Generation Kill - The Book

I have consumed myself in this amazing book called "Generation Kill" by Evan Wright. It is a story narrated by a reporter who spent his time in IRAQ with Force Recon Marines.

It is wonderfully written and is accurate. Wright writes about the marines and their stories, his experience with a fire fight, ambush, and incompetent higher-ups in the chain of command. He mentions the lack of communication resulting in disasters such as an Army A-10 aircraft unloading it's payload and killing several marines and destroying our own armored vehicles. Fire fights would be so confusing that marines would be firing at marines. War is terrible. Many of the marines are young and think they are invencibile. Many Marines are dying to kill as many people as possible. "Get Some!" a twenty-year-old redheaded corporal screams, "I would have loved to have flown the plane that dropped the bomb on Japan. A couple dudes killed hundreds of thousands. That fucking rules! Yeah!" Many grew up with video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and aren't afraid to unleash death and total destruction on women and children.

It's a story about Marines redecorating Iraq. They willingly launch grenades into civilian's homes and run over dead Iraqi soldiers with their tanks. Blood and entrails are smeared all over the roads. The convoys piss and shit everywhere and in public. They throw MRE (Ready to eat meals) wrappers, trash and litter a over the road. Artillary destroy sewage pipes allowing them to rupture and explode everywhere. The stench of rotten flesh and shit is everywhere. How wonderful...

"What's the first thing you feel when you shoot a civilian? The recoil of your rifle." - Wright

In their free time, they read Hustler magazines, sleep, piss and shit in public, study maps and practice martial arts on each other. Men doing what they like to do.

You also get the idea of how typical conversations with Marines go.

"Yeah," Person says, a note of belligerance in his voice. "When I get back I'm gonna start a gay club. I'll call it the Men's Room. There will be, like, a big urinal with a two-way mirror everyone pisses against. It will be, like, facing the bar, so when everyone's drinking there will be, like, these big cocks pissing at them."
"Person," Colbert says. "Give it a rest, please."

This book really enforced what I already know about Marines. I had spent a couple of years with them and they are trained killers... not brain surgeons, not rocket scientists...

"Tonight, he entertains his fellow troops by pacing the tent, reading letters aloud sent by schoolchildren to boost morale. He opens one from a girl who writes that she is praying for world peace. He throws it down. "Hey, little tyke," Person shouts. "What does this say on my shirt? 'US Marine!'" I wasn't born on some hippie-faggot commune. I'm a death-dealing killer. In my free time I do push-ups until my knuckles bleed. Then I sharpen my knife."

The book is highly addicting and I wouldn't be surprised if they make it into a movie someday. Overall, I give it an 8/10. Great work of non-fiction!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2004-08-04-generation-kill_x.htm