Anthony Swaffords book Jarhead

[los5041]

I don't know how many of you read the terrible book called Jarhead, which pretty much talks down the Corp. but I thought any of you who have, would love to know that they are making a movie now.
http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingsoon/j/jarhead.htm

 

[Broadsword2004]

I read it since it was a requirement for my college Writing & Literature I class, but I said to everyone when we were talking about it that I didn't see why it was any "required" reading. Some guy writes a war book and markets it right, and everyone makes out like it is so great. I said the horrors of war described in books like "All Quiet On the Western Front" and "Chickenhawk" (a Vietnam-War book by a Huey pilot, very good read) were much, much more emotional and disturbing; I guess I mean those books, which are classics, get the point across a lot better. If anything, they should be required reading I'd think. It's not like they make out that war is great or anything either, but Swofford's book seems more like a "I want to complain about my military experience" - type of memoir. He should have written on the first page, "By the way, if you don't want to hear me b**** and complain for the next (whatever number) of pages, close the book."

Just my opinion though.

 

[Broadsword2004]

Lemme expand though; I never really meant to dish on the guy though, he may have really hated the Corps and felt like writing a book after he got out, so wrote it and whala it was a success, lucky him. The guy may be totally honest in everything he says, but I just mean the critics who praise this book are forgetting about the other classics that really portrayed war brutally.

But I do think he whines and complains too much.

 

[Legionnare]

Read it. Disliked it. threw it away.

 

[zab1001]

I read it and thought it was fantastic. By no means do I think Swofford hates the USMC, just the bureaucracy that is a neccessary part of it. He states in the foward that it is 'his story' and how he remembers it. If you didn't sense the pride he felt as a part of the STA organization, I think you need to re-read it after you join the military and experience the frustration of having your hands tied, figuratively speaking.

Most of the Marines I know loved it.

 

[muc1]

As perspective officers, I think the book reveals the darker side of military life that people can go through.

Yes there are better war books out there, but its short…

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Most Marines you know loved it?

I don't know a single one that does. When I was reading it, and people saw me carrying it around, they all gave me crap. My senior Marines told me to throw that trash away.

It was a pretty awful book. Swofford obviously embellish's his story. He tries to make the Corps look terrible, but he is the one "diamond in the rough," the guy who sits around reading the Iliad and runs in boots around the compound all night long.

You get the impression he is better than everything and everyone around him from his book.

It is an interesting perspective, and he does talk about some interesting things on rare occassions, but 90% of it is just overinflated bulls**t.

"Fields of Fire" is a much more interesting book about the "seedy" parts of the military.

 

[KBayDog]

Swofford = crap.

Webb = excellent.

 

[jarhead7242]

I read it and liked it, as a book. I don't think we should go into how accurately it describes the Marine Corps because he does say it was his story and how he saw it, just like zab said. Who are we to say that his opinion is wrong. How many of you have really been out to the field? No disrespect to the already Marine posters in here. But if you have never been deployed or been out in the field when it is 130 degrees, i.e. 29 palms or Iraq, then you really don't have any room to speak. Also he was a grunt, one of the hardest jobs in the Corps. It is also known that the ground side of the Corps is a lot stricter and has a lot more games that they play. So when Swafford complains about the things he had to do I think he has every right to. How many of you have ever had to burn crap with diesel and have some major tell you to hold on while he takes a dump?

Point being if you haven't or don't plan on being a part of the lower enlisted ranks you will never know what it is like to be a PFC or a LCpl in the Corps. I think Swofford just had a hard time in the Corps like some people do and had enough balls to express himself to the nation. All in all it was an opinion not a documentary of the Corps.

 

[froghead1]

It reminded me, loosely, of Hunter S. Thompson's writing...as if the guy was not all there.

 

[motv8r]

How would you compare it to "About Face"? I loved this book and Hack is awesome.

 

[perchul]

Well I enjoyed it, theres 170,000 Marines right now I'm sure a small percentage but large number of them feel very much the same as him. Anyways it contains one of the funniest pieces of writing I've read if anyone recalls his "any marine" story.

"I like to ckuf and drop acid"

 

[dvl_dog_2531_90]

. . . if you haven't or don't plan on being a part of the lower enlisted ranks you will never know what it is like to be a PFC or a LCpl in the Corps. I think Swofford just had a hard time in the Corps like some people do and had enough balls to express himself to the nation. All in all it was an opinion not a documentary of the Corps.

Amen brother. Amen.

I read the book when it was first published and a lot of it really resonated with me as an enlisted GW1 vet.

I do not think Swofford was a **** bird or even a bad guy. Whether a lot of us want to admit it or not, a lot of the Marine Corps look like Anthony Swofford at one point or another in their early career. There are a lot of disgruntled young people in the Corps, and an even higher number of disgruntled infantrymen.

If people want to intelligently debate the book, please post more than simply that they liked or disliked it.

 

[Xeo111]

I read the book, and, as far as books go, I thought it was an interesting read. I also thought he went a bit far on the vulgarity side, and it seemed like he wanted to do so for no other reason than shock value.

I'm not prior enlisted so at first I had no idea how much of it was truth and how much was exaggeration. But it did give me a new perspective on the enlisted side, and if nothing else, I now have it in my head that part of my job is to ensure that no one under my charge endures those kinds of conditions.

How much truth was actually in that book? I realize that's an open-ended question, but my feeling is that if things really were that bad for young enlisted, then wouldn't it be a logical assumption that there wouldn't be very many senior enlisted Marines? Wouldn't they have left as soon as their term was done?

Just a dumb@$$ college puke running his suck and askin questions. Any priors have answers? I know we're trying to be objective as far as Swofford's book being purely from his perspective, and as such it shouldn't be taken as fact. But a lot of the reactions that I'd read about the book from Marines indicates that he really is just full of it.

 

[perchul]

Well its a memoir of his time in the Corps not a critique of the Corps. I think many peoples problems with it is the memoir doesn't deify the Corps and there are to many Marines in my opinion who want civies to worship the Corps and this book provides some true and real insight to the Corps during the early enlisted years and wartime.

Honestly I can't remember one insult or actual negative critique about the Corps as an organization in the book, if anyone can remember some please post them to remind me. Hopefully this will be a constructive post, though I'm sure someone will go wompum on me.

FYI.(Never was enlisted or in wartime, so possibly talking out of my ***, but I can see inside the cave without going in...vague platonic reference)