Generation Kill

I watched the first installment of HBO's acclaimed "Generation Kill" last night.

I was ambivalent about watching it, because I thought that David Simon might go a little lefty on Evan Wright's story about his time embedded with the US Marines in First Recon.

But he didn't.  Just like with "The Corner" and "The Wire", Simon has done a great job of bringing the gritty (if not foul mouthed) nature of Marines at war.  It's a compelling store so far, and the characters are strong and compelling, too.

The acting is great, and the storyline seems natural and not contrived.  Yes, the Marines bitch a lot.  But as I was once told, if an enlisted man isn't bitching about something, then something is definitely wrong.

And there is none of the lefty stuff (so far) that you would expect.  It's gritty. It's hardcore.  And at times, it is funny.

It's a different generation of soldiers and Marines we see in "Generation Kill" than we saw in "Band of Brothers'.  But the challenges are the same -- bad intel, bad supplies, and obtuse chain of command, martinets at higher levels -- and so on.

So far, I am impressed with it.   The use of authentic equipment is impressive.  And the amount of chickenshit (i.e., the "grooming standard") seems appropriate from what I have heard from those who have served.

(Note: I was once told that there are three levels of shit in the service.  Horseshit is the highest level.  It's stupid, but you can see where it might make sense.  Bullshit is the second highest level, where it is stupidity designed to fool people.  Chickenshit is the lowest level -- so low because even chickens will eat their own shit, and its largely useless. Horseshit is great fertilizer for roses.  Bullshit is great fertilizer for crops. Chickenshit is just shit.  I think you see the point... Leave it to the United States non-comissioned officer to rank shit in the performance of his duties.)

If you get a chance to see it, I recommend it.