Image source: knowwar.com
My initial reaction to Sean Huze’s play was very mixed because the content of it was so real and cruel at the same time. As I began reading the play I thought that this would be about soldiers telling the viewer their stories but the further I got into the play I realized that the play was written in a form in which the reader can be really engaged and sort of relive what the soldier lived. I just couldn’t believe what the soldiers go through as they are fighting for the freedom of others. I can only wonder what they go through and feel compassion for them but as they are telling us what they are going through one cannot help but to wonder how they are living there. In the first act Sargent Diamond is mentions how his kills an Iraqi man and how he didn’t realized what he was doing until someone else snapped him out of the trance in he goes on to say:
I kicked and stomped on the first man, but by the time my gunney stopped me, my right boot and trouser leg were soiled with blood and sand that mixed together into a gruesome paste. I was so zoned out that I didn’t realized that the private, following my lead, unleashed his own fury on the other fallen man. I completely lost control of the situation and kicked the shit out of this man for no justifiable reason.
And he was right there was no reason to treat this man the way he did, but I also wonder in what state of mind was this soldier to have harmed this man the way he did. In this scene Sargent Diamond explains that they were trying to search a group of Iraqi’s but because of a language barrier they were not compliant and in a moment of rage and frustration the Sargent unleashed his fury and harmed this man so bad. I understand that the U.S. is there to help the people in Iraq but to what extent. Innocent people are getting hurt and thousands of lives are being taken due to this war. Many soldiers are returning back home but with a totally different outlook of life. They live with the images that are instilled in their minds because of what they have experienced and the people in Iraq will still struggle for their freedom. I appreciate the devotion of each and every soldier and I hope for this war to be over soon. I also hope that the efforts that this country has put into Iraq will eventually pay off and give that country the freedom they deserve.
Image Source: Scrapetv.com
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