TVSquad

(Part 7 of 7) "Dude, check it out. I wrote U.S.A. with my piss." - Person

All that for nothing. Not much was gained and so much was lost. Over the span of Generation Kill we've all marveled at the ineptitude and idiocy of the people running the show over in First Recon, but not until this episode did it become clear that it wouldn't have made a difference who was in charge - dumb or stupid. This was a losing battle before it even began. Operation Iraqi Freedom? US military PR at it's finest.

Gallery: Generation Kill

After arriving in Baghdad, the team finally began to realize that their stay was at an end. It became even more apparent as they surmised command's general plan of attack - ask questions, look important, and leave. As Iraqis looked on, thirsty, hungry, and tired from being terrorized by looters, Fick (along with the rest of the men) could do nothing. It was depressing as hell. How exactly were they supposed to bring freedom to these people if they couldn't even help them solve the most basic of problems?

I could go on and on about how much this truly pisses me off, but I'll save that and just offer some thoughts on two things that really stood out for me:

• Ray - I was waiting for it. He'd been quiet, stopped taking Ripped Fuel tabs like candy, and didn't have a mission anymore. You knew he was an outcast and that people like Rudy had been a thorn in his side since high school. But in the marines, he was a different person - an equal. And all it took to strip away that bond was a game of football. Everything he hated about people like Rudy and what they had done to him came out. It was as real as anything depicted on this mini-series. Great moment.
• Fick - He finally said no and meant it. When he wanted to go out at night, help people, stop looting, and bring rations to the hungry, Encino Man said no. But when the Fedayeen were out in force, making it beyond dangerous to send out a night patrol, that's when Encino Man said Oscar Mike. Insane.

Overall, the episode was a lot of reflection, especially the end when they all watched Lilly's video. I couldn't figure out why this episode was originally called "The Man Comes Around" until Cash's song started playing over the "feature presentation." As the macabre highlights of the war flashed on screen, it got depressing again. All that bloodshed and nothing to really show for it.

Just memories, both good and bad - Wright's "serpentine motion," the "light" Iraqi hitting on Garza, Espera talking about his family, Colbert disarming the bombs, Fick telling Wright "he might write a book one day" (which he did), Cpt. America actually sending men into a mine field at night, and Ferrando saying getting shot at excites him. These are the men fighting the war on terror but instead having to corral grown men who literally steal candy from children. I'm beating a dead horse, but I'll say it again: this isn't what they were trained for.