Dragoon 45 -> RE: The series "Over -There" (10/1/2005 12:41:25 AM)
|
Bill, I agree with just about everything you said, but have to disagree on this show. I detected an agenda in the show about Women in Combat. I know all the hype about it was that it was not trying to grind any political axes. With that said I can overlook a lot of technical issues in TV or Movies, but what I can't get over is just how far from reality the show is. Case in point as I mentioned earlier in the thread, a female soldier does not except in extreme circumstances operate as part of a squad doing door knocking. For one thing she is not trained for it nor has she had the experience of working with other squad members who have probably done over 100 dry runs for every real run they do. When I was in Afghanistan, if a patrol leader was being forced to take a female soldier along on a house to house search mission and include her as part of the initial entry element, he would have refused, and rightly so. A weak link, in this case untrained and unused to working with team and/or squad mates, is a very great liability. Bunching up under fire, sloppy or incorrect entry procedures, even some of the more bizarre plot twists I can overlook. But when you give the public the perception that things work one way when in reality they work an entirely different way it does a disservice to the military as a whole. Women in Combat is one of those hot button issues that will not be solved any time soon. It is a debate our society as whole will have to consider sometime in the near future and I will not try to take sides on the issue. With that said the show portrays women in a very inaccurate light, it gives the public the perception that women are daily risking there lives in operations that they do not actually do. Yes there are women involved in combat on a daily basis, but not in the ways the show portrays. It makes the debate on the whole concept of women in combat that much murkier by implying that women serve in combat arms MOS's. And as much as I wish I could believe differently, experience tells me that the majority of the public will believe what the show presents is gospel truth. quote:
ORIGINAL: Wild Bill Oh, I'm not saying it is an accurate representation of the military or what is happening in Iraq or anywhere else. Neither am I deluded into thinking every GI wears angel's wings. Neither one is a realistic approach to how things are. I love our servicemen. I respect, highly respect all of you who have served. You have my gratitude for stepping into the breach. I admire your courage and your willingness to lay down your life for others. I salute you all. I did not have that opportunity. I was too young for Korea, I married very young (17) and by the time Nam was full blown I was too old (28) and had four kids. Nobody wanted me [:-]. I tried. I love the military. My father served in WW2 in the USAAF. So did other members of my family. Three of my sons have served, 2 in the Navy and one in the Army. Its in my blood. I should have been a soldier. I wish I could have been. But I can support those who fight and sometimes die. I had a few friends who never made it back from the "Nam." They were fine young men, idealistic and determined to do their duty. They paid the ultimate price for their zeal. And just because Nam was a bad war (which one is good?), it does not take away from the loyal service of so many. In the early years of Nam, many volunteered to go there. They volunteered to go to hell for us. Who can disrespect that with a clear conscience? Here I go again, rattling on. Old folks do that you know [>:] So I watch "Over There." I have sense enough to disregard that which is not true and enjoy that which is true. This is not a phenomenon. The "Combat" series and the "Tour of Duty" series were not realistic either. I still enjoyed them. The record of our boys and girls fighting and dying speaks for itself and anyone who can't see that is blind indeed. Wild Bill
|
|
|
|