28 November 2012
Dear Anthony Swofford,
I am currently reading one of your books in my English class, and it just so happens to be the book you wrote while attending college after you left the United States Marines Corp. and that book is Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles, and even though I am not completely done with the book I am really impressed. Impressed with what you had to do and put up with as a marine. The name called, the duties, the battles, everything was just impressive and thoroughly intriguing, and for as far as I can tell it’s probably one of the best military books I have read. Most books are fluffed, dull, and to be honest not really that accurate half the time, where your book on the other hand was a story of your life from 1988-1991, the three years of your life that you wish you never did but did anyway. Was this the game changer in your life to see what the real world was like and not just like the life you lived in your childhood when you left as an eighteen year old? What made you decide to come back after your three years and write a book about these experiences in your military career? What were your thoughts when you were signed up to be in the United States Marine Corp.? Were you excited at first to fight for your country and then just became disgusted by it as the years passed?
As a fellow military veteran who has indeed fought for our country and survived all the heartache, pain, and heat, what would you suggest/say to young adults about joining the military? Because as an eighteen year old girl who is heading to the Air Force in June of 2013, I have mixed emotions when light is shown on the subject, did you have the same feelings? Would you defer from me going to the Air Force versus going to the Army or Navy, they all have their ups and downs, but what made you decide on the Marines?
When you were in the Kuwait desert did you really drink two canteens of water every hour? What was the best part of being in the Marines? Was it the girls, the parties, or being able to fight for what your country stands for? And is it true that when you were sworn in to the Marines you signed a contract saying you weren’t able to say anything bad about our country? Like it said in the beginning of the book when you were supposed to talk to the reporters about how you couldn’t go in depth of what your mission was just had to give them the basics no more than what you had to. If so what kept you from saying what was on your mind during the interviews? And if you did say something what would they have done, thrown you out?
All in all, this is still one of the best books I have read and encountered in my life time of only being an eighteen year old, and I hope there are many other books out there that are similar to the one you have written, ones that are accurate on what actually happened and not just made up. The only suggestion I have for you is not to use as much foul language but it’s your life story so it makes sense why there was so many cuss words, maybe choose different words perhaps. Last but certainly not least, thank you for fighting for our country and for everything that we stand for.
Sincerely,
Tasha M. Hodge
Dear Anthony Swofford,
I am currently reading one of your books in my English class, and it just so happens to be the book you wrote while attending college after you left the United States Marines Corp. and that book is Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles, and even though I am not completely done with the book I am really impressed. Impressed with what you had to do and put up with as a marine. The name called, the duties, the battles, everything was just impressive and thoroughly intriguing, and for as far as I can tell it’s probably one of the best military books I have read. Most books are fluffed, dull, and to be honest not really that accurate half the time, where your book on the other hand was a story of your life from 1988-1991, the three years of your life that you wish you never did but did anyway. Was this the game changer in your life to see what the real world was like and not just like the life you lived in your childhood when you left as an eighteen year old? What made you decide to come back after your three years and write a book about these experiences in your military career? What were your thoughts when you were signed up to be in the United States Marine Corp.? Were you excited at first to fight for your country and then just became disgusted by it as the years passed?
As a fellow military veteran who has indeed fought for our country and survived all the heartache, pain, and heat, what would you suggest/say to young adults about joining the military? Because as an eighteen year old girl who is heading to the Air Force in June of 2013, I have mixed emotions when light is shown on the subject, did you have the same feelings? Would you defer from me going to the Air Force versus going to the Army or Navy, they all have their ups and downs, but what made you decide on the Marines?
When you were in the Kuwait desert did you really drink two canteens of water every hour? What was the best part of being in the Marines? Was it the girls, the parties, or being able to fight for what your country stands for? And is it true that when you were sworn in to the Marines you signed a contract saying you weren’t able to say anything bad about our country? Like it said in the beginning of the book when you were supposed to talk to the reporters about how you couldn’t go in depth of what your mission was just had to give them the basics no more than what you had to. If so what kept you from saying what was on your mind during the interviews? And if you did say something what would they have done, thrown you out?
All in all, this is still one of the best books I have read and encountered in my life time of only being an eighteen year old, and I hope there are many other books out there that are similar to the one you have written, ones that are accurate on what actually happened and not just made up. The only suggestion I have for you is not to use as much foul language but it’s your life story so it makes sense why there was so many cuss words, maybe choose different words perhaps. Last but certainly not least, thank you for fighting for our country and for everything that we stand for.
Sincerely,
Tasha M. Hodge