Reading time 8

Generation Kill - Episode 1

This recent weekend, I decided it was time to rewatch Generation Kill for the third time, and OMG, I miss the Corps, lol. Like other Marine Corps movie reviews, I’m not going to talk about tactics. Talking tactics is like talking politics and everyone has a better idea, lol, so I avoid that topic altogether.

I’m going to draft this post as I watch the mini-series.

Episode 1 - Get Some

March 11-22, 2003

I swear every unit has a “Fruity Rudy”, and I don’t mean homosexual, I mean, way too motivated, running in a gas mask and rocks in his pack. I knew several Marines that always ran with weights in their pack, just for fun.

I appreciate that the series shows the BS that Marines have to deal with when it comes to equipment. Every vehicle we got was junk as was much of anything we got from supply. When you have your leadership telling you what you can report as unserviceable, instead of what is unserviceable, then you have a problem.

I’m still on the first episode and I love the SgtMaj, going off on the Marines on totally pointless things. Then there is all the broken fucked up equipment, including being issued Woodland Camo MOPP suits. That has always been a problem in the Corps, and it really comes down to money and the Corps just doesn’t have enough.

The scene where the Marines have to go to an Army base to get something from the BX/PX, is just sad, but from what I have been told, accurate. There is a conversation between Evan Wright the journalist, Sgt Colbert, and Cpl Person. The whole, not being able to purchase in bulk, and the part about “If Marines could get what they need when they need it, we would be happy, and we wouldn’t be ready to kill people all the time.”, “See, the Marine Corps is like America’s little pit bull. They beat us, mistreat us, and once in a while let us out to attack somebody.” That statement is so true about America’s little pit bull. The Corps gets shit on so much, it isn’t even remotely funny. As Sgt Cobert stated “The Army goes to war, they bring it all. But Marines, we make do.”

During the first invasion of Iraq (Desert Storm) we were told to make sure we were ready, I remember my wife and I trying to find a flak jacket for me to wear as the Corps didn’t have enough to issue. How in the hell can a military organization not have enough of something? That is their entire freaking function. I mean, if you have 100,000 troops, then you should have at least 80,000 units of everything. As Cpl Person said, “See, when Marines invade a foreign country, we gotta buy all our own shit. Me and Brad spent $500 of our own money just fixing up the Humvee. Bought our own antennas, filters, these cammie nets. We even painted it ourselves. So yeah, homes, we pimpin’.”

Then the scene where the reporter from the Rolling Stones, is trying to put on his gas mask and then his MOPP suit, that scene is just funny as hell. That is exactly why we train like we fight. Even us POGs had to train that way. If we don’t train, then we end up like the reporter and we are fumbling around and end up getting wasted by some shithead with a gun.

A journalist/reporter being embedded with troops is not uncommon, as this is how the world knows what is going on during a war. Usually, the reporter is not restricted in what he/she can write about, however, having them embedded with a unit like this, actually keeps the reporting real and they usually report about the Marines or Soldiers that they are embedded with. In this case, the journalist is Evan Wright the author of Generation Kill.

We train so much that getting into MOPP Level 4 is pretty much second nature but watching the reporter trying to get the mask on, and then pretty much cutting his nuts off and then trying to walk, OMG, which was classic.

If you haven’t watched Generation Kill, it is an HBO miniseries that is based on a 2004 book about his experience as an embedded journalist with the US Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

There are a bunch of scenes where the Marines are engaging in silly grab-ass, bull shit, but then again, that is the Corps at its finest and the grunts are famous for that shit. That is one of the things that I never really engaged in as the Marines who are usually in the Intel MOSs usually don’t engage in that grab-ass shit. It’s not that we are better or above, it is usually most of us are computer nerds, you know the ones that got beat up on the playground in elementary school, lol

I loved the line that Cpl Ray Person (played by James Ransone), said, “You know what happens when you get out of the Marine Corps? You get your brains back.” Man, that statement couldn’t be truer. The Corps does not want you to think on your own. I can tell you that Marines in general do some stupid ass shit.

As I’m still in the first episode of this 8-part miniseries, I want to say that actor Chance Kelly, did a great job playing Lieutenant Colonel Stephen “Godfather” Ferrando. He not only nailed his voice but also his mannerisms. And if you are not sure what is up with his voice, he has throat cancer, and how he contracted it, well in his own words, “Just lucky, I guess.”. You can see a clip of the real Lt Col Ferrando here