Generation Kill

[A.R. Gomez]

Wow, please tell me some of you guys have seen this show. Of all the different shows and their takes on this war, I have to say this is easily one of my favorites. Of course, this is also probably because HBO did it. There is no way that about 90% of the dialogue could be aired on prime time television but hey, that's just how grunts roll. ;) If you haven't seen it, this is a seven part series on HBO and it's definately worth checking out.

[tmoreland]

Oustanding show!!! I don't know if it's realistic but I found it to be the best hour and 15 for seven weeks straight!

[Taylor]

LOVED it. Esp. for the fact that Hospital Corpsmen were front and center for a LOT of the episodes :D

My favorite had to be Sarg Major though, that guy had my wife and I crying with laughter!

"WHERE IS YOUR HEEMIT!!!" hahahhaah!!

[tmoreland]

Yeeeoooouuu weeeeeiiiilllll AADDheere to the guuuroomin' standard!:rmad:

[DeeDee]

This show was excellent - I completely enjoyed watching it. Had a couple moments where I was going "WTF???" But it was a really good show and I would definitely recommend it to others.

[bobby knoxville]

I watched the show and enjoyed it, but I also read the book which I would recommend. One of my favorite parts in the book (excluded from the show) : One of 1st Recons Hummers gets stuck in "quicksand" while under fire and are rescued by the POGs they so often belittle. (pg 142)

[DominaMedicus]

http://tv.blinkx.com/show/generation-kill/4HBjmBoYmKarnSeKV753FUBe6eg

yeah I know, I have no life
:/

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

What exactly do you "like" about this show?

Supposedly they are among the best the Marine Corps has to offer?? They are a bunch of dysfunctionals that got incredibly lucky the other side was more screwed up than they were.

There is a bit of an entertainment factor but the Doc is about the only one that isn't jacked up. I liked that he took care of his patients, stood firm on his principles, spoke up when needed and told the truth to his officers (but bent reality to protect his Marines -- most often from themselves....)

[Taylor]

There is a bit of an entertainment factor but the Doc is about the only one that isn't jacked up.

But isnt that how it USUALLY is, chief? :D

[DominaMedicus]

...I would like to see. For a job so vital, they sure don't get mentioned much. Until last year, I hadn't even heard of a Corpsman before. (Yep, under a rock, that's Me :mouse:)
My only "real" exposure (on the screen that is) to medics is the old show MASH. I remember watching it with my folks and now it runs in syndicate.

[bobby knoxville]

There is a movie called "Flags of Our Fathers" which was written by the son of a WW2 Corpsman...and the book is not too shabby either. For further Corpsman stuff there is the mention of "Doc" in the book "Jarhead" but I guess it did not translate to the movie. That is all....

[nighthawk]

This series really does shadow all my experiences in OIF1. So much so I had to stop and ponder things I had forgotten. From the Mustache growing contest to the problems with the leadership to the sarcastic racial humor. Yes I too, thought Pamela Anderson was dead! The situation was chaotic and funny and sad. Very fluid. SgtMaj of the Marine Corps, SgtMaj Kent (whom I met and respect he loves his Combat Docs) said he watched 15 minutes of it and turned it off because it didn't reflect the Corps he knows. But he’s not Recon. Not only that every time he goes somewhere... we all act differently around him and I’m sure that’s true of every command he visits. He has a skewed view of the Corps. You can say that GK shows a break down in Command. But I think it shows good men wanting to be apart of a mission even though it’s not ideal. Even though things are backwards at times... we all still have that honor to drive on no matter what the circumstance. Mr Murphy raises his ugly head even in special units. Lots of memories… I have not seen anything that compares to its authenticity. With that in mind Hollywood does make creative decisions and a movie is not the same as a documentary. I would say it’s generally about 90% accurate and some scenes spot-on.

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

Well then I guess I am on SgtMaj Kent's side of the fence for this one....

I did not turn it off but it did turn me off. The series is portrayed as a docu-drama but definitely does not portray the Marine Corps I know either. I am not 8427 but I've been around the community and we often strap hang together over the past decade. My accuracy rating is much lower than 90%.

Sure, the initial invasion was pretty much the wild west and we had a (unofficial, unsanctioned) mustache growing contest once we got to the staging areas in Kuwait. We had a UK reporter that ran with us much of the time. We had our share of Murphy's Law, clowns and stupid stunts too (Bored Marines + high explosives = bad), but we had absolutely no thought, or care, of Pamela Anderson. The few Marines in my unit that were unable to make the transition from peace time training to combat did not get to keep their positions and were quickly replaced by another Marine who could do the job.


Our CO did not refer to himself in 3rd person continually seeking glory, chasing missions outside our scope and making repeated hair brained decisions. We came home with our colors and certainly did not destroy our own colors. Our supply shortages were not our own making. We did not have an officer (or enlisted) that repeatedly got on the radio pissing his pants ranting doom & gloom (or abuse prisoners). SNCO's were not put on restriction or placed under investigation for the actions of an officer. We did not call an airstrike on a non-hostile target full of women & kids. Or mistake a town miles away for attacking tanks and bomb an empty desert. SNCO & NCO's did not allow the Marines to stand uncovered & highlighted while taking incoming when cover & concealment was readily available. No incompetent senior enlisted was brown nosing the Co CO, dropping the ball with the troops, bad mouthing & sabotaging Plt commanders. We did not get fired upon by our own Marines. We did not loose track of friendlies and fire upon them. We did not treat fellow Marines as 2nd class citizens or run & hide from our attachments....

The list goes on and on, but why continue to beat a dead horse.