, see it. If you haven't seen it lately, give it another look.

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In her own words.

UPDATE: Enough with the name-calling in the comments section; I'll handle the immature behavior around here. If you have a view, state it clearly without attacking private citizens (Sheehan's placed herself in the public spotlight, so you can call her names—though I'd rather you didn't).

If you support her—why? If you feel she's dishonoring her son, how?

Thanks.

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cuts the NYT a new one for its [lack of] war reporting.

Via Photon Courier, the world's most underappreciated blog.

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It's the Fourth of July, and the Cotillion girls are dancing with the Milbloggers!

My dance partners for the day: a group of fine men who either have served or are serving this country.

I’m honoring a Navy Seal, a gentleman from the army’s Special Forces, three “former” Marines, and one active-duty one. After all, the USMC has a special place in my life (Attila the Hub having been one of the few and the proud).

Next year, IÂ’m hoping to add at least one Vietnam-era LRRP—because another special friend of ours used to do these dangerous patrols in 'Nam many years ago.

Without further ado I give you—

“USMC” in Al Fallujah, who is giving us on-the-ground news from Iraq, practically in real time. This is a great starting point for those of us who want to cut through the BS out there and find out what’s really going on.

Matthew Heidt of Froggy Ruminations, whose entries are always thoughtful and well-reasoned (and, yes: weÂ’ve had a couple of spirited arguments, handled with good sense and politeness on—well, on his side, at least).

Special Forces Alpha Geek is a “find”—a nicely written blog with a fresh perspective.

Nick D. , the host of Twenty-first Century Republican, brings a lot to the party—and more to the cotillion’s July 4th Gala.

Marvin of Little Red Blog is a great writer, a thinker—and a good dancer. Here, he shares some important observations about aid to Africa.

The Marine officer and future lawyer who publishes Law and Ordnance always has good insights; here, he tackles Pablo Paredes.

And Former Marine Ben writes fabulous essays; heÂ’s a straight shooter and weÂ’re lucky to have him online.

Thanks to all who have put on a uniform to defend this country. And thanks to their families, who have endured and sacrified so much in the efforts to keep us safe.

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Goldstein carries the meme to its logical conclusion.

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here about the "chickenhawk meme," and how morally and logically bankrupt it is.

Everyone's quoting Hitchens, who slices the meme into ribbons.

Goldstein would like us in the 'sphre to put an end to this "chickenhawk" bullshit once and for all.

Do, let's.

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. . . on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." 'Bout time.

(Via Beautiful Atrocities.)

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Goldstein has your holiday dialogue between self and soul (or, in his case, between him and his fictitious deadbeat neighbor).

Conclusions from his comments section: we can remember those who have sacrificed to keep this country free, and then grill chicken and listen to the Steve Miller Band.

And, in my particular case, celebrate having married the funniest guy on earth eight years ago this weekend. (The actual anniversary was Tuesday, but I like to think the whole weekend is an extended celebration of this groovy thang we got goin'.)

Pray and reflect in the morning; fire up the grill in the afternoon. There's room for both.

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1 Trackback didn't seem to work. Here's my post, and HAPPY, HAPPY Mem Day to you. http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2005/05/swords_into_plo.html

Posted by: Sissy Willis at May 30, 2005 03:52 AM (N6LnR)

2 I celebrated the day by conquering the world about 3 times in a computer sim game called "civilization".

Posted by: Ciggy at May 31, 2005 08:32 AM (q9YxC)

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The Syrian Army is in Iraq.

Via Protein Wisdom, where Jeff appears convinced that Malkin and Hewitt are upset about relatively minor things.

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. . . is soliciting stories from members of the military.

A lot of people are responding, essentially, "you first."

As in, "sign that form 180, Bucko."

Some of 'em, however, are getting downright tart about it.

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. . . that we may be reaching the tipping point in terms of throwing out this silly, destructive "don't ask, don't tell" policy in our armed forces.

About flippin' time.

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1 Do the gay men shower with the men or the women? Do the lesbians shower with the men or the women? Here's a very real "order and discipline" question: Should a person be put in the position of having to undress and shower in front of a person/people who openly find them sexually attractive? What if that includes someone that has openly made sexual/romantic advances? Would you want to put your daughter or son in that situation? If a gay man can go into the gang shower and get an eyeful of naked beef, can I go get to shower with the 22 year old girls in the unit? If not, then why not? Actually, I would be seriously uncomfortable whether it was the gay men or the 22 year old girls and I don't think it's unnatural to feel that way. The last time I was off at the war we took a young lady with us. She was a real trooper and we men vigilantly protected her privacy from any chance of predatory voyeurism. We also made sure not to expose ourselves to her. The current policy is a half-hearted attempt to protect all of us from predatory voyeurism. On many bases, we have policies that keep men and women in separate barracks. This is for "good order and discipline." Barring young men from their barracks helps protect the young ladies. We get lots of congressional attention when some guy misbehaves. 4 sets of barracks/showers don't do it either. If all the gay men are in the same barracks to have at each other, how is it consistent to separate straight men and women by gender? So we are left with one equitable solution. Everyone showers with everyone.

Posted by: Ironcross11 at March 12, 2005 08:51 PM (SDx7R)

2 This has been discussed a lot on blogs I frequent. It's certainly the most difficult issue for a lot of people. I know that Cassandra of Villainous Company has struggled with it, because she has had to deal with disciplinary problems that crop up in a heterosexual context, and this sounds extra-complex to her—and to many others as well. We've had some spirited exchanges over at Beautiful Atrocities on this very subject; you might go over there and do a search if you'd like to read them. I can only give a partial answer, not having a military background myself. But here are some thoughts: 1) Gay men and lesbians are not more sexual than other people. I'm not saying you were implying this, but it's something to bear in mind as you think about this issue. 2) There are already gay men and lesbians who are serving, and for many of them it's awkward to have to be secretive (which is a different thing than being discreet). 3) The primary reason for joining the military for gays and lesbians is to serve their country—just as it is with straights. The intention is not to ogle people in the shower. (Mostly, of course. There are jerks in every demographic.) 4) You include the notion of young soldiers/sailors/Marines having to shower with others who have made sexual or romantic advances, but surely permitting that sort of thing is not considered good "order and discipline" among straight soldiers/sailors/Marines, is it? Isn't an inappropriate advance a reportable offense? Do you need to re-examine an assumption that gays/lesbians are more likely than straights to make inappropriate advances? 5) I'm often told that men find it more difficult than women to "turn the channel," that they are turned on by visual stimuli, cannot help it, and often act on it. But I'm not so sure: after all, if that were the case—if adult males were as wanton as I'm told they are—a lot more of them would have made advances toward their teenaged daughters, whom I'm sure they occasionally glimpse getting out of the shower. I know this is an ooky thing to say, but I'm making the point that men can program themselves to respect society's boundaries. If it's clear what is a "no-no," they will neither look nor touch. Mostly. (For the rest, we have the military justice system.) 6) Most gays and lesbians have grown up taking showers with the same sex, in high school, and know how to cope. They are perfectly capable of keeping their eyes to themselves; they've had years of practice. 7) I'm not so sure that naked people are sexier than partially clothed people: it seems that the people looking are far more intrigued when things are hidden than when they are shown. It's my understanding that straight people have suffered under the "don't ask, don't tell" rules, because others can accuse them of being gay and it's difficult to defend against. This encourages the "office politics" to ferment. 9) I see no justification for the extreme things that have happened in the name of "don't ask, don't tell." Firing translators? Firing Arabic and Farsi translators? That has nothing to do with taking showers at all: it's just pure prejudice, and it's hurting our ability to fight the War on Terror. It's the guys we're fighting who value women's privacy to the point that we are supposed to bundle up lest you guys glimpse a bit of leg and be driven mad by desire. I'm a Westerner, and I think as a whole we represent a more optimistic view of human nature. Hope this helps.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 13, 2005 12:58 AM (R4CXG)

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. . . reprints—and places into context—a classic piece by Smash, the Indepundit.

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. . . this unfortunate habit of referring to the male genitals as "junk"? It's only slightly less offensive than the British "naughty bits."

On the other hand, at least there are terms for the male genitalia that encompass the entire area. Most term that refer to female genitals only refer to the canal . . . you know: the useful part.

Of course, sexual slang is generally really inadequate to describe the human equipment and experience. We should, really, be able to do better.

That said, I'm glad to finally know the origin of the term "going commando." Carry on.

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Ironcross discusses the military's super-secret plan for Islamic genocide. Well, sooner or later the cat was bound to come out of the bag, huh?

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Blackfive has an amazing story about a male Marine who accidentally got a care package meant for a female, and how it ended up saving another Marine's life.

Apparently, the fact that tampons expand helps them to stop the bleeding when they are inserted into certain types of wounds. Now the other guys have started carrying tampons around with them, just in case.

Superabsorbent fibers, individual packaging that keeps 'em clean—I can see it, and I wonder why we didn't think of it before.

Read the whole thing, though: it's told from the point of view of the Marine Mom who coordinated the sending of packages, and how her initial embarrassment about the mixup turned to pride in American ingenuity.

Via McGehee.

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Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities has a roundup of the military men and women providing coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Go read.

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. . . has the real story on this "armor scandal." Viva Power Line.

UPDATE: Link fixed, I think.

UPDATE 2: Power Line is apparently Time's "Blog of the Year," which means two things to me:

1) there is some justice in the world, and
2) Time may keep this tradition going. Next year, of course, the "Blog of the Year" should be me, based on something brilliant I'll be writing in, oh, July of '05.

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To Michael's blog, The Common Virtue, to wish him a happy first blogversary, and to support his being the very first guy with the guts to advertise on Little Miss Attila. (More will follow, I suspect, but he's blazing the trail.)

His blog is interesting reading in particular because he really does represent the leadership of the future. It's especially illuminating for those of us who have no military background. (And, of course, I am such an ignoramous: all I know about military life I owe to my former Marine husband and to Tom Hanks. If the Attila Hub weren't writing a book about Vietnam, I'd know even less.)

The Common Virtue provides a peephole through which we can see today's military passing on its body of knowledge to the next generation. We infer, from reading Michael's posts, what the Army's priorities are in the here and now. It gives us insight as to what the "brass" is thinking. (One of the things I loved about seeing Band of Brothers for the second/third time is that when you see the guys from the 101st go to take the Germans' machine gun nests on the very day they land, you know you're seeing the actions that became the model for lessons being taught at West Point to this very day: that assault became the way to approach a fixed target.

Naturally, it's just one step beyond to want to know not just the physical rigors Michael and his friends are going through, but to see the reasoning behind the exercises they perform. The war games, especially, fascinate me. (Another Band of Brothers moment: we begin to see that Captain Sobel, though a brilliant—and slightly sadistic—trainer of men is worthless in the field, and it shows up in the war games the guys engage in as "warmups" before they go into battle for real.)

As for Michael, he's not above providing "added value" by running the Carnival of the Recipes. He knows what we like—at 22, at 42, and at every age in between. Forget music: Food is the universal language.

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Phillip Carter of Intel Dump wrote a tribute on Thursday to the living veterans of our last few wars. It's a beautiful piece, and it ends with this tart little reminder of what we need to be doing:

On this Veterans Day, unfortunately, there is more that we can do to support our nation's warriors. The Veterans Administration, always the victim of chronic underfunding, faces significant shortfalls today. It must ration health care in order to deliver even the most basic services, and it may not be ready for the bow wave of combat veterans who will leave active duty over the next several years. We owe our veterans more than this. Similarly, while the overwhelming majority of mobilized reservists have been supported well by their civilian employers, thousands of reservists have come home from combat duty to find their jobs gone, or to find themselves the victims of some adverse employment action, in contravention of federal law. According to the Washington Post, roughly 40 percent of the reservists now mobilized face a "pay gap", where they make (in many cases, significantly) less money on active duty than in their civilian jobs. These troops have a tough time supporting their families while they serve.

Read the original, which contains clickable links to set us on the right path.

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