The movie that I selected for my critique is called "We Were Soldiers", a movie set in November of 1965, during the Vietnam Conflict. Mel Gibson is a star in this movie that is directed by Randall Wallace. These two also worked together on another movie, which would prove to be a good example of leadership practices, called "Braveheart".
The first scene that I chose to analyze in "We Were Soldiers" is one that comes some 45 minutes into the movie. The United States Military has just gotten word that the French Army is a disaster over in North Vietnam, literally walking in and being gunned down. The United States decides to step in and use an aerial attack, the air cavalry, which is to be headed by Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson). .
The scene begins after the members of the air cavalry finish training, and are to leave for "la Drang Valley"(the Valley of Death) in North Vietnam the next day. The troops are gathered in formation on the infield of a stadium, facing the stands, which are filled with their family members. Facing the troops on a podium is Lt. Col. Hal Moore, who begins his address to the troops as helicopters pass by in the background. He begins his speech by commenting on the number of men serving in the United States Military that are not of American origin, then, saying "So let us understand the situation-, he begins telling the troops what it will be like when they arrive in North Vietnam. The lines that stick out the most in this part of the speech are, Lt. Col. Moore speaking of himself, "I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together.".
In this particular scene, the leadership practice that is exemplified is Model The Way. It is what Lt. Col. Moore tells the troops about what he is going to do when they arrive in North Vietnam that shows that he is setting the example.
God, of course, lives in heaven (just in case you were wondering), which is described as being just like England. ... We shall. ... It's not that England and Italy were fighting yet (that didn't happen really until World War II). ... Need we say more? ... We do? ...
We Were Soldiers Once.. and Young: Ia Drang - The Battel That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. ... "We Were Solders Once... and Young" is a tribute to the nobility of those under fire, their common acts of uncommon courage and bravery, and their loyalty to and love for one another. ... The soldiers were sprayed with Napalm, and countless other destructive weapons, but charged on to fight the Vietnamese, who were surrounding them quite quickly. ... The American soldiers in Calvary Seven eventually faught off the division of Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounding them, and were abl...
This sudden situation causes the soldiers to hurriedly put their gas masks on, but one soldier did not put it on in time. ... In the last stanza he tells the readers that if we had seen what he had seen then we would never encourage the next generation to fight in a war. ... The poet provides us with these similes as he has simplified them to a state in which we would understand them. ... Owen uses this image group usually to describe the situation of a soldier or soldiers during the poem. ... Methods which I found most effective were Full rhyme and metaphor. ...
This sudden situation causes the soldiers to hurriedly put their gas masks on, but one soldier did not put it on in time. ... In the last stanza he tells the readers that if we had seen what he had seen then we would never encourage the next generation to fight in a war. ... The poet provides us with these similes as he has simplified them to a state in which we would understand them. ... Owen uses this image group usually to describe the situation of a soldier or soldiers during the poem. ... Methods which I found most effective were Full rhyme and metaphor. ...
In the end, fourteen key black campaigners, whom the Indians had dubbed "buffalo soldiers," were awarded the Medal of Honor as part of a public relations move to justify and glorify the genocide of Native Americans, underlining the U.S. government's policy of manifest destiny." ... However, they were taken by force in ships while resisting in pro of their freedom. The struggles for survival continued: upon being captured they were put in ships bound for Jamaica and America, in the harshest conditions. ... We can see the struggle of the black race in the movies we see or in the news we he...
It also shows us that the soldiers were only human, they were not some super humans who couldn't feel pain. ... We get a clearer image of Jim in the descriptive sentence "they cleaned his pitifully thin body: for the young soldier once tall, strong and fit had lost half his body weight". ... It makes us feel apart of it as we now have a better understanding of what soldiers endured in the hard times of war. ... During the pauses we are forced to consider what is being spoken and then we continue reading with the after thoughts. ... We see this in the sentences "Cheering. ...
Studies have shown that one in eight reported symptoms of PTSD while they were in the services. ... There were girls standing by a nearby gate and they appeared willing to help. ... They were not the typical green and brown, but he accepted them as a kind gesture. ... We need to let our soldiers know that they are not alone. ... It is time that we support and help our troops because they have given us the ultimate gift, which is our freedom....
How we see them is the complete opposite of what they see. ... Even though more than thirty percent of the troops who came back were not the same. ... Then we get the walkway and it was like walking into a library. ... Meaning, if you were to put a soldier in a situation that triggers memories the brain will take over and recall procedures that were learned while overseas. ... " We send our soldiers to war for our freedom and then when they get back they become prisoners of their own minds....
As the war progressed Paul expressed, " We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it through." ... There were the few who remained proud, in honor of their country. ... "We have lost all feeling for one another. ... Even if the soldiers physically survived the battleground, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally they were already dead. ... It was at the graveyard that all of the soldiers were forced to accept death as a part of life. ...
