Generation Kill |
After 9/11, thousands of US troops were dispatched into Iraq to act as a part of the War on Terror. The men of the Marines First Recon were the first line of defense in this war. Culturally, these Marines would be virtually unrecognizable to their forebears in the “Greatest Generation.” They are kids raised on hip-hop, Marilyn Manson and Jerry Springer. For them, cuss words work as terms of endearment. For some, slain rapper Tupac is an American patriot whose writings are better known than the speeches of Abraham Lincoln. There are tough guys among them who pray to Buddha and quote Eastern philosophies and New Age precepts gleaned from watching Oprah and old kung fu movies. There are former gang-bangers, a sprinkling of born-again Christians and quite a few guys who before entering the Corps were daily dope smokers; many of them dream of the day when they get out and are once again united with their beloved bud. These men will have to come together to fight their way through towns to the capital city of Bagdad. With reporter Evan Wright writing while among them, this story tells about the first month of the invasion.