My venture into firefighting officially began on Sunday, October 25 at a meet-and-greet inside the fire hall. That same day I turned 32 years old and ironically received badge number 32! Getting used to sleeping alongside a 24-7 pager took some time; I didn't sleep well the first few nights. Now don't get me wrong, we only get about 150 calls per year, but there was some anxiety waiting for the pager to go off for the first time nonetheless.
I missed two calls prior to my first response because they occurred while I was at work. One was a call about a gas smell and the other was in response to a carbon monoxide alarm. They weren't high-excitement calls, but being that I was eager to respond to my first call I was disappointed.
My time came on Friday, November 6, 2009. My wife and I were selecting our dinners from Pei Wei's website. We had been planning a nice night in with Chinese food and wine. Just when my wife was about to submit our order my pager went off.
I looked at her and asked, "Can I go?!"
"Of course!" she shouted.
Of course I knew I had to go as well, but how else would you expect a proby to react?! I was especially excited because the call was about a possible grass fire in someone's yard. What great experience I was about to get! I rushed down to the station (obeying all traffic laws of course ;)) and joined about eight other firefighters in a scene that must have resembled a costume change at an SNL taping. I had about half of my bunker gear on when our training officer came begrudgingly out of the office to break the news to us that the call had been cancelled. Apparently some passerby spotted a large bonfire that seemed a bit too big, but the police deemed it within the city's size restrictions. An emotional roller coaster indeed, but there's always next time. Unfortunately the other bad news is that our training officer gave the probies specific instructions for next time, "Come straight to the radio room, don't change and get out of everyone's way."
I have a long way to go.
AE
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Professional Writing Devolution
I just started a late start English class. The class is completely online and the teacher has decided to put us into groups. Don't get me wrong, I love group work, but attempting it in an online class is not fun. One of our first tasks was to answer the question, "How will professional writing evolve in the 21st century?" To answer it we have been provided three chapters of reading and several handouts. Couple that with our own individual work and area-of-study experiences and you'd think we could get somewhere right? Wrong. I kicked off the discussion with this post just to get the ball rolling:
"The evolution of professional writing frightens me. I work as a mechanical designer at an engineering company. Mechanical designers and drafters most often have two-year technical degrees whereas engineers typically have four-year degrees. The difference in email structure between a new graduate and an experienced employee is like night and day, especially when talking about a new, two-year graduate. This is because a two-year, technical degree often times does not include writing courses. We usually will not allow new grads to email clients directly until we have seen a handful of interoffice emails from them. They might not know that we are monitoring their writing, but we do. Grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors are definitely more common with new hires right out of school.
I believe this problem stems from the emergence of texting and social networking platforms in this world today. Young adults have become accustomed to speedy communication while simply ignoring the quality of their words. When sending a text message for example, it is a lot quicker to send a message without capital letters or punctuation. Doing this enough times may cause an individual to carry these poor practices over to professional or educational communications without even realizing it. Texting and social networking sites are a great thing, but individuals must be able to differentiate when it is appropriate to take shortcuts in writing. When you write at the professional level, you and your company are being judged based on what and how you write."
I made this post hoping for some feedback, especially from teenage students in my group. Instead, four days later only one other person has participated in the discussion. After making a post to try to encourage my teammates to participate before the week is over (keep in mind we are graded based on group participation), this was one of the missing students' first post:
"Evolution of professional writing? ok... I think what the teacher was saying is now days you have to have a general understanding of how to navigate online and need to know how to use professional resources online? well if this is the case I think in the near future, all students and employees will have to know how to navigate themselves in the world of cyber space and utilize the resources online provided to them"
Thank you teammate for providing justification for my first post.
AE
"The evolution of professional writing frightens me. I work as a mechanical designer at an engineering company. Mechanical designers and drafters most often have two-year technical degrees whereas engineers typically have four-year degrees. The difference in email structure between a new graduate and an experienced employee is like night and day, especially when talking about a new, two-year graduate. This is because a two-year, technical degree often times does not include writing courses. We usually will not allow new grads to email clients directly until we have seen a handful of interoffice emails from them. They might not know that we are monitoring their writing, but we do. Grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors are definitely more common with new hires right out of school.
I believe this problem stems from the emergence of texting and social networking platforms in this world today. Young adults have become accustomed to speedy communication while simply ignoring the quality of their words. When sending a text message for example, it is a lot quicker to send a message without capital letters or punctuation. Doing this enough times may cause an individual to carry these poor practices over to professional or educational communications without even realizing it. Texting and social networking sites are a great thing, but individuals must be able to differentiate when it is appropriate to take shortcuts in writing. When you write at the professional level, you and your company are being judged based on what and how you write."
I made this post hoping for some feedback, especially from teenage students in my group. Instead, four days later only one other person has participated in the discussion. After making a post to try to encourage my teammates to participate before the week is over (keep in mind we are graded based on group participation), this was one of the missing students' first post:
"Evolution of professional writing? ok... I think what the teacher was saying is now days you have to have a general understanding of how to navigate online and need to know how to use professional resources online? well if this is the case I think in the near future, all students and employees will have to know how to navigate themselves in the world of cyber space and utilize the resources online provided to them"
Thank you teammate for providing justification for my first post.
AE
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Dear Erin
Dear Erin,
I’m a thirty-one year old student at a local community college near my home. A few years back I decided to make a career change out of the corporate world and into public service. Because of my desire to help people and my belief that impacting kids early on is so crucial, I decided to pursue a teaching career. I’m currently enrolled in a class that is devoted to the history of the Holocaust. I thought it would be a perfect compliment to my pursuit of a history degree. What I’m finding, however, is that it may end up playing an intricate role in defining my future teaching methods. After watching the movie Freedom Writers, I became even more excited about educating teenagers. Although it is not directly about the history of the Holocaust, it has broadened my view of how a catastrophic event can be used to better our world. Your story directly justifies that belief.
I have become a proponent of the sociological imagination. In today’s world we are often too quick to pass judgment on someone or something without examining the historical background. Along that same line of thinking comes the ability to use history as a tool used to craft our own behaviors. You’ve shown me that the Holocaust is the ultimate, historical tool we have to influence young lives. By utilizing all of the Holocaust’s historical elements you were able to unite a substantially diverse classroom. The benefits of a book like Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, can only get you so far. By implementing venues like the Museum of Tolerance and its artifacts, movies and pictures, you effectively complimented what a book has to offer. You did not stop there. By providing your students with the ability to sit and talk with actual Holocaust survivors, you gave them an experience that only a few people will ever encounter.
Just like the Holocaust should never be forgotten, neither should your story. Finding out that none of your students were aware of what the Holocaust was must have been shocking. I cannot fathom an entire class of freshman being entirely oblivious to Nazi war crimes. This frightening realization is exactly why we should remember your story. Room 203 didn’t forget about the Holocaust – their families did. Proof, that if we fail to teach our youth about crimes against humanity the crimes will be forgotten – if they are forgotten, they will get repeated. We cannot just simply tell our children that we must not discriminate; we need to tell them why we must not discriminate. The Holocaust is the epitome of prejudice in human history. Learning about it is depressingly effective. Seeing such positive life transformations, like those of the Freedom Writers, come out of such evil acts vindicates the teaching of the Holocaust.
As morbid as it sounds, I can’t help but ask myself one question. With the benefit of hindsight, can it be possible that the magnitude of the Holocaust was a good thing? Of course that is easy for me to say as I sit in my own home, buy my own food, vote in elections and go to my own job. But what if the Holocaust hadn’t happened – this tremendous educational tool would not exist. And if the Holocaust hadn’t happened in the 1930s and 1940s, would one have happened in the 1950s or beyond? The simple fact is that it did happen – it’s what we decide to do with it that will perhaps define its true purpose. Strictly sympathizing with the victims is an act of pity, but utilizing the horrific magnitude to influence our youth for the good of humanity is honorary. You motivated a group of hopeless teenagers to show us that there is hope. Erin, you’ve chosen to honor the victims of the Holocaust by using their experiences to enable our youth to grasp the consequences of discrimination. That very act is worthy of honor itself. Thank you.
I’m a thirty-one year old student at a local community college near my home. A few years back I decided to make a career change out of the corporate world and into public service. Because of my desire to help people and my belief that impacting kids early on is so crucial, I decided to pursue a teaching career. I’m currently enrolled in a class that is devoted to the history of the Holocaust. I thought it would be a perfect compliment to my pursuit of a history degree. What I’m finding, however, is that it may end up playing an intricate role in defining my future teaching methods. After watching the movie Freedom Writers, I became even more excited about educating teenagers. Although it is not directly about the history of the Holocaust, it has broadened my view of how a catastrophic event can be used to better our world. Your story directly justifies that belief.
I have become a proponent of the sociological imagination. In today’s world we are often too quick to pass judgment on someone or something without examining the historical background. Along that same line of thinking comes the ability to use history as a tool used to craft our own behaviors. You’ve shown me that the Holocaust is the ultimate, historical tool we have to influence young lives. By utilizing all of the Holocaust’s historical elements you were able to unite a substantially diverse classroom. The benefits of a book like Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, can only get you so far. By implementing venues like the Museum of Tolerance and its artifacts, movies and pictures, you effectively complimented what a book has to offer. You did not stop there. By providing your students with the ability to sit and talk with actual Holocaust survivors, you gave them an experience that only a few people will ever encounter.
Just like the Holocaust should never be forgotten, neither should your story. Finding out that none of your students were aware of what the Holocaust was must have been shocking. I cannot fathom an entire class of freshman being entirely oblivious to Nazi war crimes. This frightening realization is exactly why we should remember your story. Room 203 didn’t forget about the Holocaust – their families did. Proof, that if we fail to teach our youth about crimes against humanity the crimes will be forgotten – if they are forgotten, they will get repeated. We cannot just simply tell our children that we must not discriminate; we need to tell them why we must not discriminate. The Holocaust is the epitome of prejudice in human history. Learning about it is depressingly effective. Seeing such positive life transformations, like those of the Freedom Writers, come out of such evil acts vindicates the teaching of the Holocaust.
As morbid as it sounds, I can’t help but ask myself one question. With the benefit of hindsight, can it be possible that the magnitude of the Holocaust was a good thing? Of course that is easy for me to say as I sit in my own home, buy my own food, vote in elections and go to my own job. But what if the Holocaust hadn’t happened – this tremendous educational tool would not exist. And if the Holocaust hadn’t happened in the 1930s and 1940s, would one have happened in the 1950s or beyond? The simple fact is that it did happen – it’s what we decide to do with it that will perhaps define its true purpose. Strictly sympathizing with the victims is an act of pity, but utilizing the horrific magnitude to influence our youth for the good of humanity is honorary. You motivated a group of hopeless teenagers to show us that there is hope. Erin, you’ve chosen to honor the victims of the Holocaust by using their experiences to enable our youth to grasp the consequences of discrimination. That very act is worthy of honor itself. Thank you.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Holocaust and Our Youth
In class today a fellow student made this comment, "If the new generations are brought up with love, peace and respect for life, the hope of unity between all mankind will mean a bright future free from prejudice and strife." I totally agree, it all starts with children and how they are raised and what they are taught. As crazy as Adolph Hitler was, he was smart enough to know that as well, hence the formation of Hitler's Youth and the implementation of teaching practices that taught German kids that Jewish people were bad.
This fact really made me think about the current events of today. With the population of this planet approaching 7 billion people it is impossible to rid Earth of all political or religious extremists such as Hitler, Hussein, Bin Laden or Ahmadinejad, but we have to try. Sometimes by force, yes, but also by education. If we can teach as many youths as we can to embrace other's cultural, religious, political and personal beliefs we can say we attempted to make a difference. We have to teach them that you don't always have to agree with a person, but you should respect the fact that they might have a different opinion than you. If we don't try to educate young people, extremists will continue to pass down their extreme beliefs to the youths of their current followers.
This fact really made me think about the current events of today. With the population of this planet approaching 7 billion people it is impossible to rid Earth of all political or religious extremists such as Hitler, Hussein, Bin Laden or Ahmadinejad, but we have to try. Sometimes by force, yes, but also by education. If we can teach as many youths as we can to embrace other's cultural, religious, political and personal beliefs we can say we attempted to make a difference. We have to teach them that you don't always have to agree with a person, but you should respect the fact that they might have a different opinion than you. If we don't try to educate young people, extremists will continue to pass down their extreme beliefs to the youths of their current followers.
Hitler
Saddam
Can the next one be prevented?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Why study the Holocaust?
An easy answer to this question is that the Holocaust is worth learning about so that something like it never happens again. I totally agree with that line of thinking. However, I also think that is the most important reason to learn about all facets of history. To better our lives and the lives of those around us, we must be willing to learn from our mistakes as well as the mistakes of others.
With all that said, I think there is another important reason for studying the Holocaust and other atrocities of its magnitude. By studying the Holocaust we are able to put our lives into perspective. This will probably seem like a comical example, but I will tell it anyway. A few weeks back we received over 4 inches of rain in just over 24 hours. Earlier this summer we had a bonfire patio installed at the edge of a steep hill. Five large retaining boulders were placed along the back edge of the patio to retain it. During the rain storm we lost two boulders down the hill and our patio started to sink due to a major washout. This all happened while I was reading All But My Life. At first I was extremely upset about what had happened, but I couldn't help but relate my situation to Gerda's. The situations obviously didn't compare and I soon realized how much young Gerda would have loved to be dealing with a lost boulder or two instead of her own predicament. I soon realized that things could be a lot worse in life.
So let the Holocaust serve as a reminder about how inhumane political extremists can influence a nation into an era of genocide, but let it also be a tool used to show us how to treat others and how to put our own lives into perspective. Think about the victims of the Holocaust the next time your car breaks down or the next time you are rude to someone else. The next time you are angry, stop and think about the Holocaust and ask yourself, is this really worth getting angry about?
With all that said, I think there is another important reason for studying the Holocaust and other atrocities of its magnitude. By studying the Holocaust we are able to put our lives into perspective. This will probably seem like a comical example, but I will tell it anyway. A few weeks back we received over 4 inches of rain in just over 24 hours. Earlier this summer we had a bonfire patio installed at the edge of a steep hill. Five large retaining boulders were placed along the back edge of the patio to retain it. During the rain storm we lost two boulders down the hill and our patio started to sink due to a major washout. This all happened while I was reading All But My Life. At first I was extremely upset about what had happened, but I couldn't help but relate my situation to Gerda's. The situations obviously didn't compare and I soon realized how much young Gerda would have loved to be dealing with a lost boulder or two instead of her own predicament. I soon realized that things could be a lot worse in life.
So let the Holocaust serve as a reminder about how inhumane political extremists can influence a nation into an era of genocide, but let it also be a tool used to show us how to treat others and how to put our own lives into perspective. Think about the victims of the Holocaust the next time your car breaks down or the next time you are rude to someone else. The next time you are angry, stop and think about the Holocaust and ask yourself, is this really worth getting angry about?
Friday, July 10, 2009
John Adams
Good afternoon everyone. I cannot just simply read a book; one of my many faults. I'll read a passage and earmark it for a later date so that I can copy some of my favorite quotes into a Word document that I have started. I also have to log any important dates/events into a timeline spreadsheet that I have. I think I'm subconsciously preparing myself for my future position as a history teacher. I will also become inspired rather easily and attempt to pass on said inspiration to my, most-often-disinterested, wife (love her to death though :)). Now that I have a blog I have a secondary outlet to voice some of my thoughts. Most of the inspiration I'm talking about comes from real life characters from America's past. I'm a firm believer that there should be an increasing amount of emphasis put on history in the classroom. Not just the "learn-the-facts-and-dates history" but, an emphasis should be put on how we can use history to our advantage. Learning from our mistakes as well as other's, and being able to provide factual evidence to back up an argument. Not to mention simply having the knowledge of where we came from and who got us here.
With that rant I suppose I'll finally get into the subject of this post. It has to do with John Adams. I'm currently reading Rise To Rebellion by Jeff Shaara. A diamond in the rough if you ask me. It is based on actual events but written like a novel. I'm about 25% of the way through it and have already developed a new gratification for John Adams' place in history. A farmer and a lawyer who daringly took on the case to defend Thomas Preston and his men after The Boston Massacre. He knew that his cousin, Sam Adams, and the other Sons of Liberty might peg him as a loyalist to the King. But his dedication to the principles of law, American law, motivated him to do what he thought was right. In the end Preston was acquitted. Adams not only saved the life of an innocent man, he also demonstrated the ability of the colonies to conduct a fair and proper trial. He used that case as ammunition when England took away America's power to appoint it's own judges after the burning of the Gaspee. Jeff Shaara as John Adams, "Whether you agreed or disagreed with the acquittal of Captain Thomas Preston, the most important message that came out of that courtroom is that we are a people who rely on the law. We have proven that we can judge ourselves. There is justice in our courts" (106).
Events and stories like this are worth telling. These are stories that help explain why America is the way it is. Why defendants are innocent until proven guilty. What taxation without representation means. Why power in politics will be given back to the Iraqi people. Why America will always prosper.
Works Cited
Shaara, Jeff. Rise To Rebellion. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 2001.
With that rant I suppose I'll finally get into the subject of this post. It has to do with John Adams. I'm currently reading Rise To Rebellion by Jeff Shaara. A diamond in the rough if you ask me. It is based on actual events but written like a novel. I'm about 25% of the way through it and have already developed a new gratification for John Adams' place in history. A farmer and a lawyer who daringly took on the case to defend Thomas Preston and his men after The Boston Massacre. He knew that his cousin, Sam Adams, and the other Sons of Liberty might peg him as a loyalist to the King. But his dedication to the principles of law, American law, motivated him to do what he thought was right. In the end Preston was acquitted. Adams not only saved the life of an innocent man, he also demonstrated the ability of the colonies to conduct a fair and proper trial. He used that case as ammunition when England took away America's power to appoint it's own judges after the burning of the Gaspee. Jeff Shaara as John Adams, "Whether you agreed or disagreed with the acquittal of Captain Thomas Preston, the most important message that came out of that courtroom is that we are a people who rely on the law. We have proven that we can judge ourselves. There is justice in our courts" (106).
Events and stories like this are worth telling. These are stories that help explain why America is the way it is. Why defendants are innocent until proven guilty. What taxation without representation means. Why power in politics will be given back to the Iraqi people. Why America will always prosper.
Works Cited
Shaara, Jeff. Rise To Rebellion. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 2001.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Heroic Departure
Imagine you are a seventeen or eighteen year old boy living in the United States during the winter of 1941. You’re a junior or senior in high school looking forward to graduating and gradually advancing into adulthood. Some kids had college ambitions, others were eager to join the workforce or to stay on track to take over the family farm. Those hopes and dreams were put on hold almost immediately after December 7th, 1941. The United States had been contributing in many ways to the war efforts overseas, but the injection of its military forces didn’t happen until the Empire of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The bombing tightened the final bolt that would hold democracy in place. That “day of infamy” rocked an American teenage generation into adulthood – freedom’s livelihood thrust onto their shoulders.
The majority of the American fighting men during World War II were brought into this world during America’s darkest years, the Great Depression. They came from all walks of life – tobacco farms in Kentucky, the mean streets of New Jersey or high society in Chicago. Regardless of their birthplace, they all had something in common – they were young. They were America’s future – little did they know they would be the free world’s saviors. Teenage boys in America during the Depression looked forward to high school sports, chasing women and maybe sneaking in the occasional drink – saving the world was reserved for the likes of Superman or the Green Lantern. Robbed of their educations, many teenagers dropped out of high school; they were forced to work during the Depression to help provide for their families. Despite the era’s monetary downfall, it was a simpler time back then. Families were bound together by their economic struggles. Mothers and fathers hoped their children could defy the fiscal Nazi that suppressed their generation. Before their parent’s hopes could come to fruition, a more daunting task required their sons’ attention. After America was attacked and pulled into military action, a new Green Lantern was born. American boys put their ambitions on hold and laced up their boots so they could form the “sleeping giant” that would crush its tormentor.
Instead of making a decision on what car to buy or who to date, these soon to be brothers had to decide how to serve their country. Some would wait to be drafted by Uncle Sam; others selected the branch they preferred or the one that seemed like the best fit. American boys had many options: Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force or the Coast Guard. Some kids chose to join the Navy to avoid the bullets of warfare. The Marines were quite popular because of their strategic advertising. The Army parachute division was something new and adventurous. It was an elite unit that kept only the best recruits; everyone else would be weeded out. The pay was better in the Airborne as well, an extra fifty dollars a month, one hundred for the officers. To teenage kids this was a lot of money, and for some it was all they needed to hear before signing their name. However, money wasn’t the only alluring thing about the Airborne. Men like Dick Winters joined the paratroopers to serve with the best. He figured if he was going into battle, he might as well join an elite force so he could fight alongside the most well trained men the Army could create. “When the shooting started, they wanted to look up to the guy beside them, not down” (Ambrose 16).
The moment those boys put their names on that paper, their mothers and fathers were traded in for drill sergeants and officers – brothers for new brothers. Some were transformed from sons into fathers – boys leading boys. Their bonding started during the first few days of training. While some kids quit and others were transferred to less physically demanding units, the survivors were forming new bonds of brotherhood. Camp Toccoa housed the 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It sat alongside a grueling one thousand foot high mountain. The hill was Mount Currahee – Indian for we stand alone. Running up the hill and back down became a ritual for the troopers. At first running Currahee was a chore; it eventually became the soldier’s trademark. Even after several trips up and down the mountain per week, the troopers took it upon themselves to run it at night, each step conditioning the muscles and camaraderie necessary to fight a war, and they were never short of volunteers. Currahee quickly became the battle cry for the 506th. The recruits that lasted were America’s finest, bonded by rigorous training and the desire to be the best. Mothers and fathers trained their youth about ethics, working hard to earn their keep and pushed them to achieve more in life. Drill sergeants and commanding officers did the same, but added a few small skill sets along the way – killing with a gun, killing with a bayonet and killing with your hands. Futures were put on hold. Kids went from learning how to run the farm to learning how to kill the enemy. Transformed into disciplined killers, these boys were trained to conquer a battle-hardened German Army.
By the end of May 1944 the Airborne’s training was pretty much complete. They were as ready as they could be for the invasion of Europe. By now they knew they were spearheading the largest invasion known to man. Their adolescences were just about eradicated by the predawn hours of June 6th. Their wombs replaced by the very tin cans they shot pellets at as kids. The culmination of their latest conception voiced through their selected jumpmaster:
GET READY!
STAND UP! – HOOK UP!
EQUIPMENT CHECK!
TWELVE OK! ELEVEN OK! TEN OK!... …THREE OK! TWO OK! ONE OK!
GO! GO! GO!
Out of the plane and into the steel infested sky; a jump from adolescence into adulthood. Men descending down like wrappers tossed from the upper deck of a baseball game; some of them to be discarded while others last for the entire game hoping to be recycled. Cascading gently thru tracer fire, brothers soaring by whose chutes have failed or burned, eventually catching them and touching down in a watery marsh, a barren tree or an open pasture. Brothers brought into this world simultaneously, but at first alone.
I wonder where I am. Man, those air sickness pills did a number on me. I have to go to the bathroom, but that damn Kraut keeps shooting at me. Where the hell is everyone? I’m hungry too, I wonder if I should eat a K-ration quick. I hope I find my brothers soon.
They would eventually find their brothers, some dead and some alive. Despite the death and destruction surrounding their new life, they carried out their missions because that’s what they were trained to do. Boys stripped of their youth and dropped into manhood. Day after day they witnessed brothers and fathers dying. Death and destruction – this was their reality. American teenage boys trained to descend upon Europe to save the world, so that’s what they did. Twenty year old yanks liberating countries, concentration camps and accepting the surrender of German Generals more than double their age. As kids, these men were taught to overcome the struggles of their depressed era together. Because they were now bound by the struggles of their new life, these men prevailed.
Veterans of the war often say the real heroes are the ones who never came home. Sixty years later, Dick Winters says that the real heroes lie under white crosses in North Africa, Europe and across the Pacific (262). The truth is that death didn’t act alone in cutting youthful lives short during World War II. The signing of one’s name on a government document, jumping out of an airplane, breaching the seawall at Bloody Omaha, witnessing death, taking a life or the very presence at any theater of warfare during World War II was a guilty act of youthful theft. None of those kids made it back to the states. Thousands of youthful lives were never lived. Indeed, the real heroes are the ones who never came home – and they still stand alone together.
Works Cited
Ambrose, Stephen. Band of Brothers. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.
Winters, Dick. Beyond Band of Brothers. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2006.
The majority of the American fighting men during World War II were brought into this world during America’s darkest years, the Great Depression. They came from all walks of life – tobacco farms in Kentucky, the mean streets of New Jersey or high society in Chicago. Regardless of their birthplace, they all had something in common – they were young. They were America’s future – little did they know they would be the free world’s saviors. Teenage boys in America during the Depression looked forward to high school sports, chasing women and maybe sneaking in the occasional drink – saving the world was reserved for the likes of Superman or the Green Lantern. Robbed of their educations, many teenagers dropped out of high school; they were forced to work during the Depression to help provide for their families. Despite the era’s monetary downfall, it was a simpler time back then. Families were bound together by their economic struggles. Mothers and fathers hoped their children could defy the fiscal Nazi that suppressed their generation. Before their parent’s hopes could come to fruition, a more daunting task required their sons’ attention. After America was attacked and pulled into military action, a new Green Lantern was born. American boys put their ambitions on hold and laced up their boots so they could form the “sleeping giant” that would crush its tormentor.
Instead of making a decision on what car to buy or who to date, these soon to be brothers had to decide how to serve their country. Some would wait to be drafted by Uncle Sam; others selected the branch they preferred or the one that seemed like the best fit. American boys had many options: Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force or the Coast Guard. Some kids chose to join the Navy to avoid the bullets of warfare. The Marines were quite popular because of their strategic advertising. The Army parachute division was something new and adventurous. It was an elite unit that kept only the best recruits; everyone else would be weeded out. The pay was better in the Airborne as well, an extra fifty dollars a month, one hundred for the officers. To teenage kids this was a lot of money, and for some it was all they needed to hear before signing their name. However, money wasn’t the only alluring thing about the Airborne. Men like Dick Winters joined the paratroopers to serve with the best. He figured if he was going into battle, he might as well join an elite force so he could fight alongside the most well trained men the Army could create. “When the shooting started, they wanted to look up to the guy beside them, not down” (Ambrose 16).
The moment those boys put their names on that paper, their mothers and fathers were traded in for drill sergeants and officers – brothers for new brothers. Some were transformed from sons into fathers – boys leading boys. Their bonding started during the first few days of training. While some kids quit and others were transferred to less physically demanding units, the survivors were forming new bonds of brotherhood. Camp Toccoa housed the 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It sat alongside a grueling one thousand foot high mountain. The hill was Mount Currahee – Indian for we stand alone. Running up the hill and back down became a ritual for the troopers. At first running Currahee was a chore; it eventually became the soldier’s trademark. Even after several trips up and down the mountain per week, the troopers took it upon themselves to run it at night, each step conditioning the muscles and camaraderie necessary to fight a war, and they were never short of volunteers. Currahee quickly became the battle cry for the 506th. The recruits that lasted were America’s finest, bonded by rigorous training and the desire to be the best. Mothers and fathers trained their youth about ethics, working hard to earn their keep and pushed them to achieve more in life. Drill sergeants and commanding officers did the same, but added a few small skill sets along the way – killing with a gun, killing with a bayonet and killing with your hands. Futures were put on hold. Kids went from learning how to run the farm to learning how to kill the enemy. Transformed into disciplined killers, these boys were trained to conquer a battle-hardened German Army.
By the end of May 1944 the Airborne’s training was pretty much complete. They were as ready as they could be for the invasion of Europe. By now they knew they were spearheading the largest invasion known to man. Their adolescences were just about eradicated by the predawn hours of June 6th. Their wombs replaced by the very tin cans they shot pellets at as kids. The culmination of their latest conception voiced through their selected jumpmaster:
GET READY!
STAND UP! – HOOK UP!
EQUIPMENT CHECK!
TWELVE OK! ELEVEN OK! TEN OK!... …THREE OK! TWO OK! ONE OK!
GO! GO! GO!
Out of the plane and into the steel infested sky; a jump from adolescence into adulthood. Men descending down like wrappers tossed from the upper deck of a baseball game; some of them to be discarded while others last for the entire game hoping to be recycled. Cascading gently thru tracer fire, brothers soaring by whose chutes have failed or burned, eventually catching them and touching down in a watery marsh, a barren tree or an open pasture. Brothers brought into this world simultaneously, but at first alone.
I wonder where I am. Man, those air sickness pills did a number on me. I have to go to the bathroom, but that damn Kraut keeps shooting at me. Where the hell is everyone? I’m hungry too, I wonder if I should eat a K-ration quick. I hope I find my brothers soon.
They would eventually find their brothers, some dead and some alive. Despite the death and destruction surrounding their new life, they carried out their missions because that’s what they were trained to do. Boys stripped of their youth and dropped into manhood. Day after day they witnessed brothers and fathers dying. Death and destruction – this was their reality. American teenage boys trained to descend upon Europe to save the world, so that’s what they did. Twenty year old yanks liberating countries, concentration camps and accepting the surrender of German Generals more than double their age. As kids, these men were taught to overcome the struggles of their depressed era together. Because they were now bound by the struggles of their new life, these men prevailed.
Veterans of the war often say the real heroes are the ones who never came home. Sixty years later, Dick Winters says that the real heroes lie under white crosses in North Africa, Europe and across the Pacific (262). The truth is that death didn’t act alone in cutting youthful lives short during World War II. The signing of one’s name on a government document, jumping out of an airplane, breaching the seawall at Bloody Omaha, witnessing death, taking a life or the very presence at any theater of warfare during World War II was a guilty act of youthful theft. None of those kids made it back to the states. Thousands of youthful lives were never lived. Indeed, the real heroes are the ones who never came home – and they still stand alone together.
Works Cited
Ambrose, Stephen. Band of Brothers. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.
Winters, Dick. Beyond Band of Brothers. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2006.
Intro
Hey everyone,
My name is Eric. I'm keeping my first post very short since I'm extremely short on time since I'm traveling for my favorite holiday today. I've wanted to start a blog for some time now, but I thought I'd wait so that I could make my first post on the Fourth of July. So here it is!
You'll come to learn more about me as time goes on, but for now I'd like to share with you a paper that I wrote a while back for school. It's fitting for the 4th of July and was inspired by all of our soldiers here and abroad, past and present. It was more specifically inspired by the men of Easy Company in World War II. Enjoy...
My name is Eric. I'm keeping my first post very short since I'm extremely short on time since I'm traveling for my favorite holiday today. I've wanted to start a blog for some time now, but I thought I'd wait so that I could make my first post on the Fourth of July. So here it is!
You'll come to learn more about me as time goes on, but for now I'd like to share with you a paper that I wrote a while back for school. It's fitting for the 4th of July and was inspired by all of our soldiers here and abroad, past and present. It was more specifically inspired by the men of Easy Company in World War II. Enjoy...
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