JarHead

[sanukcanuck 0]

So it's Friday night and work is done for the day, and the week is finally over. Breathe a big sigh of relief and no more useless hours counting down the clock and trying to stay focused on an inane job which has significance to others, but none whatsoever to me.

 

So what are my big plans on this Friday night? Head out and catch the happy hour and sit back with some nubile little shape on stage washing away the fog which has settled over my brain these past five days? Maybe grab a light dinner by the seaside and let the warm tropical wind blow away the cobwebs of this bloody mind-numbing five days.

 

Hmm, nope. How about crawl home in the rain, struggle with the rest of the mindless drones of the afterwork crowd on the Tube, and stop in at Blockbuster for some mindnumbing entertainment to forget the mindnumbing workweek and numb the mind just that little bit more.

 

So I just wrapped up the latest Hoo-Ah US Marines movie to roll out of Hollywood, JarHead. To be honest it was entertaining and took the mind off work and did the job and does what movies are supposed to... take you to another place. But I guess everyone takes out of things what hits closest to home, and this flick, like most Viet war movies I guess, had that one theme that hits pretty close to home for me, and probably most guys here. Sit back and imagine for a moment, it's not a far stretch from reality.

 

Story: You leave home, your life, everything safe and normal and find yourself in a training camp, listening to a drill seargent and towing the line... then stuck on a plane and shipped overseas to some strange, far off land. It's hot and foreign and the food is weird, and everything is completely different from what you knew back home. At first you miss home, and look at the picture of your girlfriend and imagine what's going on right now back where you came from. It's all so confusing and strange and exciting and you want to go back, but you know inside that even if you do it won't quite be the same, but still. Then all of a sudden, it's over. And you do go back. And it's not the same as before, and it's not quite as easy, cause you know there's something back there which is different, and maybe not better, but still different and not quite as stifling and mundane and a little bit soul-crushing that you kinda feel that you need to escape. To escape back to that hot smelly place that at first seemed strange, but now seems comforting. And you try to talk about this to someone, those other people who used to be friendly. Your friends. Now just not quite so common, in common with you, now that you've changed. Adapted. Maybe gone a little off the rail I guess, but still not the same as everyone you knew before. Which is fine cause you can still go into work, and play as if you're interested in the little day to day office politics, life politics, getting a twenty vs thirty year mortgage, and pretty much just holding it together.

 

Maybe I'm the only one here feeling a little like a shell-shocked Viet war Vet that doesn't quite belong in this civil society that we live in, but that was my summation of the movie JarHead, or at least what I took out of it, with my own little personal connection to the whole theme thrown in. And I give it two thumbs up.

 

But maybe the point I guess is that I think that us SEA rejects all have a lot in common with the common Marine JarHead. Or the old Vietnam vet headcases coming back to a country which didn't quite seem the same as the one they left. And wasn't too accomodating to someone who no longer fits into the neat little package of submission and towing the line that we're all supposed to take. You can find Vietnam service men all over Thailand who couldn't hack it back in the Great Wasteland that is the West. And you can find a hell of a lot of disillusioned punters in the West who live for their twice yearly trips and feel the same way.

 

So even though all I did this week was attack a keyboard with all of my heart and soul. And stared out the window at the dreary, rainy, miserable skies of England. I still say Hoo-ah!! I am a Marine. This is my Creed.

 

My 'Whore': The Creed of a US Marine

 

This is my 'whore'. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

 

My 'whore' is my best friend. 'She' is my life. I must master 'her' as I must master my life.

 

My 'whore', without me, is useless. Without my 'whore', I am useless. I must fire my 'whore' true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...

 

My 'whore' and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...

 

My 'whore' is human, even as I, because 'she' is my life. Thus, I will learn 'her' as a brother. I will learn 'her' weaknesses, 'her' strength, 'her' parts, 'her' accessories, 'her' sights and 'her' barrel. I will ever guard 'her' against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my 'whore' clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...

 

Before God, I swear this creed. My 'whore' and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

 

So be it, until victory is 'Canada's' and there is no enemy, but peace!

 

Apologies to any Americans or Marines out there. I took some liberty with the text.

 

So to all my punting brothers in arms. Hoo-ah!!! Till we meet on the battle-grounds of Pattaya.

 

SC

Edited May 19, 2006 by sanukcanuck

[dave_boo 0]

I'm sure that there will be a flood of protests over you insinuating bar girls are whores.

[sanukcanuck 0]

Really? I personally don't see the term whore as having any negative connotations. There have been whores since time immemorial, and I think they're a whole lot better people than most of the people I know. If someone takes offence then pretty much all I gotta say is slowly remove the stick out of your ass and place your saviour complex on the nearest shelf.

 

I thought I'd be getting hate mail from the americans on the board, to be honest. Nothing like a canadian desecrating the mighty yankee military creed. But hey, we're brothers in arms right?

[sanukcanuck 0]

Really? I personally don't see the term whore as having any negative connotations. There have been whores since time immemorial, and I think they're a whole lot better people than most of the people I know. If someone takes offence then pretty much all I gotta say is slowly remove the stick out of your ass and place your saviour complex on the nearest shelf.

 

I thought I'd be getting hate mail from the americans on the board, to be honest. Nothing like a canadian desecrating the mighty yankee military creed. But hey, we're brothers in arms right?

[poskat 0]

Thai BGs may not be whores in the current Western sense of the word to us, but to the Thais they are no different.

[Tengotodo 52]

So even though all I did this week was attack a keyboard with all of my heart and soul. And stared out the window at the dreary, rainy, miserable skies of England. I still say Hoo-ah!! I am a Marine. This is my Creed.

 

 

Apologies to any Americans or Marines out there. I took some liberty with the text.

I can appreciate the humor in your text, but you can never make light of a serious subject without taking some flak. You can never joke about gassing jews, hacking rawandans, or being a fake marine when others have literally died for your right to jest. I was in the Corps and did have some friends perish. I try to take what you say lightly, but I am afraid others will also and that is not good. You can find other things to joke about.

[av8r 0]

I can appreciate the humor in your text, but you can never make light of a serious subject without taking some flak. You can never joke about gassing jews, hacking rawandans, or being a fake marine when others have literally died for your right to jest. I was in the Corps and did have some friends perish. I try to take what you say lightly, but I am afraid others will also and that is not good. You can find other things to joke about.

I agree about not joking about gassing jews, and hacking Rawandans, but I think the Marines are fair game. A Marine should be man enough to take a little ribbing. It's not as though he was making fun of their deaths.

[mitch223 0]

I have seen the film you mention and being a British squaddie I have a lot of friends who have served in the gulf. These American Fella's are serving their country the same as I have served mine for over twenty years and do not deserve you belittling them in any way. I have personally served attached to the american army and they are good fellas. It seemed to me from your text that you are in Pattaya if this is true then I would ask the question, have you ever served in Her Majestys Armed Forces or do you just bury your head and say well done boys. I have travelled just about all over the world with the Army and I can say without doubt that although sometimes mundane as any job I have done things that people will never do in their lifetimes (and I suppose you are one of them). So, unless you are prepared to do something apart from take the piss, just shut up.