Jarhead

Jarhead

Another great book we read this semester is Jarhead by Anthony Swafford. This book had a huge impact on me. Jarhead was based on Swafford’s experiences in the Gulf War as a sniper in the USMC. This book had a lot of sentimental value to it from the beginning to the end so that is why I took to it.
After the training when Swafford was send to Iraq, he had images of killing all sorts of people and conquering, but to his surprise there was little involvement with war which led this war phenomenon to no end leaving the troops all alone doing nothing but thinking, praying and hoping.
This long painful journey of seeking revenge and defending our country all led to the boredom stage in the Marines lives. The book involves sex a lot emphasizing to us what and who they rather be doing rather then sit there waiting for war. The letters and pictures they receive become more what they seem because that is their only way to have contact with the outside world.
What I have recognized is that being at war is a very sentimental time and moment in a Marine live. They are not only dealing with the struggle of being there but they are also struggling with the reality of LIFE itself.