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{{quote|''"Wake up, Trombley. You're missing the invasion."''|Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert}}
In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' reporter Evan Wright was embedded in the US Marine Corps' First Recon, for the onset of the War in Iraq. Over the next two months, he would have a firsthand view into the lives of some of the toughest men on the planet, the War on Terror, -- er -- Saddam Hussein, and [[Idiot Ball|the command decisions that put them where they are]]. Wright compiled these articles into '''''Generation Kill''''', which was later made into a seven-part miniseries on [[HBO]].
Marines will talk like Marines, complete with lots of jargon and realism. Some examples:
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{{quote|''"If something happens to me, I want my wife to know the truth. If they say we fought valiantly here, I want her to know we fought retarded."''|Sgt. Eric Kocher}}
This complete lack of political correctness in favor of realism is a major cause of criticism for both the book and series. Negative reactions tend to be [[Ripped from the Headlines|questioning of the material's validity]] at best, and accusations of it being [[
As this pertains to a military operation, expect a lot of military tropes.
See also: Michael Herr's book, "Dispatches", also by a Rolling Stone contributor about the [[Vietnam War]] for a similar POV.
{{tropelist}}
* [[As Himself]]: Sgt. Reyes. He was slated to be played by someone else, but the actor became ill.
* [[Attack! Attack! Attack!]]: "Captain America".
{{quote|
"He's shooting at scraps of metal."
[[Crowning Moment of Funny|Can you believe that fucking retard is in charge of people?]] }}
* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: When the series changes something from the book, it's either an omission for lack of time and budget, or a way of adapting the same message to the limited time a scene has to make its point. Wright also didn't want people to harass Captain America and Encino Man.
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* [[Boisterous Bruiser]]: Cpl. Josh Ray Person
* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Person again.
{{quote|
* [[Casual Danger Dialog]]: Played absolutely straight and taken directly from the actual accounts of the Marines under fire. At one point, Person climbs out of his Humvee, calmly walks into enemy fire, and yells for the rest of the convoy to back up while bullets whiz over his head ("Would you please back the fuck up?!"). Fick does this soon after when he dives out of his Humvee to run between them all and personally give them directions on how to fix the traffic jam, once it becomes apparent that radio communication is just causing confusion. Listen closely and you'll even hear Gunny Wynn express surprise.
* [[The Chains of Commanding]]: Discussed in the final episode as one of the reasons that Captain America wasn't removed from command even after everything that he did. {{spoiler|The chains weren't on him, in case you were wondering.}}
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* [[Cultured Warrior]]: Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert and Sgt. Antonio "Poke" Espera are this to some degree, but Sgt. Rudy Reyes is the unchallenged king of Bravo Company.
* [[Cunning Linguist]]: Meesh is an overweight, nineteen-year old Kuwaiti who wears a Grateful Dead shirt underneath his chemical-and-biological-weapons protection, is a serious dope smoker, and happens to be the entire Battalion's translator.
* [[A Date
* [[Dead Baby Comedy]]: The Marines start calling Trombley "Whopper Jr", which is a roundabout way of calling him Baby Killer<ref>Whopper Jr ---> Burger King ---> BK ---> Baby Killer</ref>. The name is used affectionately.
* [[Dramatic Gun Cock]]: "Gentlemen, from now on we're gonna have to earn our stories."
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* [[Fake Nationality]]: In the miniseries, a few American Marines were played by foreigners. Noteably Swede Alexander Skarsgård? as Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert and Israeli Jonah Lotan as Navy HM2 "Doc" Bryan. Also Moroccan-British Nabil Elouahabi played Kuwaiti translator Meesh.
* [[A Father to His Men]]: Lt. Fick, who, ironically, is younger than some of his troops, nonetheless takes on this role of his platoon. It comes to a head in the sixth episode, when "Casey Kasem" goes over Fick's head and orders one of his teams out to check out a possible tank, saying he's "covering" for Fick (while calling his competence into question and accusing him of cowardice behind his back). The Lieutenant is understandably pissed that he's using his men to get to him.
{{quote|
* [[Five-Man Band]]
** [[The Hero]]: Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert.
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** [[The Sixth Ranger]]: Corporal Walter Hasser
** [[Mentors|The Mentor]]: Lt. Nathaniel Fick
* [[Funny Background Event]]:
** When Sergeant Major Sixta is reprimanding Pappy about his mustache the second time around, another Marine can be seen goosestepping in the background in a Nazi Salute, to mock Sixta, and to remind Pappy that the 'Hitler 'stache' that he wears falls within the grooming standard
** Random marines quoting [[The Big Lebowski]] when Encino Man is informed by his Marines that they consider him a woefully incompetent leader.
** Manimal dropping a box of grenades, followed by a Marine yelling that "This is why we can't have nice things!"
** Rudy taking a run in full combat gear while Marines cheer him on, urging him to [["Join the Army," They Said|"slay that dragon"]].
* [[Gallows Humor]] The Marines use morbid jokes to relieve the stress caused by dealing with death and killing on a daily basis.
* [[Glamorous Wartime Singer]]: Woefully subverted. While Person has dreams of being a rock star, in the miniseries, if they sing, they suck. Played a little more straight with Cpl. Walter Hasser in the book, who apparently has a wonderful country music singing voice (and doesn't like to sing!).
* [[Good
* [[Genghis Gambit]]: Sixta is smarter than he appears; he knows exactly how ridiculous it is to keep harping on the Marines for the grooming standard, and not only does he do it so they can hate him as an outlet, he has Gunny Wynn tell him when moral drops so he can time it right.
* [[Gratuitous Spanish]]: Actually Portuguese. Sgt. Baptista is a Brazilian immigrant and during times of stress he unconsciously starts radio chattering in his native tongue, which drives the other Marines crazy.
{{quote|
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: This show loves this trope.
** Brad after Trombley {{spoiler|shoots civilians with his ok.}}
** Brad again, along with Poke, when {{spoiler|a badly targeted airstrike annihilates a hamlet.}}
** Brad yet again when Walt {{spoiler|accidentally kills a civilian,}} and Walt immediately after.
** Ray after Rudy checks him too hard during the football game. Rudy's response is to BSOD ''even worse''.
** Subverted the first time Trombley kills someone. For a second, he ''looks'' like he's about to BSOD, but then:
{{quote|
* [[Heroic Fatigue]]: Everyone is running on little to no sleep, but it is especially significant in a couple cases.
** Person's dependency on Ripped Fuel allows him to drive the humvee for days on end. It also makes him a manic motor-mouth that drives Colbert crazy but gives Evan Wright plenty of amusing material.
** We find out it was ''Lt. Fick'' himself who authorized Casey Kasem's [[For the Evulz|pointless orders]] to send sick Marines on patrol, apparently while in a fugue state due to over 72 hours without sleep. Fick looks horrified as he realizes he can't take punitive measures against the Gunnery Sergeant for orders he endorsed; Kasem's [[Smug Snake|evil smirk]] clearly implies he knew Fick was completely out of it, and took advantage of it.
* [[Heroic Sociopath]]: A strangely literal case in the form of Lance Corporal Harold James Trombley, who joined the Marines specifically to shoot people, showed an unnatural desire to see the results of his kills even from a civilian boy he accidentally shot, and who said that combat was far less nerve-wracking to him than watching game shows at home.
{{quote|
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]] - [[The Wire|Ziggy]] and [[True Blood|Eric]] were marines and Captain America went to military school with [[Malcolm in
** Person needs [[Twilight|Emmet Cullen]] move the fucking Humvee.
* [[Hollywood Tactics]]: Completely averted.
** All of the combat footage seems to be taken from real life tactics and methods, with the outlandish stuff actually occurring, such as Trombley exposing himself without regard for his own life to find a AAA gun trained on the humvee column, or Person getting out of his humvee in the middle of an ambush to yell at the various column drivers to back up and get out of the kill zone.
** The show possibly has tracer rounds used accurately, too; that is, the tracer rounds are only every couple of bullets, with rounds you can't see going out in-between them. Military fiction practically never gets this right.
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** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdaQHTWT_ZI "Always run in a serpentine fashion!"]
* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: Everyone in the platoon feel sore at Trombley for an incident where he shot a pair of civilians {{spoiler|who turned out to be unarmed children.}} At the same time, they respect Trombley's skill because he only fired a few shots but still managed to hit both of his targets multiple times center mass at over 200 meters ''from a moving vehicle.'' In the book, Wright relates his mixed feeling about the shooting; he's dismayed by the child's injury, but admits that when Trombley was on the gun, he couldn't help feeling a little safer.
* [[I Just Shot Marvin in
** In an interview, Wright confessed that he wasn't so much concerned about shooting a civilian as he was about causing all the Marines to shoot at something that wasn't a target (his potentially accidental gunshot setting off a full-fire from the rest of the platoon). Apparently he never even kept his finger near the trigger to avoid it.
** There's also the old man at the end of a refugee column who gets killed when a Marine fires off a 40mm smoke grenade to warn off a passing car, only for the grenade to ricochet off the pavement and into the back of his head so hard it looks worse than a gunshot wound.
*** In the book, Wright goes on to state "We got a report saying he was OK and he was last seen enjoying a meal. A marine says this probably means someone tossed an MRE at his corpse." In the series, Poke exclaims (in frustration) that "At least we gave him a happy meal before he died!"
* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: In contrast to the hyper-competent shooting of the Marines, the Iraqis can't seem to hit the ground with their hat. Probably explained by the fact that most of the regular army had retreated or deserted, and the fighters the Marines encountered were [[We Have Reserves|little more than cannon-fodder]].
* [[Insufferable Genius]]: Brad Colbert has shades of this trope, usually condemning religion and the desire to have children, he has a [[Freudian Excuse]] though
* [[It Works Better
{{quote|
* [[Kicked Upstairs]]: Sort of happens to Encino Man and Captain America, the resident Niedermeyers. They get removed from frontline duty and placed into desk jobs so that the Marines can get competent officers who are actually damn good at commanding troops in battle.
** ''Averted'' with Casey Kasem, who, after the events of the book and the series, was promoted into a leadership position, where he not only excelled, but earned the respect of the men who had once had nothing but disdain for him.
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** "Captain America" whose activities include hoarding Iraqi fallen goods, spazzing out on comms about being attacked by every little thing, abusing prisoners, demanding the Marines shoot something or someone at random, shooting at random people when in the convoy, and freaking out at the slightest problem.
** "Encino Man" whose claim to fame includes attempting to order an artillery fire mission in which his men were right in the way (called "Danger Close"), but failing to do so because he didn't have the right protocols, and generally being distressed whenever anyone questions his orders. He actually tries to court-martial a few subordinates after they demanded that he not call in the artillery strike. The book doesn't specifically mention what happened as a result, but Encino Man was eventually removed from duty for another unrelated incident. Lieutenant Fick made Captain at some point between OIF-1 and leaving the Corps, so it's likely that no one took Encino Man or Casey Kasem very seriously in the long run.
** "Casey Kasem," who as a logistics and appropriations NCO failed to secure enough batteries to run Night-Vision or Heat Sensors or LSA lubricant for heavy machine guns, and seemed to act like a sycophantic suckup to Encino Man. However, "Casey Kasem" later turned his reputation around after the events of the book, when his company commander Captain Brent Morel was injured; he took command of the remaining troops of his platoon and is generally credited for saving their lives.
{{quote|
** In his own book, Nathan Fick explains why First Recon ended up with such incompetent officers. Recon is primarily intended to send small teams of highly-competent troops into enemy territory to perform recon missions. The company and battalion-level officers are primarily assigned to do organizational and logistics work, and were never really intended to command in the field. The enlisted Marines, NCOs, and platoon commanders are extremely well-trained and highly competent men who are supposed to operate mostly independently of battalion and company-level command. Thus, the book and series showcase what happens when you take a unit trained and organized for a specific mission and then use them for something completely different from their original purpose.
* [[No Good Deed Goes Unpunished]]: Every time the more reasonable marines try to deal with [[The Neidermeyer|The Neidermeyers]].
* [["Not Making This Up" Disclaimer]]: The real Evan Wright often says "this really happened" on the DVD commentary tracks during events that seem more fantastical.
** In fact, they had to tone down some of the more bizarre shit that Captain America did. Yes, he was actually worse than what was portrayed in the mini series.
** Another notable example of excluding something on account of [[Reality Is Unrealistic]]; when {{spoiler|Pappy was shot in the foot}} and reported it by first referring to himself in the third person with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, Doc Bryan started laughing because it meant he was okay. The laughter part isn't in the mini-series, because Wright was worried the audience wouldn't quite understand why someone would laugh, given the situation. The miniseries also left out the fact that during the bridge ambush, while Colbert was calmly gunning down enemy troops, he was singing. Yes, in the middle of a giant ambush, Colbert was quietly ''singing to himself''. There is a ''reason'' they call him the "Iceman." <ref>''Sundown'' by Gordon Lightfoot, in case you were wondering.</ref>
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** Turns out that Person was on Ripped Fuel (heavily laced with stimulants and technically banned in the Marine Corps) for the entire invasion, making him a weeeeee bit crazy. When they eventually settle in Baghdad and Person crashes from going cold turkey, Wright specifically points out that he's a completely different person, and even ''more'' competent.
** In the novel's new afterword after the HBO series, he was completely polite after the actors took him out to dinner... and then, shortly after they left, reverted to his old persona and called them pussies and morons for "getting PTSD from filming."<ref>The actors talked about how hard it was to readjust to civilian life after filming.</ref>
* [[Officer and
* [[Power Trio]]: First Recon's command staff, consisting of Lt. Col. Ferrando, Sgt. Maj. Sixta, and Maj. Todd Eckloff.
* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: The Marines expected--[[Worthy Opponent|and possibly anticipated]]--the well-trained, well-equipped and presumably well-disciplined Fedayeen. Instead, they mostly encountered press-ganged farmers and duped foreign jihadis, who were little more than [[Red Shirt|speed bumps]] to slow down the American advance while the more valuable soldiers got away.
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* [[Road Movie]]: The book even compares the humvee Wright rode in to having the dynamic of a family on a road trip, with Colbert the stern father, Person the mother, and Trombley and Wright being the kids messing around in the back seat.
* [[Rousing Speech]]: Subverted.
{{quote|
"It was the enemy who stole your food from you, and you should be really, really mad at them. Before we step off on this next mission, I'm reminding you of who your enemy is. The enemy." }}
* [[Running Gag]]: The fate of Evan Wright's girl-back-home picture, passed around between the lonely Marines for the whole series.
{{quote|
"I think it's safe to say we all know her *intimately* at this point." }}
** Which Person later "pimped out" to someone in Bravo Three for some PEQ-4 Batteries before he got a chance to give it back to said reporter
* [[Semper Fi]]: Subverted to some degree. Although there is an amount of "moto" chest thumping, the series does subvert parts of the Marine Corps myth. Examples: "Captain America," "Encino Man," "Casey Kasem," and who could forget the genius idea of repurposing a reconnaissance unit as a light assault unit in light armored Humvees?
{{quote|
'''Person:''' You know what happens when you get out of the Marine Corps? You get your brains back. }}
* [[Sergeant Rock]]: Too many to count. Obvious choices are Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert, Sgt. Eric Kocher and Sgt. Antonio "Poke" Espera. "Casey Kasem" would become this ''after'' the events of the novel/TV series.
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* [[The Squad]]
* [[Tank Goodness]]: They rarely show in the book, and only 3 times in the series-one destroyed one in a city, one brief shot of one firing after the night ambush and once when Person is telling Wright how to 'enjoy' a passing tank.
{{quote|
* [[Third Person Person]]: Lt. Col. "Godfather" Ferrando at times, sometimes with his surname and sometimes his nickname.
* [[Those Two Guys]]: Bravo Company commander Captain Craig "Encino Man" Schwetje, and his senior enlisted man Gunnery Sergeant Ray "Casey Kasem" Griego. Note that despite the show's assertion, Casey Kasem could have been either Ray Griego, or his brother Gunnery Sergeant Daniel J. Griego.
** Wright specifically avoided naming the "incompetent" commanding officers in his book, specifically because he didn't think that most of them deserved the criticism that would be thrown their way for their actions.
* [[Throw It In]]: An interesting case. The actor who was slated to play Sgt. Rudy Reyes became unavailable. In a stroke of genius, they hired one of their military advisers to play the role... Rudy Reyes himself.
* [[True Companions]]: The men of First Recon seem to be this, even accepting the reporter as part of their team. The reporter is a subversion; this type of character is usually the [[Butt Monkey]] to the far more badass troops he's around. This is how it ''starts,'' but it quickly switches around when he mentions having written for ''Hustler'', and his status in the close-knit group is further cemented when he stays after his first time being shot at instead of leaving immediately thereafter. In the book, Wright notes that he thought everyone hated him as early as Camp Matilda when Marines would start ambushing him around corners and poking him in the side with their knives; when he saw them doing it to each other as a way of passing the time, he realized it meant they were actually starting to like him.
* [[The Watson]]: Wright. ''"What's a POG?"<ref> '''P'''eople '''O'''ther than '''G'''runts, i.e. non-combat Marines, and viewed with complete disdain by all combat Marines</ref>; "Why is [[Speech Impediment|your voice]] [[The Godfather
* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: Do ''not'' bring Charms candy into any Marine vehicle. It's ''bad luck''<ref> The book mentions an incident when Trombley quickly and surreptitiously eats a bag of Charms candy, telling the reporter not to tell anyone. Nothing bad happens</ref>.
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: The Marines acknowledge the fact that many of the Iraqi, feyadeen, and foreign troops who do stand and fight them have to be brave and disciplined men.
{{quote|
* [[You Look Familiar]]: Sort of. Eric Kocher played Gunnery Sgt. Rich Barrett. Simultaneously, Owain Yeoman played Sgt. Eric Kocher. David Simon just has a thing for this on varying levels: Jeff Carisalez is also in the series, though he doesn't play himself ala Rudy Reyes, and, humorously, plays an ''invented'' character. Inversely, the real Ray Person read for himself, but being five years older, out of the Marines, settled down in life and not on Ripped Fuel, he was far too calm and sane to play the 2003 version of himself.
* [[You Need to Get Laid]]: Cpl. Person blames the entire war on this, claiming that the Iraqis wouldn't need Marines to come in and save them if they just had more sex.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:Live-Action TV of the 2000s]]
[[Category:Non-Fiction Literature]]
[[Category:Military and Warfare Television]]
[[Category:American Series]]
[[Category:HBO]]
▲[[Category:Generation Kill]]
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