They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell
Monday, May 23, 2011
Term 2 Home-Based Learning "We Slept With Our Boots On"
Background information:
He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003
Definitions:
LZ- Landing Zone
Hindu Kush- a mountain range in central Asia
References:
Task 2:Complete the template provided below (Annex A), focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.
Point Of View
This poem is in the point of view of a paratrooper that has experienced the whole war, as the poet mentioned" Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell". Thus, he is able to give us a full view of the whole war as he has had first hand experience and since it was a terrifying one, he would remember it very clearly and thus it is reliable. The function of the speaker in this poem is to discourage war by emphasizing what happens during war time and as many people that do not experience war do not take it lightly, he is trying to tell people that war is no joke and that it really is very terrifying.
Situation and Setting
He was in a helicopter at the start, and the helicopter might have been shot down and thus they had to make an emergency landing as "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit". This meant that they were in a hurry. After their helicopter was shot down, they landed on a mountainous area as "Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod". They were also running through lead rain. The situation was a very critical and frightful one as the author mentioned "I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more". This showed that the author and his friends were in grave danger as they had to keep using their guns to defend themselves. It was also very horrifying for them as enemies could turn up anywhere and they were alone. The author also mentioned how he went through the whole situation with his allies that helped one another and that he really respected them as he mentioned"I will never forget those who were called higher" and "Brothers aren’t born they’re earned". He mentioned that he would never forget those that were called higher as these people might have risked their lives to save others and thus gained his respect and that he would never forget them.
Language/Diction
The use of language in the poem also helped to express his points as he described the mountains as majestic and later, he said that they were so steep, thus he was using sarcasm to describe the mountains that he had to overcome. He has also described the situation as hell as he really hated the experience because he had witnessed the sight of his comrades falling right before his eyes. This is an apt metaphor of the situation as it fits his purpose of discouraging war as nobody wants to go to hell.
Personal response
After reading how he described the situation, I really felt a sense of fear for war and in thus, the poet has succeeded in his purpose and I feel sad for the people that go to war as they are forever in anxiety, unsure of where the enemies might come out next. The fact that they even slept with their boots on shows that they were really scared and they did not even dare to let their guards down for a moment. He was also able to allow the reader to picture the battlefield in his mind, as though the reader was going through it himself as he had described the situation with very detailed and appropriate language, thus he really gave us the experience of what it really feels like being a soldier in war.
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