"Generation Kill" Blog Report

The Mini Series on HBO began July 13, 2008. It is a seven part series that follows a Marine Recon Battalion through the first 40 days of the War beginning in 2003.
Evan Wright (author) wrote "Generation Kill" and it is also based on his novel-of this same Marine Battalion.
http://www.hbo.com/generationkill/

I have signed up with HBO to specifically watch this mini series and bring you a milspouse report and opinion.

Having missed the initial July 13th debut, I was fortunate enough to catch an encore showing last night. (HBO on Demand--instant gratification)

The Marines are staging in Kuwait, bored, training here and there, and basically ready to go but have to process through the "hurry up and wait" mentality the military is ever famous for. Even as a milspouse I know this practise.

This is the section where you get to meet the characters, and find out who they are basically. A CSM that yells a lot and has vertical mans disease, a few guys that are forever consumed with their minds in the gutter but it gets them through so you overlook the piles of maxim and playboy magazines. A few guys that are quiet and keep to themselves that you want to know a little more about but they gloss over them...something tells me those guys will play a bigger part later. (always love to watch the nerds outshine the rest of them!)

A few loud mouths that don't like rules, and the difference between the grunts, and the LT's who are "by the book" but have never gotten their hands dirty---yet. Then of course the STELLAR command. Oh yes, from the top down, you can begin to see where the screw-ups are going to be. The food chain has gaps--and the gaps widen as the show progresses.

What I took from episode one, is the command officer that will most likely give bad information if he bothers to give information at all, will get men killed. BAD leadership hands down.

The leadership element that is currently running around like chicken little, and wired up will probably get punched--and he will simmer down afterwards and be OK.
The guy that "seems" to be portrayed as "gay" probably isn't--but could be, Don't ask Don't Tell--but he will more than likely save lives, perhaps die, and if not, turn out to be OK or go back home with major PTSD. He is currently TOO laid back--and too concerned with peace-love-and grooviness to be a MARINE.

The one thing though, that summed up a Marine, was spoken by a Marine.
Marine's are the pit bulls of the Military. They are fed decent--but not too well (just enough), they are trained hard, and kept to a strict code. Once in awhile they are let loose--and when they are, they are loosed to KILL.

That statement is truth. I am glad they made that point at the onset.
Bleeding hearts who cant handle that simplicity, should not watch the program.
I intend to continue watching....just to make sure they get things right! ;)