Take HBO’s “Generation Kill” With Grain Of Salt (Update from WaPo Review)

This Sunday, HBO will begin a seven-part miniseries, based on the book, Generation Kill, about a Marine Force Recon unit’s 40-day on-the-point battling their way to Baghdad in the Spring of 2003.

The following is written without having read the book or seen the film. Instead, these comments come from a serious Internet search of participants and of observers of the events and of the book and film, from my own Marine Corps experience, and conversations with other Marines.

In brief, the HBO film has an air of authenticity, although some of the events it depicts are incorrect. It is a gritty portrayal of the danger and chaos faced by these Marines, and of some of their good and less good actions and reactions. Marines, and others, who have been in combat will recognize that films, even when not hostile, tend to overdramatize and to exaggerate. The book and film are not untypical. It’s not seen as a hatchet-job, but imperfect, and in some ways misleading, particularly as it describes the leadership as incompetent.

INSERT: This is a long post, one of its points being that the errors and emphasis in this miniseries will feed a negative view of our actions and mission in Iraq. A reviewer for the Washington Post (not the one cited and quoted in the post’s ending excerpts) makes this clear:

Wright and the filmmakers know it is not enough to say that war is hell or that war is evil. The point here also seems to be that war is stupid, this one more so than many others, and that the higher one goes in the hierarchy of command, the stupider the commanders tend to be.

For those without combat background, or views hostile toward our military or the war in Iraq, there’s surely much to give them confirmation of their views. But, otherwise, there is an underlying reality: We choose and train our best and bravest to be brutal as needed to stand between us and those even more brutal. If we desire to personally face those enemies’ brutality, then disparaging our defenders is the way to do it. (INSERT: Slate’s reviewer says of the recon Marines, “the characters here, more often than not, amount to cretinous psychopaths.” )

War is hell, and in action it’s usually a few who emerge as the most able or heroic. Force Reconnaissance are the best trained, most aggressive elite within the Marine Corps. That’s saying something. That said, as in any unit, there are those who are smarter, more experienced, braver. Force Recon contains the best of the best, and a higher proportion of them.

Rolling Stone writer Evan Wright was embedded with 2nd platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Recon Battalion, writing of his experience with these men the book Generation Kill, from which the HBO series is drawn.

A reporter who saw a preview last night writes:

They are shown fighting insurgents, bonding with each other as a second family, making homophobic and sexist comments, degrading Iraqis, talking about the thrill of killing, joking to lighten the stress of combat and pondering their post-war existence.

They also complain about poor, even incompetent, leadership by their commanders and rail against the Marine Corps' frequent changes to its rules of engagement….

“We are trying to depict young men in a modern war and what war has become,” said David Simon, the show's screenwriter and executive producer who was the creative force behind the HBO drama “The Wire.”

“The one thing that I hope people get out of this film, whether pro-or anti-war, is its impact on the people who fight it. ... It might be nice if there was any reflection about what the Iraqis have endured for five years,” he said. “War is a lot less precise and pristine than we think it is.”…

No one from the 374-member battalion died by the time they returned to Camp Pendleton in June. The Marines survived at least 17 firefights, many ambushes and at least one minefield.

The creators of “Generation Kill” said they strived for the utmost authenticity in depicting Kocher, Person and the other Marines.

On the HBO Web site for the miniseries, they describe the show as “a gritty, uncompromising account of the Iraq invasion ... from the point of view of the guys on the ground.”

Two Marines at the preview who were in the unit and served as advisors to the film are quoted saying the film is accurate, if unsparing. They say:

“I think the majority of the guys are very happy with the series,” said former Staff Sgt. Eric Kocher, 28, who helped lead the reconnaissance unit and is a veteran of five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Just watching it makes you feel like you're there because of the detailed accuracy put into the filming,” said Kocher, who served as a technical adviser for the project.

Cpl. Josh Ray Person, another Marine portrayed in the miniseries, said the Marine Corps might not be happy with the show because it expects perfection from its troops.

“But every family has its problems. I hope audiences will see that the war is being fought by real people,” said Person, 27, who left the military shortly after his 2003 deployment and lives in Kansas City, Mo.

I know this preview reporter to be a good one, so there must be a reason (perhaps deadline) that other Marines who served in the unit, or others with direct knowledge, are not mentioned.

At Amazon, there’s this about the book from three other unit members:

This book covers what we at 1st Recon called "The Best Spring Break Ever". Wright does an outstanding job accurately portraying the personalities of the operators of Bravo company. As a member of Charlie and H&S company I can verify that he is fairly accurate in his recalling of most events our Battalion faced. The only thing I found inaccurate is that he portrays many Officers to be incompetent. In reality there was a few morons in charge, but the vast majority were fairly good guys. This is fairly standard throughout the military. Also he took a lot of the things we said out of context and interpreted it to make us sound angry all the time(except Tim B., he really is angry all the time). All in all this book is 80%fact 20%spin. Regardless, it captures the general feelings and experiences that we in 1st Recon lived through.

And this:

GENERATION KILL is a lie. Evan Wright has fabricated quotations, incorrectly written and placed captions, and he will never embed with my unit again. 1st Marine Division PAO should be ashamed, ashamed that it placed him with us. He really stabbed us in the back and we will never allow him in our presence again. Also, he understands nothing about reconnaissance, basic military tactics and operations, and the fact that he has never returned to Iraq since he made a mint off our blood, sweat and tears speaks for itself.

And this:

I saw Wright a few times but never spoke to him. This book is honest in that the comments are probably accurate, but he cut out the essence of young Marines to show just their brawling, profane side. in that respect, he was intellectually dishonest and savaged the battalion. but it's a fun read. so I'm torn. Accurate events but one-sided view.

It may be the same senior noncommissioned officer above (the second Amazon reviewer) who wrote a review at Amazon, or not, in the unit who wrote this detailed critique of several misleading errors in the book.

This book is stated to be non-fiction yet it is filled with lies and much of the writing is from the point of view of a Marine that would have normally been kicked out of the unit, but during time of war we need every body that we can get. The Marine Corps has a name for Marines like Corporal Person, [The Cpl Person quoted above in the newspaper preview] “ Shitbird”. In the book he is depicted as the, “True Recon Marine”. You have got to be kidding me, his true Recon Marine means that the Marine has the 0321 military occupational specialty, it takes years of training and a number of schools to be considered a TRUE RECON MARINE by, “True Recon Marines” that have dedicated their careers to the reconnaissance community. So not only are their [sic] multitudes of lies but the book is written from the point of view of the Marines that befriended Evan Wright. Evan Wright created characters for his book, a book that can only be categorized as fiction.

Yet, this same Marine, at the time of the events a Gunnery Sergeant, is reported by his brother to have said after seeing the film:

My brother was asked on camera what he thought of his character and got surprised reactions from the interviewer when he stated aside from the fact there were plenty of inaccuracies, he mostly liked the film.

One would be justifiably wary of any film dramatization of war, and particularly so when one of its creators states this view:

…the series was created by David Simon and Ed Burns, who created "The Wire." Instead of attempting to portray the war in its totality, "Generation Kill" focuses on the Marines and their war culture. In a recent interview, Burns, a Vietnam War veteran, was asked if working the show changed his perspective on war: "I still hate it. It just makes it more of a tragedy to know that we sent these guys into combat in the wrong war, on a make-up war. We wasted such talent on a lie."

What, then, is one to make of this book and film? The Major who was a forward air controller in the unit wrote a detailed critique of some errors in the book of which he has personal knowledge. He concludes:

If I can attest that in three occasions Evan embellished, or misrepresented, events as I related them, the reader can fairly question how many other events in the book are exaggerated or distorted. Evan told me he writes to portray the “gritty, Lance Corporal view of war.” His writing has impact, and evokes a sensory, visceral response. A good war book has to have bloody combat and all those stereotypical characters we see in war movies. He provides them, but at significant cost to accuracy.

In entertaining us with the acerbic, irreverent, and not always well-informed commentary of a few Marines, Evan also limits the reader’s perspective. There was a whole lot more of the war going on all around him, and Evan did not temper the emotional outbursts of those young Marines with perspectives from around the battalion that may give the reader a more complete picture of 1st Recon Battalion. Read and enjoy, but do not think you are reading a complete story….

In documenting a few events, which I related to Evan in Ad Diwaniyah after the campaign, he used quotes out of context to build on the theme for his book. He picked favorites, and used particular events to reinforce story lines. He decided Sergeants and below were okay, while senior Staff NCOs were almost universally discounted. The reader should know that Bravo Company lost their First Sergeant shortly before combat operations began. There was a dearth of senior enlisted leadership in the company and it reflected in the discipline and morale of the junior Marines. If Evan had talked to senior Staff NCOs in Alpha or Charlie companies, maybe he could have added perspective to what he witnessed and the stories he heard from junior Marines.

In the end, what we are left with is Hollywood stereotype. Most officers are either incompetent or careerist. The one good platoon commander is an outsider. The real heroes are the junior enlisted Marines. There is not a single officer or senior enlisted Marine who would speak of the dedication, intelligence, and professionalism of junior Marines in anything but the highest approbation. Evan’s major failing is his lack of awareness of the tremendous burden modern warfare places on leadership and staffs; and the long years of dedication to the profession of arms those same officers and staff noncommissioned officers put in to be ready when the war tocsin sounds.

Evan deserves full credit for sticking with the battalion and documenting what he sees as the ‘gritty, Lance Corporal’s view of war.’ There is tremendous value in that perspective. I acknowledge that perceptions define an individual’s reality, but that individual reality is not the whole truth. In a situation as chaotic and stressful as combat, the truth is a complex animal.

Evan’s sins are borne of ignorance, inexperience, and lack of perspective. I do not expect Lance Corporals and Lieutenants to be experienced or possess broad perspective either, but journalists should attempt to overcome those shortcomings, not revel in them.

At the beginning of this piece, I used Evan’s quote out of context to make him look malicious. I do not think he was malicious. But it is easy to use quotes out of context to create a narrative of your own choosing.

Epilogue

As of this writing, I have nineteen years in the Marine Corps. The non-commissioned officers of 1st Recon Battalion were the finest enlisted Marines I have encountered in those nineteen years. As a Hornet backseater, I have to say the best Marine officers I ever served with were my squadron mates in Beaufort back in the 1990s. That being said, I also have the highest respect for the officers and staff non-commissioned officers of 1st Recon. I believe leading Marines and Sailors in combat is the most challenging job in the entirety of the human experience, and they did it very well.

I went back to Iraq in 2006 with the Third Marine Aircraft Wing, working in the operations department. I flew a handful of missions in between my staff work and was even able to do a show of force for some 1st Recon Marines out on a patrol. I am glad I was able to help one more time.

One can see soldiers and Marines in old World War II movies griping, speaking and acting brutally. However, there’s no question that we’re the good guys and the cause correct, and that is the hearing the films played into among the audience. If one took the same old films and dubbed in being in Iraq, today’s viewers – so many more of them not having the same supportive opinions – would likely have more negative impressions of our troops and their mission. That’s the danger presented in this book and film, that so many seeing it – with hostile opinions of our troops or their mission – will not apply a factual or reasonable grain of salt, or understanding of reality.

INSERT: Illustration, from current days’ Wikipedia entry about 1943 Marine war film, “Gung Ho!”

The fast moving film is a template for many war films and other adventure or western films where a group of professional killers and misfits in polite society are handpicked by an inspiring leader, trained to perfection, then use their initiative and skills in marksmanship, combatives, and knife fighting on an enemy who greatly outnumber them….Bosley Crowther in a January 1944 review for The New York Times praised the film, its performances and settings but said "the stabbings and stickings go on ad nauseum.[sic] Gung Ho! is for folks with strong stomachs and a taste for the submachine gun"….Many individuals who accuse the U.S. Marine Corps of deliberately recruiting murderers and criminals may have been inspired by Rod Cameron's role in the film.

UPDATE:
Former Marine, TV and documentary producer JD Johannes adds contrasts between “real combat vs staged combat.”

UPDATE FROM WASHINGTON POST REVIEW:
The Washington Post’s reviewer – who “covered the invasion of Iraq for The Post while embedded with the 1st Marine Division and was a correspondent in Baghdad from May 2005 to July 2006” -- reports on reactions of some others who were there with the unit. Again, authenticity, exaggeration and overdramatization, errors, that for some may serve their negativity. The reviewer adds other germane points. All in all the best MSM review I've seen; worth reading it all.

For himself, the formerly embedded reviewer:

The dialogue -- much of it drawn from the book by Wright, who co-wrote the script -- makes it easy to forget, even for someone who has spent months covering Marines, that these are actors playing real people and not the subjects of a documentary. Like most quotes in my old notebooks from that period, many other conversations among Marines can't be recounted here, replete as they are with homophobia, jokes about promiscuous mothers and relentless discussion of defecation. Their mounting frustrations with a nebulous mission also ring true.

For others:

With the notable exception of Nathaniel Fick, a former platoon commander in 1st Recon and the author of his own well-received book about that period, most officers are depicted as either incompetent or craven or both. In one scene, an unbalanced and trigger-happy platoon commander derisively nicknamed "Captain America" shoots an unarmed Iraqi man in the back. In another, the same officer leaps from a berm and tries to bayonet a subdued prisoner.

"It's an interpretation of a book, which is itself an interpretation of events," Fick said in a phone interview, after viewing the series at a screening the producers held for Marines. "If anyone had seen the type of behavior [from Captain America] you see on the screen, he would have been relieved. If I'd been shown the way some of these guys are, I'd sue the pants off them."

He pointed to a scene in which Marines riddle an oncoming car with bullets from about 50 yards away and said that in reality, the car was farther out, making it harder to discern whether it posed a threat.

Other officers from the unit, many of whom were angry about Wright's book, are "pretty nervous" about the television adaptation, said Lt. Col. Michael Shoup, who coordinated air support for 1st Recon during the invasion and is now a "budget weenie" (his words) at the Pentagon. He has posted an extensive, online rebuttal of some events Wright describes.

Simon [David Simon, creator of the HBO miniseries] acknowledged in an interview that "Generation Kill" is "a drama, not journalism" and that some of the dialogue was inferred, rather than overheard, because "the reporter couldn't be everywhere at once." But he insisted that "everything you see in there is rooted in [Wright's] reporting." He added: "Not only did we not do research, but we were rigorous about not re-reporting [Wright's] work."