Generation Kill

As we begin Going After Cacciato we naturally, because of its subject matter, have discussed the Vietnam War quite a bit. Additionally, Slaughterhouse-Five forced us to discuss World War II. Not meaning the actual wars themselves, although we have done some of that, but the bulk of our discussions have been pertaining to the psychological effect warfare can have on an individual. Thanks to Slaughterhouse-Five and someone's blog (Ed or Acton I think) we are now familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the consequence of war Slaughterhouse. We are presented with Billy Pilgrim's personal experiences in armed conflict and observe his struggle to deal with its lasting effect. In Cacciato, we examine one man's, desertion and the journey those giving chase to him, all tired of war themselves. Seeing this negative response to warfare by these characters, whose stories are based off the personal experiences of the respective authors, reminded me of something. This summer I watched the HBO miniseries, Generation Kill. The show wasn't particualry well done, unlike most things HBO does, but it did show a side of war that we, in this class, are yet to be exposed too. The miniseries was about a Marine batallion during the early phases of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and is based on actual events. The Marines portrayed, all based off real people, are nothing like Billy Pilgrim or the soldiers in Cacciato, but rather the complete opposite. They embrace war. Their outlook on war polarizes that of Pilgrim and Cacciato. Billy and Cacciato are depressed by war and look for any way to get out of it. These Marines, on the other hand, love it. The psychological effect on them is not a case of PTSD but rather an adrenaline rush. They do not question their presence in Iraq, as Cacciato does in Vietnam, but they accept it and quite frankly, enjoy it. How could they be so incredibly different? To be honest, I'm not completely sure but I can speculate. Obviously American society has changed since WWII and even Vietnam. Children today are surrounded by violence, be it in the form of video games, movies or whatever, it's a part of everyday life, far more so than ever before. Mr. Crotty told us in class that the military no longer has to give its volunteers desensitzing training, a necessity in the past, because of the everyday exposure to violence in today's society. Personal thoughts?