I disagree with those closing remarks. He talks about war like it's something that fell into his lap. A lot of soldiers do this. Like they just "found" themselves on a battlefield, but almost all of them chose to put themselves there or knew it was a possibility when it enlisted, and some of them look forward to that. Though maybe I'm just jaded after listening to all my dads stories about what our army black ops were doing in Panama fourty years ago. Killing women and children witnesses just to keep the operations quiet. Our military is mostly evil, and I feel bad for any soldier who enlists thinking they'll be a hero.
Fancy Food Fight, lmao you have actually zero clue what you are talking about. "I disagree with those closing remarks, btw I have nothing to back that up except daddy stories, which actually prove the point im trying to debunk more than otherwise"
@@ciprigutierrez9974 that wasn’t a question. It was describing the logic behind a movie with a more realistic background (based on a book) vs. one based on some idealized journalist who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Oh come on we all know Santa is an alien... or perhaps X-Men... imortal and flight capable... And the flight dynamics of that sleigh are... well our tech is not that advanced yet.
Bit of a correction here guys, but Chris Hedges (the quote guy), was a war journalist for like a decade also in Iraq. Knowing the types of people that become war journalists, I can tell you that their perspective tends to be pretty relevant.
No kidding. His objection to the quote doesn't even make a lot of sense cause the central premise of the book the quote is from is as follows according to wikipedia "In the book, Hedges draws on classical literature and his experiences as a war correspondent to argue that war seduces entire societies, creating fictions that the public believes and relies on to continue to support conflicts. He also describes how those who experience war may find it exhilarating and addictive. The book was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, as well as a national bestseller. Hedges writes in the Introduction that he wrote the book "not to dissuade us from war but to understand it... - so that we, who wield such massive force across the globe, see within ourselves the seeds of our own obliteration." [1] Reviewer Abraham Verghese concludes that "war's seduction and inevitability and sometimes even necessity are a recurring theme in this book." [2] What he described seemed to be what the quote was trying to say that some veterans went back again and again because they felt a sense of purpose and sometimes exhilarating and addictiveness to it. Seems to me he wanted to say HIS experience and the people HE KNEW gives him the right to say that no vet would feel that way. Also I'm pretty sure that the movie is not trying the average bomb disarmer obviously the movie is creating a story and narrative of a guy who doesn't seem to value his life much. Not to mention his talking about breaking army regulations by taking someone hostage? I've never served but it seems to me based on history and what happens during war people commit far worse offenses that are considered war crimes but they aren't usually held accountable for it.
Here is the full quote. "Human beings will do anything, anything. I am convinced. That's why when all those beheadings started in Iraq, it didn't bother me. A lot of people here were horrified, "Whaaaa, beheadings! Beheadings!" What, are you fucking surprised? Just one more form of extreme human behavior. Besides, who cares about some mercenary civilian contractor from Oklahoma who gets his head cut off? Fuck 'em. Hey Jack, you don't want to get your head cut off? Stay the fuck in Oklahoma. They ain't cuttin' off heads in Oklahoma, far as I know. But I do know this: you strap on a gun and go struttin' around some other man's country, you'd better be ready for some action, Jack. People are touchy about that sort of thing. And let me ask you this... this is a moral question, not rhetorical, I'm looking for the answer: what is the moral difference between cuttin' off one guy's head, or two, or three, or five, or ten - and dropping a big bomb on a hospital and killing a whole bunch of sick kids? Has anybody in authority given you an explanation of the difference? Now, in case you're wondering why I have a certain interest, or fascination let's call it, with torture and beheadings and all of those things I have mentioned, is because each of these items reminds me in life over and over again what beasts we human beings really are. When you get right down to it, human beings are nothing more than ordinary jungle beasts. Savages. No different from the Cro Magnon people who lived twenty five thousand years ago. No different. Our DNA hasn't changed substantially in a hundred thousand years. We're still operating out of the lower brain. The reptilian brain. Fight or flight. Kill or be killed. We like to think we've evolved and advanced because we can build a computer, fly an airplane, travel underwater, we can write a sonnet, paint a painting, compose an opera. But you know something? We're barely out of the jungle on this planet. Barely out of the fucking jungle. What we are, is semi-civilized beasts, with baseball caps and automatic weapons." -George Carlin
It's refreshing to see a new genuine person on camera. The sarcastic assholes they usually have talking about some clickbait bullshit is alright but this guy I would like to see way more.
MagicLaMa It looks you're the person he referred to when he said "listen to people bitch and complain for every little thing" this guy is more genuine and not sarcastic cause this is a serious and genuine topic, not pop culture because complaining about pop culture is so dumb cracked knows this and the make it extra sarcastic for your entertainment
MagicLaMa I have a dark suspicion that after spending some time with the other Cracked staff, he'll find their clickbait moaning about trivial things unbearable and sign up for another tour...
This is my first post ever after watching TH-cam for years. A 3-time vet myself, and I loved everything this guys had to say. I miss serving my Marines in battle and in the rear on a daily basis, and not because I was addicted to the rush, but because my purpose was to care for the men on the battlefield, Marines, enemy combatants, and non-combatants alike. Thanks for this video and your device brother. And thank you to each vet and active duty serving.
This is an honest question (not snide or sarcastic). But why do you think that same feeling doesn't exist in civilian life? and is there anyway it could be?
I don't think it exists to the same extent in civilian life because the stakes aren't as high. When you work an office job and you don't get a project done on time, there ARE consequences, but rarely does someone die. In forward deployed roles, it's easy for small things to make a difference between life and death. Now, this isn't true for everyone in the military just like it isn't true for all civilians. There are military members who will serve long and meaningful careers and never make a decision that puts someone's life on the line. After all, the military employees its own musicians, photographers, human resources, etc. All of those are very important jobs but you're unlikely to ever get shot at. By the same token, being a EMT, a firefighter, or a police officer can carry a similar sense of responsibility. I'm not saying those are the only examples, they are just the ones that come most immediately to mind.
"I missed serving my Marines in battle and in the rear on a daily basis..." Maybe it's the Army vet in me, or I'm just a dirty person, but holy shit that sounds so nasty haha. I laughed at that for about ten minutes.
Hi! Marksmen shooter here! 1. That distance has a whole ton of calculations that need to be done for that shot. Like, I dunno, windage, heat, distance, the correct formula for adjusting the scope, what type of scope it is, load data, etc... 2. They have no idea what the Brit was shooting for ammo. For all they knew it couldve been slower rounds to compensate for the heat or faster burning for the wind. 3. It takes SEVERAL shots not knowing the distance the scope was set at (In other fancy terms, sighted in). (Typically they are set a base of 100 yards yet, that's marines not brits.) 4. He didn't touch his turrets (At least from the clip) you NEED to especially with the heat compensation formula. Post Note - The rotation of the earth doesn't come into account till 1,000 yards. Along with, unless they both suddenly remembered both MOA and MIL formulas there is no way in hell they would've made it in one shot.
I'm guessing they use either a thermometer or local weather data. I doubt that they guess the temperature based solely on feel, especially considering how the amount of humidity can make it seem far hotter or far cooler than it truely is.
Yes it is a very good movie, but Americans get the name wrong all the time, it is German for boat, so Das Boot is The Boat, and is pronounced "Das Boat".
This was my thoughts: Yeh sure I don't doubt your authenticity at all. But FFS when are we gonna expect the same standard of judgement of soldiers that we do of politicians? Iraq was a BS war. Afghanistan became a BS war by the time the Iraq War began. We wouldn't have empathy for Vets if THEY had taken responsibility for the horrors of war by NOT joining/re-enlisting into BS wars. In one day in 2003 there were 5- MILLION PEOPLE PLUS Protests held around the world. We all knew Iraq was BS war. Politicians will always fight these wars if they're allowed to take our taxes and young people agree to fight. I don't have sympathy for USA soldiers, they either know they are fighting BS wars or they don't and I strongly oppose them and until I see evidence that changes my mind, I sympathise with civilians who had nothing to do with this, who are dying, unprotected in their homes. Not the troops in MRAPS, body armour and drones looking out for them.
+Ashley Thomas, with all due respect, I do not believe you have the faintest idea what you're talking about. I'm not going to attempt to guess your age, but if you were around as an adult from 2001-2006 you'd remember all the fervor and patriotic rhetoric that drove young men into enlisting. I was one of those young men and I did my tours honorably. The overwhelming majority of vets did everything they could to make life better for all concerned in whatever location they were deployed. I know this isn't what they told you at liberal arts college, but I don't blame you for not really knowing. It really is a "you had to be there" type of situation. As a parting thought I'd ask you to review the moment in the video where the presenter was listing the NJP offenses that were listed. The presenter knows them, not from extensive research, but because soldiers are held to a higher standard than politicians and are aware that every action has a serious consequence and fully expect to be held responsible for those actions.
Let me preface by saying that I am an Army vet and saw combat in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Ashley, not all wars are justified. Not all wars have been popular. However, all wars have one thing in common: people die in them. Your survival and that of your buddies is really all that matters to the men and women wearing the uniform. Unless you've been in that situation, it's difficult to fully understand just what that means. Most people who serve in the US military do so out of feelings of patriotism. They VOLUNTEER because they love their country and want to give something back to it - not the politicians, the PEOPLE. Service members give up large portions of their lives (or give their lives) to do what most people won't so that those people can live their lives however they want, even if what they want is to sit in a comfortable chair, in front of their computer, in their nice house and complain about "BS wars". Finally, don't you think the soldiers sympathize with those civilians who "had nothing to do with this"? Have you ever, personally, WITH YOUR OWN EYES seen the body of a child who was killed in a combat zone? A burnt body who you can't tell was civilian or military? Smelled death? It's easy to criticize when you haven't been there.
+Jim Rinkenberger: You left out the main reason people join most armies and the overwhelming reason Americans join the army and that's for a job, for a financial and career opportunity. Which is morally bancrupt reason to join an invading army fighting an illegal war and neglecting it's legal and Geneva Convention rights to the occupied population. You fail to get the distinction I am making, this is as clear as I can state it: I respect anyone who joins a national defense force, even f it's just for a job. If they fight to defend their people (and fellow soldiers) from an unprovoked attack that will cost lives of civilians unless the aggressors are faced in combat, then that is noble. If they join an army that provokes an unnecessary war that only is only fought to advance the financial or political advantage of the invading country, then they are the VILLAINS. They are ones who make the soldiers defending their homes NOBLE. That includes IRAQ2003, the war against Taliban in Afghanistan and every engagement since 2003. Even The Gulf War was a corrupt war. USA armed Iraq and assured them they would not challenge Iraq if they invaded Kuwait. USA made false propaganda to sell the war to US citizens (as they seem to do in every war). I would not accuse a young soldier of accountability for the political reasons his country went to war if the motivations for going to war were unclear and their country hadn't gone to war as the aggressor before. But that doesn't include USA. USA has a documented history of launching illegal wars of aggression that cause unholy suffering and seemingly for no end (except there is an end, it's for economic gain and it's to maintain $1Tn of US taxpayers money going into the US war economy every year-that figure includes Vet-Services). There is no excuse for ignorance of why your country is fighting, if you don't know that, it is because you either a) haven't bothered to learn the history of American wars, or b) you support the reasons USA goes to war. I have every sympathy for US soldiers who died in WW2 and Korea and apart from the civilian atrocities they committed, I don't hold them responsible for the civilian deaths they caused. The wars I mentioned above however. They weren't soldiers. They were mercenaries. If there was fairness in the world the leaders would face justice. The only way USA will stop these wars of illegal aggression is if money is cut from the budget so they can only afford to DEFEND USA from attack and/or Americans stop joining the mercenary US Armed Forces.So the USDOD only has enough troops to defend USA. * I don't just hold USA to this standard. Other countries are guilty to. I'm a Kiwi and I feel the same way about Kiwi SAS soldiers deployed in combat against Taliban.
I couldn't agree more. Very well spoken and his commentary at the end spoke volumes about how little people understand what our soldiers are going through.
@@nunliski I agree. You people are insane if you think being a soldier and risking your life is in any way, shape or form positiv. Flying around the world to a place far from the USA and fighting against people....
As a vet of Afghanistan I will have to say he's spot on. War for me was being needed and respected having been part of a greater mission. When I came home civilian life in America was Then and still is , just surviving paying bills and waiting for death. That's why I would go back in a second. Also the brothers and sisters I was with are more family than my own. And most of us feel the same.
Feel the same. I got a degree after and have a cozy corporate job. I don't worry about bills because I make enough to not worry. It's not the same. Just waiting for death. I guess I can get married and have kids in the mean time.
@@juanshaftpatel7488 Probably not. No point in arguing over the internet. Showing you my DD214 would not sway your opinion. Keep your head down, don't cause trouble. I hope you make E5.
This is definitely the best video Cracked has put out in a while and THANK GOD I don't have to dislike it because this one doesn't have the stupid "Monogamy" credit speech.
No, what I mean is I want him to talk about more falsehoods in war movies, and more of the myths surrounding the military. I wasn't saying his other videos are BS, I've never him in any.
Jason Hayes That always confused me. The opening to Fall out: War... war never changes. The opening to Metal Gear Solid: War... has changed. If War never changes, and yet it has done, what am I supposed to believe anymore!!?
Demon Emperor Void Swag I think the difference between the two is in metal gear it's more about the technology being used during war so in that perspective war has changed but in fallout it's more about what happens during war which is just people killing each other so with that point of view war hasn't changed and will never change.
The closing remarks were...what I have tried to explain to people for years. Thank you for articulating that in the most respectful way possible. Thank you
HOLY SHIT BRING THIS GUY BACK PLEASE. I just want to hear him speak more. He is so clearly intelligent, has been through so much, yet has such a beautiful sense of humour about it all. PLEASE give him a regular video series. Call it "Full Mental Jacket" or something.
One glitch: The Hedges quote is about war reporters, not soldiers. And Hedges is a war reporter, a very experienced and award-winning war reporter. I'm not surprised that this commentator didn't know where the original quote was from... but it's another example of inaccuracy by the makers of The Hurt Locker.
Children of Men reminded me constantly of my deployment. Especially the end. Desperate chaos saturated in helplessness. people grabbing at you and begging as parts of the dangle on loose threads of flesh.
I cried so bad when I watched that movie. Amidst the anger, hate, and chaos all sides agreed on one thing. That child was the only hope for humanity. The scene where the chaos stopped to let them pass was incredibly powerful
William Galaini Children of Men, while great, is meant as social commentary, not an attempt to be faux documentary as "War movies" are. Good try though, and anyone who sees this post should consider watching Children of Men over Hurt Locker any day.
And to think I was recently very close to unsubbing from this channel (After Hours and OPCD kept me from doing so). I was getting pretty tired of smarmy milennials forcing their naive opinions down my throat. Cracked, you hit it out of the park with this guy. Thanks for getting it right and putting this guy on your channel and giving an opportunity for the veteran community to be heard (outside of our own tight knit community). Great video!
austind999 How is you clicking on a video "forcing their opinions down your throat"? Why are there so many of you entitled snowflakes here I just don't get it?
Don Victus Seriously? It's a valid point. I'm a veteran too, and I DID unsubscribe due to their having shoveled their blatantly biased regressive leftist bullshit in everyone's faces for popularity. We represent a customer base, and they flipped the script on some of us one day when they decided to stop being funny and to instead try to influence the election with lies and half-truths. I'm also a business owner in an artificial field. If you think someone expressing their opinion as a customer, to a company, in that company's public forum makes them "entitled," then you might misunderstand how market research and customer feedback work to improve products in a capitalist society. If anything, speaking up when you dislike a change in the direction of this company's content actually helps them out.
The sniper scene, where they see an enemy eating lunch 50 yards to the right of the guys they are shooting at. They take a shot at him, and miss, so the enemy gets worried and starts running for the bunker, so far, OK. Then they take another shot of the guy running, AND HIT HIM! WHAT BULLSHIT! DOING THAT IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE! I have shot a great number of targets, and participated in shoots at moving things, it is far more difficult. At 800 yards, it is virtually impossible.
Another thing! If Hollywood wants to use cannon fodder, they should use their own, not squaddies from another nation acting stupid enough to get themselves 'scripted' killed.
I liked his realness too but he lost me when he tried to mock Chris Hedges at the end, he was a war correspondent for about half of his life, he saw more conflicts than the guy in the video, in Central America, the Balkans (twice) & the Middle East. And he saw the war from a more objective perspective. If he'd bothered to research Hedges and where the quote comes from (other than just wikipedia him and stop at 10 secs), he'd have realized Hedges has the same perspective about war : you go back because you don't fit in at home anymore, it's the same feeling for war correspondents. The quote is a distortion from what he actually said, but it still sorta stands
Originally from one of his books, not sure which one but he talks about the same point (the addiction of warzones) in this lecture : /watch?v=nzNhsNHg7PI. He talks about his experience as foreign correspondent at 33:06
“The biggest attraction [to war] is purpose, when you’re in a combat zone things become simple. You survive, and you do everything you can to make sure your friends do too. When you’re there, all the nonsense falls away, and you gain a huge amount of perspective for what really matters.” -Christian
@@ElGranSanto Soldiers are evil, stupid slaves. "Sense of purpose" my fucking ass. That's no more meaningful than saying you play a video game to find a sense of purpose, except you're actually killing other human beings.
It pisses me off when people make war seem like some game where you're a total badass and it's the most fun thing ever and killing your enemies is like an even more exciting version of Grand Theft Auto. War is Hell, the worst kind of Hell. You have to go away from you central air and Walmarts to God knows where, you have to follow orders instead of doing whatever the hell you want, you have people trying to kill you and your buddies, and you have to kill capture them. People might think that killing people is fun and invigorating like a real life video game, but then they see their buddy they been hanging out with the past few weeks with a bullet through his head or his limbs scattered here and there behind some ruined building or in a ditch somewhere. They might have to their enemies or innocent civilians in a similar state. They might see kids used by the enemy to smuggle weapons or again, dead somewhere. But no, killing is FUN and war is just an escape from your boring old reality to become a certified badass and is an EXTREME version of everything you see in video games and movies. Except you know, bullets hurt, injuries are devastating, PTSD is a thing, there's no pausing or playing something else for a while when it's not fun anymore, and you don't respawn when you die. Yep, a barrel of fun.
Why do you think we humans find war cool in games and movies? Obviously there's gotta be a disconnect somewhere. Even the people you mention who don't really consider what war actually is in reality, would probably never enjoy being in a real war. I think it's really interesting and somewhat "shocking" that we are able to compartmentalize fictional violence from real vilence, in that sense.
We humans are so fascinated by war because fighting to survive is a deep rooted instinct and a natural part of life that we've had the good fortune to not have to worry about in our comfy lives. Fighting and killing and trying not to get killed is something we all know how to do, like fucking or breathing. Just like every animal out there, since its programmed into our primitive lizard brains. Its just that in our society where we're relatively safe from danger, the thought of violence and death is so outside of our realm of experiences that it's become novel almost. Companies dress it up and make it fun and exciting and give it to us spoiled, sheltered, ignorant retards like "Hey, have you heard of this thing called war? Apparently some people in less evolved parts of the world far from anywhere your lazy ass might go fight and kill each over power or money or some shit like that. But you won't care why because look how exciting and flashy and epic I'm making it look for you. Wouldn't you like to experience that kind of excitement for yourself, but in the safety of your own home and without the constant threat of death? Hell, we'll even make death trivial by letting you revive as many times as you want, because that's all death is, a minor inconvenience that might set you back a few minutes until you blow that guy's head off. Oh, did I mention you can blow people's heads off? That's right, you can do that and any sick, twisted, and evil thing your mind can come up with to other people. It's ok though, even though they look just like people they are just random bits of data and images programmed to run around and be walking targets for all of our sick fantasies. And while in real life doing such things would quickly land you in jail, in games there aren't any consequences to doing any of this stuff, and if there are then you can just reset so ha. No one will care if you go out on a killing spree and kill every man woman or child you come across, and truthfully, we encourage that kind of behavior. If we didn't, then we wouldn't have programmed the game that way, though officially it's for 'realism'. No, we just want you to become so desensitized to blood and violence that we just keep shoving these murder simulators out to you month after month and year after year. Because war and violence is a novelty that we sell to you safely to make a quick buck by appealing to your deeply ingrained fight or flight survival instincts. But you don't care about that, since you're too busy checking out how bloody and realistic I'm making these new headshots look. So go out and buy my latest version of Murder Simulator, or maybe check out my new film War is Awesome. Because as far as you fat entitled idiots are concerned, it is. I'm Roger by the way." I'm sorry, I blacked out there for a moment...
Oddly enough, I was actually watching a movie last night with Ethan Hawke, called Good Kill. I'm not going to say that it was super accurate as having been in the military, there were some things that were off, but he's a drone pilot that used to fly F16s and dying to get back to it. Then, the toll of that, on top of what he sees every day on his screen and what he has to do, in addition to how it's corroding his marriage because he won't talk to his wife and ends up distancing himself from her more and more because he doesn't want to throw the weight of his burden upon her. So... he turns to the bottle. Admittedly, I don't know enough about the program in which to say if these scenarios are worst case for the sensationalism of the movie... or if it's actually worse. Kind of like that movie The Caller with Halle Berry, in which she spent three days in a 911 center and said that so many of the calls were way worse than what was in the movie script. Like there's one point where the Lieutenant Colonel was talking about how one of their guys popped on coke so they were getting a new person. Citing that he was 22 and burned out, so he did a bunch of coke to pop intentionally... finishing with "22 and he 'burned out.' Hell, when I was 22, I was just getting started." Though said in a way he wsn't really surprised, like they may have a high tunrover rate for their job or something, due to these "burnouts." Sure, perhaps it's over dramatizing it, but can you imagine?
Chris Hedges, pulitzer-winning journalist, with 15 years experience as a foreign correspondent, much of that either in war zones or covering global conflict. Wrote a top-selling book on the experience of war that included interviews with soldiers. (Also criticised The Hurt Locker for being misleading war propaganda.) Might have a clue about war.
Byron Smith War is a force that gives us meaning is a great book. This video was also excellent, funny however that the narrator critiques Chris Hedges quote by basically making the exact same arguments that Hedges book, the source of the quote, puts forward. Obviously he has not read the book, just Googled the author. Hedges has also been extremely critical of the movie and it's director, Katherine Bigelow.
Amaretto I was actually pleasantly surprised that for once there wasn't the usual forced awkward, ironic meme culture humour. Unfortunately its likely this guy was just here to compare the movie against his personal experience so I doubt we'll see him again
I confess I do think the editor guy IS funny, and absolutely a real talent. But this new(er) guy, I agree - we need some new kinds of funny, and this guy is that and GIVE US MORE.
Holy fuck. Chris Hedges wasn't a servicemember, but he was a war correspondent who saw the frontlines with his own two eyes. Here's the full quote. _"I learned early on that war forms its own culture. _*_The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years. It is peddled by mythmakers- historians, war correspondents, filmmakers, novelists, and the state_*_ - all of whom endow it with qualities it often does possess: excitement, exoticism, power, chances to rise above our small stations in life, and a bizarre and fantastic universe that has a grotesque and dark beauty."_ When he says war is a drug, it's not a drug for _soldiers,_ but for _the media._ And you're telling me this movie cut the full quote and corrupted its meaning entirely. In doing this they show that the quote is lost on them. The filmmakers did _exactly_ what Hedges condemned them for; they sold the fantasy of war to the viewer and insulted all the people who actually lived the reality.
Thank you for clearing that up. Chris Hedges is a quality journalist. It seems that whoever did the research for this video, didn't look beyond Hedges Wikipedia page. The man was on the frontlines of wars on several continents, caught in the middle of ambushes, and had people next to him killed in fire fights. I have only listened to his interviews, but will soon read his books. He has lived a life more interesting than most.
maybe a bit of his reflection is relevant to the rest of the cracked team... Very different tone and message than everyone else from Cracked. It's good, brings fresh perspective.
Shawn Ravenfire - it should be pretty heavy. if you want to make a movie about war and your intent is to tell a compelling story or make a political/moral statement that's fine. create a fantasy land with a fantasy war and go nuts. but don't try to shoehorn some fantasy or agenda based garbage in something that really happened. it would be like me making a movie and calling it your autobiography only I make it "Shawn ravenfire is Jack the ripper", "based on a true story!". I mean... "some" of it is true right? so technically that's a legit statement...
Personally I feel like Jarhead was the closest to my experience. I was deployed to Kuwait in 2003 at age 21 all pumped up and ready to spread American freedom. Qualified on the M2(.50 machine gun) Spent the entire time building base camps all over the country and didn't fire my weapon once.
I trully enjoyed a military video without fake patriotism and empty words like: "We're fighting for our loves ones", "We fight for the good against the evil people", .... This is just a soldier, talking about his regular job. This guy respects the enemy, and understand that they are doing their job too. War is just that, trying to survive and keeping your friends alive. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Bravo That kind of mindless, "Just doing my job." attitude is what keeps our perpetual war machine moving. I wish soldiers would wake up and realize they're being used to preserve a global corporate hegemony.
I'm not saying it's good or bad. It's just reality. And when a soldier fights after the courtain of an ideology/patriotism is when he is able to perform the most horrible acts. They are comminting horror because of a "good purpose". Accepting that it is just his job, results in a more human behaviour. That is what happened in the 1WW when soldiers stop hating the enemy and the cry for peace was loudest.
Yeah. The banks, politicians, rich fuckers playing us like pawns... all true... but guess what. The war is going to happen wether you support it or not. So you can either bitch and moan about how "above it" you are and everyone else just isn't as "woke" as you. OR since its happening ANYWAY, you can join in with the guys you went to school with, grew up in the same neighborhood as, played video games online with.
That whole view of yours is typical of someone who doesn't understand what its like to serve in the military. Looking at the big picture conspiracy while failing to see the individual experience. So your deployed to some shit hole and your job is to basically bring stability to a certain town or area in Iraqistan or whatever. Your not sitting there going "oh muh global corporate hegemony." Your going, how do I stop these assholes from putting bombs on the road of this town we are trying to protect. How do we keep them from terrorizing the people, cutting the village leaders head off, or burning down the school we just built for them because they don't want women to be educated. Try looking at it from another perspective rather then just assuming your "above it" to even try.
I gave up on the Cracked website awhile ago, and usually avoid most of their videos. I clicked on this one before I knew it was Cracked, and watched it through despite its brand.
Same here. Gave up on Cracked a while back, but I was pulled in by the fact that I always thought Hurt locker was overrated. lol This is first time I was actually glad Cracked's click-bate worked on me.
My thoughts to vets: Yeh sure I don't doubt your authenticity at all. But FFS when are we gonna expect the same standard of judgement of soldiers that we do of politicians? Iraq was a BS war. Afghanistan became a BS war by the time the Iraq War began. We wouldn't have empathy for Vets if THEY had taken responsibility for the horrors of war by NOT joining/re-enlisting into BS wars. In one day in 2003 there were 5- MILLION PEOPLE PLUS Protests held around the world. We all knew Iraq was BS war. Politicians will always fight these wars if they're allowed to take our taxes and young people agree to fight. I don't have sympathy for USA soldiers, they either know they are fighting BS wars or they don't and I strongly oppose them and until I see evidence that changes my mind, I sympathise with civilians who had nothing to do with this, who are dying, unprotected in their homes. Not the troops in MRAPS, body armour and drones looking out for them.
I am a Marine vet with 3 deployments... 2 Iraq and 1 Afghanistan. I love your perspective and truth to this subject. One of my favorite movies is Full Metal Jacket. In which I feel the most realistic thing about it was the first seen.
My thoughts on his views:" Yeh sure I don't doubt your authenticity at all. But FFS when are we gonna expect the same standard of judgement of soldiers that we do of politicians? Iraq was a BS war. Afghanistan became a BS war by the time the Iraq War began. We wouldn't have empathy for Vets if THEY had taken responsibility for the horrors of war by NOT joining/re-enlisting into BS wars. In one day in 2003 there were 5- MILLION PEOPLE PLUS Protests held around the world. We all knew Iraq was BS war. Politicians will always fight these wars if they're allowed to take our taxes and young people agree to fight. I don't have sympathy for USA soldiers, they either know they are fighting BS wars or they don't and I strongly oppose them and until I see evidence that changes my mind, I sympathise with civilians who had nothing to do with this, who are dying, unprotected in their homes. Not the troops in MRAPS, body armour and drones looking out for them.
Don't confuse the senders with the sendees---The soldiers do not pick the war--politicians who have never served or have not served in many decades pick the war. A Serviceperson's job is to go where sent , complete the mission and survive with unit intact--that is all. You don't disobey, you don't question, and you don't do what you want--that is why Sgt. Bergdahl is on trial.
+Ced Cole. No. I fundamentally disagree. Firstly do you think the same of the German soldiers forcing Jews to force Jewish children into furnaces? Maybe 2 generations ago, the politicians could effectively control the information about the conflict that the soldiers did not know the real facts about the conflict. That isn't the case now, it hasn't been since Vietnam. We all knew Iraq was an illegal invasion. On one day 5 million + people protested in 5 cities against the war. Soldiers who signed up later than 2002 had easy access to information about the conflicts they were joining up to fight in. Worse for those who joined up after no WMDs were found. If they joined prior to a conflict, hoping to only serve in defense of their country and then..later are sent to a conflict..sure they can't be expected go AWOL on principle. That isn't the case of USA Military. USA has been at war for 98% of it's existence and except for an hr in December 1941, they haven't ever fought in DEFENSE of USA. Since 2002 has been a rolling global campaign that pays disregards all laws on war and the US Constitution on declaring war. Every person joining the US military since then have access to information to understand that and they still join. They join in the knowledge the US military are fighting illegal, unconstitutional wars. That is their choice, it is their responsibility. If enough Americans refuse to join when politicians declare illegal wars, then the politicians won't be able to start illegal wars. All US troops fighting today are equally as responsible for these illegal wars and the suffering that results,as the politicians.
Don't be misled into thinking too few volunteers will stop wars. They'll just start pulling draft numbers and calling people in against their will. Or call up more National Guard units. Or both.
I am prior Air Force myself and a friend of mine who was EOD explained to me much of the same thing about this movie, but he told me that most likely the producers got some reports about the dumbest things EOD techs did in the field, because those were the actions that got reported and they made a movie about it. Also my favorite line in this was "Cloud of a person".
I asked an E.O.D. friend that returned from Iraq if the Hurt Locker was realistic at all. He replied, "Yes.", "Just like how Top Gun is a realistic portrayal of the Airforce." Best movie review i've ever heard.
When I was deployed IEDs were mostly found by, infantry patrols, route clearance (combat engineers, MPs) or convoys. I was a M2 gunner on a convoy escort team (gun trucks) in a MRAP. EOD was called out usually with an escort of their own. When they went to work they had their escort, and our gun trucks securing the site. EOD also uses robots a lot more than that movie showed. Explosions in war movies would have killed almost every main character in every movie if they were that close. In movies the explosion itself is exaggerated while the shockwave, which is what kills you along with shrapnel, is almost non existent.
I was in the Infantry. We found a lot of IED's in Iraq. We lost 3 MRAPS to them. A buddy of mine who was the driver of a Bradley got his back burned when an EFP hit the side of the Brad and burned through the hall. EOD never left the wire without us. No one left the wire without us. Someone else's mission was our mission.
I was swedish military, deployed to Afghanistan and recently Mali. Last part was exactly what I felt like made me go back. This video makes me very happy someone talked about this.
I thought it was obvious that Jeremy Renner's character was meant to be a total toolbag and the movie showed very realistic consequences to very action movie -style a acts. When I did my tour, my comrades and I watched the movie. We loved it. Really. But there were so many things we just shook our heads at, or rather, laughed about (we were having fun, don't judge us) while other things were really great because they were quite realistic. The sniper scene never gave us the distance that the ambushers were away, so they needn't be actual snipers if it were only 200-300 meters and they shot many times to hit far fewer enemies until they had gotten them all. They were capable of assisting each other because they were familiar with the general concepts. Only when they hit the very last one that ran away, was I taken out of the experience, cause hitting moving targets with such a slow firing weapon is very difficult. Also, given how the sunlight angle had changed, I assumed our gang of idiot heroes had waited for hours for fear there might be more trying to wait it out and get the jump on them once the heroes try to move away. The idiot squad really had the sun-battered and exhausted look at the end of it. Also, the british guys were mercenaries, not SAS. (they might have been former SAS, but that is a different point and up for debate) At the very beginning, I also found it very strange that there was not at least half a battalion worth of people securing the area, so the EOD could work safely. Same thing in that place with the bomb in the corpse of the kid, though there I will admit it was clear to show the very real tension of clearing a house with characters we were already invested in. When Renner's character went out on his without telling anyone to find out more about the dead kid (very movie- style thing to do), everything he did basically backfired. The whorehouse thing mainly served to keep the movie going, because it would be really unsatisfying to end the movie there. I assumed the adrenaline thing was talking about Renner's character specifically as the every other soldier shown is shown to be quite different in their behaviour and motivations. To summarize and conclude, to me, the movie was basically a parody without being funny (a deconstruction, is that the term?) of your usual fare in action movies and video games. A very, very good movie to be sure (I watched it many times and will probably do so again^^) On a final note, to the presenter and writer of this episode. 1) great work showing those glaring flaws 2) thanks for taking time out of your personal life to make an effort to actually educate the general population, I really liked what you did here and I respect you for it
Small note: If the target was 200-300m, they would not need to be assisted to be able to hit. 300m targets are part of the marksmanship qualifications. I went through AIT at the same school as IED (Redstone Arsenal, AL), and we had basic marksmanship training. In my entire time of service, I never learned even the basic concepts of sniping or assisting with sniping.
Yeah he wouldn't NEED to be assisted, but it wouldn't hurt either. I qualified marksmen in the AF (its only AF small arms training but it's still annual but only 63 rounds are actually scored against your qualification I hit 62 the last time I did M4. The rest are practice or familiarization, for instance the gasmask portion isn't scored.) I would say the basic concepts of assisting are self evident, you missed, shot landed a few inches to the right ect. Even if the targets were 500m out you wouldn't need to be some sniper god to hit them, after all its possible to hit that with iron sights if you take your time.
I don't want to discount your experience as you are apparently an ammo guy (Redstone was part one of our training and the most minuscule part. Also, we continue to train after we graduate....) but we are all trained on the Barrett as it is part of our tools. I can't say for everyone but my company all qualified on it (assisting and all). Also, man redstone was a weird steam punk nightmare right?
Hi Andy, I didn't know that you were trained on the Barrett. That's cool. I honestly never even saw one in person my entire time in. Yeah, Redstone was such a weird little base, haha.
No real vet worth a shit thinks Hurt Locker is realistic, only fobbits. EOD weren't kicking in doors to find bomb-makers, they sat on some fob playing xbox and took 3 hours to spin up while some convoy waited on them. The most realistic war movie is Battle:LA, and that had fucking aliens in it.
If you like sci-fi war movies, you should definitely check out Ghost Recon Alpha. It's a 23 minute short film that you can watch on youtube. Here's a link th-cam.com/video/7-wAzlqzXH0/w-d-xo.html If you liked Battle:LA you'll definitely geek out on Ghost recon Alpha. As for fairly realistic war cinema based on true stories, HBO's 'Band of Brothers', 'The Pacific' and 'Generation Kill' are beyond superb.
I was a 91a when I was in, I think it is a 68w now. I have never seen a "realistic" war film. If there was such a thing I would have no desire to see it.
If you take the idealism away of the actors about how they're noble people, then yes. The infantry is full of killers, not knights that protect society.
SrgGoofy Not necessarily. I’d have to say Full Metal Jacket is at least fairly accurate in its portrayal of 1960s-1970s Boot Camp. Definitely more accurate than the soldiers removing their CIF gear before a combat op in BHD.
I got out in 2010 and since then have only worked jobs where I have no coworkers. Unbearable was the perfect word. I have regular sessions with my psychologist at the VA but I still can't to be around most people for prolonged periods. Luckily there is a Naval Air Station here which means more Vets. That really helps.
For all it got wrong, it absolutely nailed the environment of an Iraqi street. The garbage everywhere, the paranoia of walking that street with people who could end up killing you. Just the utter fear and breakdown of the psyche of going through it daily was well shown. But ironically life was so much simpler over there. Here it feels like we have no purpose. No direction. I dreaded every deployment, even hated it while there. But with hindsight you realize the guys you were with are closer friends than you could ever hope to find here. We laughed, fought, and cried together and I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.
Yeah no shit its garbage everywhere. Is it maybe because there is a fucking war in there? Also im interested why would they want to kill a foreign soldier in their homeland.
well it is only because the incident did happen on the specific operation and they did get a good amount right they did leave out a lot of other things and focused on the American forces a bit to much because it was not the US or UN that saved them it was if I remember this correctly a Pakistani force that was stationed in the area or some trained forces in the area. also just a personal thing they hardly used the little birds while in the book and with what actually happened they were used constantly.
Chris Hedges based his experience from the tragedy he witnessed in Yugoslavia and the 15 years he spent as a war correspondent for the NY Times. Many of the soldiers did agree and support the idea of war being a drug. You don't have to think about life, you just have to fight to live or die.
True. I think the idea of "you weren't a soldier so you can't ever comment" is precisely the kind of in-group mentality the army can breed, and it's a rather dangerous one.
BURN1NG CHR0ME It's not that civilians can't have an opinion, it's that they can never fully understand those who serve. The camaraderie, the support, the sense of purpose, among other things are why many Vets feel lost after they retire. Honestly, the amount of bullshit that we have to deal with on a daily bases is enough to make somebody's head explode, yet we continue to do it.
As a former infantry soldier I can tell you that journalists usually don't understand whats going on over there. I'm sure that a few of them are different and I don't know enough about what Chris Hedges actually did over there but I can tell you that a lot of the information that other reporters put out is blatantly wrong and they usually interview those that are either cracking or bullshit artists. Why you ask? Because they're far more quotable and sell the story everyone wants to hear. As for Chris Hedges himself, the man describes himself as a socialist, nothing in the wikipedia page or a (admittedly brief) search showed him actually going to the front lines during his reporting, and he discussed the massive "human cost" to the war before it had even started. He also described himself and other reporters as "hostages to the military" during the war. I'm not saying he was wrong about the war, but none of that background says that he understands soldiers nor has he really been with the infantry when they were getting shot at. Examples of reporters getting the story wrong: During the initial invasion I saw a reporter talking about how close he was to the front lines while a line of Paladins passed him. Paladins look like tanks but they're actually artillery units, if they're in the front lines someone seriously screwed up. When my team was transferred to gate guard duty they had me setup behind my 240 and pretend to scan the horizon with it. Unless we had a certifiable threat or we were cleaning it we never even touched the thing and we'd never scan the horizon with it unless we were getting ready to shoot someone with it. A huge stink was made about a soldier shooting an "unarmed prisoner." What wasn't reported about the soldier in question was that his team wasn't the team that initially cleared that room and he'd lost a good buddy the day before due to a suicide bomber that had played possum in a situation very similar to that one. Judging by the reporting it sounded like a soldier just started shooting a prisoner for shits and grins when in reality he panicked when the prisoner moved. Not saying he was right for doing that, but I can understand how it could happen in the heat of the moment. If you can't, then I know for a fact that you've never been in a situation like that.
I'm convinced that "The Hurt Locker", and "American Sniper" for that matter, wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it was had it been made at any other point in time. Its release coincided with the return of thousands of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and drew entirely from the misplaced belief of the American public owed it to those service members to applaud any media that glorified that service. Basically, people got it into their heads that they were obligated to praise it, lest they be seen as "unpatriotic" or "unAmerican" regardless of how the film stood on its own merits.
Nastrael Rowe it's odd that you chose that very valid point. It also possible that those returning vets imagined the Hurt Locker as truth themselves. As the host stated, EOD techs are a support element. As is 90% of the military. My numbers may be exaggerated, but on my trips I heard a statistic that for every 1 service member that conducts patrols off the base, there are 4 that never do. Because like this guy, I've always had the same argument about the movie.
Well, part of the success of American Sniper may have been due to those timing instances you mention. However, I think it's more likely because American Sniper didn't take a stance on war itself but just allowed the exploration of how it affects people. A.S. wasn't trying to push a "support war or you're not a patriot" message, nor was it pushing a "all war is evil and those who engage in it lose their soul" message. Instead, it was constrained just to show us the story of one man who went to war and how it affected him. It was a human story with war as a backdrop. Honestly, most of the war movies that people actually remember are like that. People still watch Full Metal Jacket even though the Vietnam War is long since over. I'm not saying that American Sniper is going to be the next FMJ, I just think it may deserve a little more credit than you're giving it.
Nastrael Rowe honestly I have never seen American Sniper. I was in Baghdad at the time Chris Kyle's team was over there. I'm not a SEAL, nor have I ever worked with him. I know his story from literature, and feel I don't need to watch that. With that said, I am not talking bad about his movie either.
Years ago I saw "Full Metal Jacket" in a theater when it first came out. I'm not saying it was the best war movie. But a couple Vietnam war vets who were sitting behind me said that during a couple of scenes of being on patrol, that movie came the closest they had seen to capturing the feeling of dread that they had… not seeing the enemy, but knowing that they were being observed and might come under fire any second. For what that is worth.
Fair enough. It's been a while since I saw that film, but didn't remember there being that many (one?) nerve-racking patrols. Much of the movie Platoon features walking through jungle, being unsure if the 'enemy' was watching and if they were going to pounce out.
Ralph DuBreuil As a guy who works in the tech field I could spend hours talking about how shows misrepresent programmers, network engineer, IT security etc.... but I choice not to because that Hollywood for ya
Agreed, more of this guy, with more war related items. He's the best thing I've seen on cracked in a long time, would love some war story segments also.
...damn, this guy was good. And that ending was equal parts moving from him and surprisingly tasteful from whoever does the video editing/approval from Cracked. It's probably not really worth hoping for, but maybe this is a sign of some actual self-awareness from Cracked about the increasing pile of insufferable whining that waaaaaay too many of their videos tend towards. Having a soldier talk about a movie that received unfounded praise for its accuracy in depicting soldiers is great. Having a random guy talk about how he knows all video gamers are all violence junkies because he likes video games, too, is...less so. It's basically the "hav[ing] to listen to people bitch and complain about every little thing" bit from the closing monologue.
...okay? Considering that the only other video I referred to was posted well into the past, I have no idea what you're supposed to be talking about. And no, "If you don't like it, don't watch it" isn't a defense for a video. Sure, if I had the option of purging my brain of whatever I saw in it, then maybe that would be on the table, but it isn't. So instead, I just get to react to rather than retroactively destroy whatever I've watched. ...and as a side note, consider how awful "Nobody forced you to watch it" is as a defense. I would *hope* not. That's barely a step above "But it isn't hurting anyone." It's not a defense. It's the equivilant of "Eat your dinner because there are starving children in Africa."
+Chinedu Opara You are complaining that Cracked videos shouldn't be criticized, because they complain about free/paid stuff, for free. The literal audience, dude, is people who want critical views on things so they can develop their own critical outlook on things. I started watching Cracked for After Hours. Now, three years later, I realize that the things that they complain about in most of their videos or analyses that they make in their videos aren't accurate at all to the source material. They make you think, but they're not meant to be an accurate representation of the truth. As +ElectricBayonet2 was saying, Cracked is a site about critiquing _stuff_ . Any stuff. And the presentor in this video is using that fact to reflect that, to a soldier like himself, it can be grating to have people create problems about shit that doesn't matter.
Complaining and criticizing may or may not change anything, but thinking and reflecting on new points of view can change _our own_ outlook on parts of our lives. That's what I like about about this video, it's a point of view that I would never hear about if people like this didn't share it with us, for us.
Thank you for doing this. The Hurt Locker was painfully unrealistic for those of us who served. Who the heck ever left a FOB in just ONE HMMWV? Nobody, that's who.
As I said before, I really like this movie... as a character study of a complete psycho asshole. Renner's character is just The Worst and I didn't realize other people thought he was super cool, that's terrible.
Hahaha, you called me a moron and used the wrong "your" just one sentence prior. You should probably get help for your drinking problem and stop trolling people who have actually done something worthwhile with their lives.
>Brags about his intellectual superiority >uses words like plebe >anyone who takes orders is a looozer F THA SYSTEM >"Gene pool" Bet you watch Rick and Morty and pretend to read quantum mechanics books on public transport.
You know, as much as people bitch and moan about Cracked making "political" videos, I really enjoy these human perspective videos that you folks do. The ones about politics, human rights, history, and all the other things that asshats think "aren't funny". Thank you for making these.
The problem is that most guys that enlist are too simple to find their purpose in civilian life - everyone struggles with it since it's hardest thing to do. This belief of becoming a hero when enlisting creates this unfortunate cycle. Then they come back and fall back into it - trying to find purpose without the war that simplified their life. Those unlucky ones die without doing anything heroic.
one soldier to a prior, great video. I can also completely and utterly agree with him on the reason why we deploy repeatedly, which is also why I've re-enlisted over and over again. Deployments make life simple, military life makes sense. I wake up every morning knowing exactly what's going to happen, whose always in charge, and everyone is in the same shit, so no one really bitches cause, why? keep up the good work and thank you for leading the way, hooah.
You could just read the bible and have a career where you surround yourself with people who are devoted to serving God by serving others and that job doesn't involve murder.
+Jeff II War isn't murder. In fact the Bible is full of war and draws a distinction. It is unpleasant, but also very much a part of the human condition. Cain killing his brother out of pride = murder. David killing Goliath as he fought for the Philistines = war. One is praised as the work of God, the other is reviled as a heinous act.
LupineShadowOmega I get where you're coming from. However you are wrong. War unsanctioned by The Almighty results in murder. Mind you, I am not speaking of war done in his name, but military conflict actually commissioned by HIM against specific enemies/people with a clear directive. That has NOT happened in more that 2,600 years, longer if we're specifically speaking of ancient Israel taking up arms defensively. Longer still, if they were on the offensive. Every other action resulting in the willful loss of human life is unrighteous and thus is murder. God does not support any man made war and that includes all that are going on today and have gone on for centuries. Every man, woman and child that has lost their lives as a result unholy conflict, since 607 B.C.E., has been murdered. Just in case you or anyone else is wondering what allows God to make the decision between righteous judgement resulting in death or murder/manslaughter? It's the fact that he's the creator. Without his authority, life does not exist. That alone is enough, but he can also read hearts making him uniquely capable of deciding who is worthy of life and who is not.
Chris Hedges spent much of his journalism career in Kosovo. Central America, Africa and the Middle East during the wars that were being waged in the regions. I think he has the experience and wherewithal to make that statement.
Me too. Most guys I know who were enlisted love the series, though the few officers I know aren't as big of fans due to how they are portrayed outside of the main lieutenant.
George Delaney Well, most of the officers in Generation Kill had not been deployed in the field before. They were desk officers running operations from planning rooms and doing logistical planning and the such. All important roles, but not roles that prepared them for active combat command in the field. At least, that's how it's explained in the book.
Jamie Wanless LT. Fick was a infantry LT before going to recon with a combat deployment to Afghanistan. Additionally, LT Fick was portrayed as a great officer and even stated in the show as "the best officer in the company."
My Grandfather was a POW at Stalag Luft III when "The Great Escape" happened. He already told me how bad they got it but I'd love to hear you put it as eloquently as you did this! :D
Dude. I'm a Veteran Navy Seabee - 1 tour to Centcom. I worked with Army Task Force and EOD. On to the relevant stuff: When i saw this film, I was like "Hurt Locker is a good film, but none of that s*** would happen... Especially when he just strolled off base and came back..." you're covering that part as I'm typing this. Thank you for finally calling this puff war film out.
A good deal of the public, Englithened, that's who. Popularising BS like that in films which get hyped as realistic, doesn't exactly help to dispell such myths.
Wow, I was not expecting this when I clicked on the video. Cracked is usually heavy on snark and sarcasm which I love. This was not any of those. This was powerful and I applaud the team member who created and started in this for sharing his perspective with us. Thank you.
7haiverson, about you... You are the unemployed scumbag sitting at your computer potentially giving a huge slap in the face to someone who respects someone for courage. You, you are the opposite of courage. You are a coward. Go shit talk someone else, tell you what go have a go at your grandma, as you usually do.
yup yup my dad as well it was crazy the kind of math he could do in his head, human calculater, but he got back and was happy being a mechanic sooooo yea
The most disappointing thing about enlisting when youre a kid and full of enthusiasm and patriotism is thinking you will leave your training school for your particular enlisted job and thinking youre going straight to play with the latest government technology, vehicles, gear, hardware, etc. And do all the exciting shit you see in tv or movies. And instead being endlessly assigned to shit details, cleaning or kitchen duty, etc. And not because you got in trouble or as part of njp but basically just because youre the FNG (fucking new guy), and your squadron/unit etc. just has a revolving door of fng's doing shit jobs until some e4 or e5 decides he likes you enough to decide you can now actually perform the job that the Government has invested 100s of thousands of dollars in to educate and train you. Talk about a cold hard dose of reality.
This is one of the reasons I'm glad I went Air Force. Even though it usually isn't action-packed or anything someone will make a video game about, I am doing the job I was trained to do every single day that I go to work.
I've never been in the military or watchted this moive, but each point you brought up I instantly knew that they got the stuff wrong the second you said it.
Vets are very diverse in their backgrounds and their beliefs. It's great to see his intelligent point of view (which I agree with), but don't just listen to how one veteran feels about things. Ask a bunch. Figure out why it's so hard for us to adjust to civilian life after getting out. Ask how we feel about patriotism being attached to war. Ask us how we feel serving as a soldier under a president that we didn't vote for (pretty much every soldier has experienced this). I'm sure you'll get plenty of diverse answers. Veterans of war go through some things that are hard to understand unless you ask them.
OR like ignore the vet who CHOSE to fight a war that MILLIONS of people campaigned to stop. The Vets can live with their choice. Thinks about the VICTIMS the civilians who had not armour, air cover or escape. Who's home got turned into a warzone through no fault of their own. The Vets knew the deal. These chose wars. Walk on by.
Ashley Thomas the people who were the "bad guys" chose their home turf for said war dude, they used that as a tactical advantage, basically using confusion and rules of engagement to take veteran lives. What you say sounds nice and all, but, you're clearly ignorant as fuck or are so young and idealistic you don't understand how the real world isn't so white and black.
Ashley Thomas to say they chose to kill civilians is laughable - imagine how you'd feel if every time you left your home one of your neighbors was going to shoot at you, and you KNEW that it was coming. How would you behave after about a day or two? Panic? Anxiety? Reactive? Probably.... would u maybe shoot someone 97 days in thinking it was a possible threat and realize they were just taking out their cell phone?
Christian Bro Thanks For This Great Explanation, Few People Recognize The Realities Of War & Your Closing Statement Gave So Much Clarity On The Mindstate Of A Soldier/Vet. i Appreciate It
I like how the christian capitalised the first letter of every word for no reason, then the atheist responded by refusing to acknowledge capital letters at all. I wonder if that means anything...
8:25-9:25 damn Within one minute you articulated my reasons for enjoying the military. I knew I wasn't the only one, but damn does it feel good to hear other people say it. Thanks for making this video m8, made my day a little brighter.
Those closing remarks, wow. Thank you for being open and honest.
Hi!!! :D
I disagree with those closing remarks. He talks about war like it's something that fell into his lap. A lot of soldiers do this. Like they just "found" themselves on a battlefield, but almost all of them chose to put themselves there or knew it was a possibility when it enlisted, and some of them look forward to that.
Though maybe I'm just jaded after listening to all my dads stories about what our army black ops were doing in Panama fourty years ago. Killing women and children witnesses just to keep the operations quiet. Our military is mostly evil, and I feel bad for any soldier who enlists thinking they'll be a hero.
I found the ending to be a distinction without a difference.
Fancy Food Fight, lmao you have actually zero clue what you are talking about. "I disagree with those closing remarks, btw I have nothing to back that up except daddy stories, which actually prove the point im trying to debunk more than otherwise"
Absolutely outstanding!
The most realistic one is obviously Tropic Thunder
Anyone with a brain can see it's actually Rambo 4.
Topic Thunder. The "Blazing Saddles" of war movies.
Guys guys it’s shrek
Wtf are you talking about the most realistic war movie is home alone 2 lost in New York
Nah man "Birdemic: Shock and Terror" is the most realistic depiction of war with its tragedy, heartbreak, and loss.
Sniper scene: Doesn't make sense to take up the same position someone was just killed at.
I agree, though it seemed like the only alternative was flat ground with no cover, or running through open space with no cover
@@Farrell461 bht also the same sniper could have been in the same position so dab
Yeah, especially since the dead guy's teammates will see the floating skull where he died.
But it's a confirmed kill. They think they got you there.
Only point is if ya gave up and want to join them in being dead.
Black Hawk Down: “They won’t understand that it’s about the man next to you.”
Hurt Locker: “War is a drug and soldiers are war junkies.”
B. War is a drug... Final answer
@@ciprigutierrez9974 that wasn’t a question. It was describing the logic behind a movie with a more realistic background (based on a book) vs. one based on some idealized journalist who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Even before I looked at this video, I thought that second quote sounded like something a civilian would say.
PTSD is real
Hurt locker was directed by a woman...let that sink in...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
please tell me about the aerodynamics of Santa's sleigh
He's lying. If the aerodynamics of the sleigh were wrong, how would Santa deliver anything. Obviously he hasn't done his research
Oh come on we all know Santa is an alien... or perhaps X-Men... imortal and flight capable...
And the flight dynamics of that sleigh are... well our tech is not that advanced yet.
My Momma said Santa don't need aerodynamics cuz aerodynamics is the Debbil and Santa is magic just like Jesus.
YOU ARE ALL IDIOTS. SANTA'S SLEIGH IS AERODYNAMIC BECAUSE HE USES THE FORCE TO PUSH ALL THE WIND AROUND THE SLEIGH
aerodynamics is bullshit, here's what I know, santa's sleigh is powered by naughty children's tears and souls and that's all that makes it fly
Bit of a correction here guys, but Chris Hedges (the quote guy), was a war journalist for like a decade also in Iraq. Knowing the types of people that become war journalists, I can tell you that their perspective tends to be pretty relevant.
vvdp15
Like Brian Willams! ;)
JonTron
Brian is an American hero! Who else would be brave enough to lie about being in danger in a war zone?!
G L Wil wait, were you the host of the video?
Martin the Charlatan Bill O'Reilly
No kidding. His objection to the quote doesn't even make a lot of sense cause the central premise of the book the quote is from is as follows according to wikipedia "In the book, Hedges draws on classical literature and his experiences as a war correspondent to argue that war seduces entire societies, creating fictions that the public believes and relies on to continue to support conflicts. He also describes how those who experience war may find it exhilarating and addictive. The book was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, as well as a national bestseller.
Hedges writes in the Introduction that he wrote the book "not to dissuade us from war but to understand it... - so that we, who wield such massive force across the globe, see within ourselves the seeds of our own obliteration." [1] Reviewer Abraham Verghese concludes that "war's seduction and inevitability and sometimes even necessity are a recurring theme in this book." [2]
What he described seemed to be what the quote was trying to say that some veterans went back again and again because they felt a sense of purpose and sometimes exhilarating and addictiveness to it. Seems to me he wanted to say HIS experience and the people HE KNEW gives him the right to say that no vet would feel that way. Also I'm pretty sure that the movie is not trying the average bomb disarmer obviously the movie is creating a story and narrative of a guy who doesn't seem to value his life much. Not to mention his talking about breaking army regulations by taking someone hostage? I've never served but it seems to me based on history and what happens during war people commit far worse offenses that are considered war crimes but they aren't usually held accountable for it.
I didn't expect that ending
FlannelLemon Neither did I. It was a powerful ending, too
.....jeez, can't tell if troll, or sad excuse for a human
I didn't come here to feel
There actually was a poster with a Geroge Carlin quote in the high school I went to.
Here is the full quote.
"Human beings will do anything, anything. I am convinced. That's why when all those beheadings started in Iraq, it didn't bother me. A lot of people here were horrified, "Whaaaa, beheadings! Beheadings!" What, are you fucking surprised? Just one more form of extreme human behavior. Besides, who cares about some mercenary civilian contractor from Oklahoma who gets his head cut off? Fuck 'em. Hey Jack, you don't want to get your head cut off? Stay the fuck in Oklahoma. They ain't cuttin' off heads in Oklahoma, far as I know. But I do know this: you strap on a gun and go struttin' around some other man's country, you'd better be ready for some action, Jack. People are touchy about that sort of thing. And let me ask you this... this is a moral question, not rhetorical, I'm looking for the answer: what is the moral difference between cuttin' off one guy's head, or two, or three, or five, or ten - and dropping a big bomb on a hospital and killing a whole bunch of sick kids? Has anybody in authority given you an explanation of the difference? Now, in case you're wondering why I have a certain interest, or fascination let's call it, with torture and beheadings and all of those things I have mentioned, is because each of these items reminds me in life over and over again what beasts we human beings really are. When you get right down to it, human beings are nothing more than ordinary jungle beasts. Savages. No different from the Cro Magnon people who lived twenty five thousand years ago. No different. Our DNA hasn't changed substantially in a hundred thousand years. We're still operating out of the lower brain. The reptilian brain. Fight or flight. Kill or be killed. We like to think we've evolved and advanced because we can build a computer, fly an airplane, travel underwater, we can write a sonnet, paint a painting, compose an opera. But you know something? We're barely out of the jungle on this planet. Barely out of the fucking jungle. What we are, is semi-civilized beasts, with baseball caps and automatic weapons." -George Carlin
His ending monologue is extremely accurate. Sad, but accurate.
It's refreshing to see a new genuine person on camera. The sarcastic assholes they usually have talking about some clickbait bullshit is alright but this guy I would like to see way more.
MagicLaMa I think the others can be genuine, but this guy got to actually appear genuine on camera due to the topic
MagicLaMa It looks you're the person he referred to when he said "listen to people bitch and complain for every little thing" this guy is more genuine and not sarcastic cause this is a serious and genuine topic, not pop culture because complaining about pop culture is so dumb cracked knows this and the make it extra sarcastic for your entertainment
Probably the best Cracked video I've ever seen
MagicLaMa I have a dark suspicion that after spending some time with the other Cracked staff, he'll find their clickbait moaning about trivial things unbearable and sign up for another tour...
There's room enough for both. It's not like the Internet has only so much space for content.
This is my first post ever after watching TH-cam for years. A 3-time vet myself, and I loved everything this guys had to say. I miss serving my Marines in battle and in the rear on a daily basis, and not because I was addicted to the rush, but because my purpose was to care for the men on the battlefield, Marines, enemy combatants, and non-combatants alike. Thanks for this video and your device brother. And thank you to each vet and active duty serving.
This is an honest question (not snide or sarcastic). But why do you think that same feeling doesn't exist in civilian life? and is there anyway it could be?
I don't think it exists to the same extent in civilian life because the stakes aren't as high. When you work an office job and you don't get a project done on time, there ARE consequences, but rarely does someone die. In forward deployed roles, it's easy for small things to make a difference between life and death.
Now, this isn't true for everyone in the military just like it isn't true for all civilians. There are military members who will serve long and meaningful careers and never make a decision that puts someone's life on the line. After all, the military employees its own musicians, photographers, human resources, etc. All of those are very important jobs but you're unlikely to ever get shot at.
By the same token, being a EMT, a firefighter, or a police officer can carry a similar sense of responsibility. I'm not saying those are the only examples, they are just the ones that come most immediately to mind.
Love baby! That's how I describe it. Maybe I'm just being sentimental but I've never loved my coworkers except when I was in.
I'll thank the men and women not the uniforms they wear.
"I missed serving my Marines in battle and in the rear on a daily basis..." Maybe it's the Army vet in me, or I'm just a dirty person, but holy shit that sounds so nasty haha. I laughed at that for about ten minutes.
Hi! Marksmen shooter here!
1. That distance has a whole ton of calculations that need to be done for that shot. Like, I dunno, windage, heat, distance, the correct formula for adjusting the scope, what type of scope it is, load data, etc...
2. They have no idea what the Brit was shooting for ammo. For all they knew it couldve been slower rounds to compensate for the heat or faster burning for the wind.
3. It takes SEVERAL shots not knowing the distance the scope was set at (In other fancy terms, sighted in). (Typically they are set a base of 100 yards yet, that's marines not brits.)
4. He didn't touch his turrets (At least from the clip) you NEED to especially with the heat compensation formula.
Post Note - The rotation of the earth doesn't come into account till 1,000 yards. Along with, unless they both suddenly remembered both MOA and MIL formulas there is no way in hell they would've made it in one shot.
Calculating for wind and heat seems tough.
Like, wind isn't a constant, is it?
And you factor in the atmospheric and gun temp by feel alone?
I'm guessing they use either a thermometer or local weather data. I doubt that they guess the temperature based solely on feel, especially considering how the amount of humidity can make it seem far hotter or far cooler than it truely is.
I guess I got confused by "He didn't touch his turrets."
You probably meant to type "tourrettes".
It's ok.
Happens to me all the time.
Roman Fox "Tourettes" is a cognitive disorder, "turrets" refers to the adjustment dials on the top and sides of the optic for elevation and windage.
Nikolai, ah FUCK it all makes sense.
SHIT!
Sorry.
My tourettes.
Das Boot's 98% is well deserved. It captures a unique feeling extremely well.
Yea, I've watched the nearly 5 hour version.
Fuck me. 5 hours!
Das Boot was a masterpiece
Native Engine. I once watched the near 5 hour version three times in a row! The film is THAT good!
Das boot was incredible
Yes it is a very good movie, but Americans get the name wrong all the time, it is German for boat, so Das Boot is The Boat, and is pronounced "Das Boat".
as a service member, that bit at the end really touched. thank you.
This was my thoughts:
Yeh sure I don't doubt your authenticity at all.
But FFS when are we gonna expect the same standard of judgement of soldiers that we do of politicians?
Iraq was a BS war. Afghanistan became a BS war by the time the Iraq War began.
We wouldn't have empathy for Vets if THEY had taken responsibility for the horrors of war by NOT joining/re-enlisting into BS wars. In one day in 2003 there were 5- MILLION PEOPLE PLUS Protests held around the world. We all knew Iraq was BS war.
Politicians will always fight these wars if they're allowed to take our taxes and young people agree to fight.
I don't have sympathy for USA soldiers, they either know they are fighting BS wars or they don't and I strongly oppose them and until I see evidence that changes my mind, I sympathise with civilians who had nothing to do with this, who are dying, unprotected in their homes. Not the troops in MRAPS, body armour and drones looking out for them.
+Ashley Thomas, with all due respect, I do not believe you have the faintest idea what you're talking about. I'm not going to attempt to guess your age, but if you were around as an adult from 2001-2006 you'd remember all the fervor and patriotic rhetoric that drove young men into enlisting. I was one of those young men and I did my tours honorably. The overwhelming majority of vets did everything they could to make life better for all concerned in whatever location they were deployed. I know this isn't what they told you at liberal arts college, but I don't blame you for not really knowing. It really is a "you had to be there" type of situation. As a parting thought I'd ask you to review the moment in the video where the presenter was listing the NJP offenses that were listed. The presenter knows them, not from extensive research, but because soldiers are held to a higher standard than politicians and are aware that every action has a serious consequence and fully expect to be held responsible for those actions.
Let me preface by saying that I am an Army vet and saw combat in Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Ashley, not all wars are justified. Not all wars have been popular. However, all wars have one thing in common: people die in them. Your survival and that of your buddies is really all that matters to the men and women wearing the uniform. Unless you've been in that situation, it's difficult to fully understand just what that means.
Most people who serve in the US military do so out of feelings of patriotism. They VOLUNTEER because they love their country and want to give something back to it - not the politicians, the PEOPLE. Service members give up large portions of their lives (or give their lives) to do what most people won't so that those people can live their lives however they want, even if what they want is to sit in a comfortable chair, in front of their computer, in their nice house and complain about "BS wars".
Finally, don't you think the soldiers sympathize with those civilians who "had nothing to do with this"? Have you ever, personally, WITH YOUR OWN EYES seen the body of a child who was killed in a combat zone? A burnt body who you can't tell was civilian or military? Smelled death? It's easy to criticize when you haven't been there.
+Jim Rinkenberger: You left out the main reason people join most armies and the overwhelming reason Americans join the army and that's for a job, for a financial and career opportunity. Which is morally bancrupt reason to join an invading army fighting an illegal war and neglecting it's legal and Geneva Convention rights to the occupied population.
You fail to get the distinction I am making, this is as clear as I can state it:
I respect anyone who joins a national defense force, even f it's just for a job. If they fight to defend their people (and fellow soldiers) from an unprovoked attack that will cost lives of civilians unless the aggressors are faced in combat, then that is noble.
If they join an army that provokes an unnecessary war that only is only fought to advance the financial or political advantage of the invading country, then they are the VILLAINS. They are ones who make the soldiers defending their homes NOBLE. That includes IRAQ2003, the war against Taliban in Afghanistan and every engagement since 2003. Even The Gulf War was a corrupt war. USA armed Iraq and assured them they would not challenge Iraq if they invaded Kuwait. USA made false propaganda to sell the war to US citizens (as they seem to do in every war).
I would not accuse a young soldier of accountability for the political reasons his country went to war if the motivations for going to war were unclear and their country hadn't gone to war as the aggressor before. But that doesn't include USA. USA has a documented history of launching illegal wars of aggression that cause unholy suffering and seemingly for no end (except there is an end, it's for economic gain and it's to maintain $1Tn of US taxpayers money going into the US war economy every year-that figure includes Vet-Services). There is no excuse for ignorance of why your country is fighting, if you don't know that, it is because you either a) haven't bothered to learn the history of American wars, or b) you support the reasons USA goes to war.
I have every sympathy for US soldiers who died in WW2 and Korea and apart from the civilian atrocities they committed, I don't hold them responsible for the civilian deaths they caused.
The wars I mentioned above however. They weren't soldiers. They were mercenaries. If there was fairness in the world the leaders would face justice.
The only way USA will stop these wars of illegal aggression is if money is cut from the budget so they can only afford to DEFEND USA from attack and/or Americans stop joining the mercenary US Armed Forces.So the USDOD only has enough troops to defend USA.
* I don't just hold USA to this standard. Other countries are guilty to. I'm a Kiwi and I feel the same way about Kiwi SAS soldiers deployed in combat against Taliban.
i need it 2 many yrs and he said it better then ever did of why i kept going back
I liked this guy. I want to watch him more often from now on.
Maurício Rodrigues agreed
Yeah, that part at the end was powerful and real, while understated and not over-dramatic. One of the more profound cracked videos IMO.
kinda just wanted to give him a hug in the end
I couldn't agree more. Very well spoken and his commentary at the end spoke volumes about how little people understand what our soldiers are going through.
agreed
Been deployed in Afghanistan. That last part was absolutely spot on.
You're a piece of shit if you think that it's a good thing.
@@nunliski what
@@nunliski I agree. You people are insane if you think being a soldier and risking your life is in any way, shape or form positiv. Flying around the world to a place far from the USA and fighting against people....
Igrams fighting for your country is insane? How fucking stupid can you be?
Can Confirm. The hardest part is the purpose.
Wow. The last minute and a half. Powerful. One of the MANY reasons I miss Cracked the way it was before it became just another list site
Not that I think you guys can't take anything seriously, but thank you for ending the video with sincerity.
It became unexpectedly personal.
Yes, when the music cut out, he got really personal, and that made it very powerful. Very strong ending.
As a vet of Afghanistan I will have to say he's spot on. War for me was being needed and respected having been part of a greater mission. When I came home civilian life in America was Then and still is , just surviving paying bills and waiting for death. That's why I would go back in a second. Also the brothers and sisters I was with are more family than my own. And most of us feel the same.
Feel the same. I got a degree after and have a cozy corporate job. I don't worry about bills because I make enough to not worry. It's not the same. Just waiting for death. I guess I can get married and have kids in the mean time.
you were probably a pog
@@juanshaftpatel7488 Probably not. No point in arguing over the internet. Showing you my DD214 would not sway your opinion. Keep your head down, don't cause trouble. I hope you make E5.
Great speech. Thank you for your service.
Its a goddam movie not a documentary. Jesus christ
This guy is really good, I hope to see him in more solo videos.
GreatgoatonFire but was he AIRBORNE?!
6:45 thanks for admitting that it was not a liberation war but an occupation. because no politician would say that.
This is definitely the best video Cracked has put out in a while and THANK GOD I don't have to dislike it because this one doesn't have the stupid "Monogamy" credit speech.
NobodyInParticular did you watch the Cracked goes there with Robert Evans? that one was rad.
I honestly don't know
NobodyInParticular you should find it. It's fantastic. It's like, real journalism and no hacky jokes. (They keep swaim out of it.)
Hands up if you want to see more videos of this guy tackle more BS war movies and cultural myths surrounding the armed forces!
Phil Dog yes indeed
What do you mean? I've only seen this one, but are his others bullshit or something?
No, what I mean is I want him to talk about more falsehoods in war movies, and more of the myths surrounding the military. I wasn't saying his other videos are BS, I've never him in any.
Or Generation Kill to contrast it to fakey war movies like that one.
YES. PLEASE.
...that ending! Very well made video Cracked, War...War never changes.
Well...you know it does kind of change...
Jason Hayes That always confused me. The opening to Fall out: War... war never changes.
The opening to Metal Gear Solid: War... has changed.
If War never changes, and yet it has done, what am I supposed to believe anymore!!?
Depends on how you look at it i guess
Jason Hayes Jesus christ shut the fuck up
Demon Emperor Void Swag I think the difference between the two is in metal gear it's more about the technology being used during war so in that perspective war has changed but in fallout it's more about what happens during war which is just people killing each other so with that point of view war hasn't changed and will never change.
The closing remarks were...what I have tried to explain to people for years. Thank you for articulating that in the most respectful way possible. Thank you
HOLY SHIT BRING THIS GUY BACK PLEASE. I just want to hear him speak more. He is so clearly intelligent, has been through so much, yet has such a beautiful sense of humour about it all. PLEASE give him a regular video series. Call it "Full Mental Jacket" or something.
Saving Private Christian
The ImmiChristian Game?
I love this guy too
I'd like this more if I could.
One glitch: The Hedges quote is about war reporters, not soldiers. And Hedges is a war reporter, a very experienced and award-winning war reporter. I'm not surprised that this commentator didn't know where the original quote was from... but it's another example of inaccuracy by the makers of The Hurt Locker.
Children of Men reminded me constantly of my deployment. Especially the end. Desperate chaos saturated in helplessness. people grabbing at you and begging as parts of the dangle on loose threads of flesh.
I cried so bad when I watched that movie. Amidst the anger, hate, and chaos all sides agreed on one thing. That child was the only hope for humanity. The scene where the chaos stopped to let them pass was incredibly powerful
William Galaini Children of Men, while great, is meant as social commentary, not an attempt to be faux documentary as "War movies" are. Good try though, and anyone who sees this post should consider watching Children of Men over Hurt Locker any day.
Michael Pede
True. I mention it only because I don't watch war movies very often.
And to think I was recently very close to unsubbing from this channel (After Hours and OPCD kept me from doing so). I was getting pretty tired of smarmy milennials forcing their naive opinions down my throat. Cracked, you hit it out of the park with this guy. Thanks for getting it right and putting this guy on your channel and giving an opportunity for the veteran community to be heard (outside of our own tight knit community). Great video!
austind999 How is you clicking on a video "forcing their opinions down your throat"? Why are there so many of you entitled snowflakes here I just don't get it?
Don Victus Seriously? It's a valid point. I'm a veteran too, and I DID unsubscribe due to their having shoveled their blatantly biased regressive leftist bullshit in everyone's faces for popularity. We represent a customer base, and they flipped the script on some of us one day when they decided to stop being funny and to instead try to influence the election with lies and half-truths. I'm also a business owner in an artificial field. If you think someone expressing their opinion as a customer, to a company, in that company's public forum makes them "entitled," then you might misunderstand how market research and customer feedback work to improve products in a capitalist society. If anything, speaking up when you dislike a change in the direction of this company's content actually helps them out.
x2
LOL! Snowflake? You keep using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Back to your mother's basement with you, troll.
austind999 But they're forcing their options smarmingly.
The sniper scene, where they see an enemy eating lunch 50 yards to the right of the guys they are shooting at. They take a shot at him, and miss, so the enemy gets worried and starts running for the bunker, so far, OK. Then they take another shot of the guy running, AND HIT HIM! WHAT BULLSHIT! DOING THAT IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE! I have shot a great number of targets, and participated in shoots at moving things, it is far more difficult. At 800 yards, it is virtually impossible.
Another thing! If Hollywood wants to use cannon fodder, they should use their own, not squaddies from another nation acting stupid enough to get themselves 'scripted' killed.
But you weren't in a movie where the script says you hit the guy running at 800 yards either.
Haha for real. Hollywood is crazy. It certainly would be cool to have that level of skill if it is even achievable though
@@sarahsayshello9726 i guess you need luck and good weather conditions
@@paulbantick8266 congratulations, you missed the point of the movie.
This guy is a keeper. I can take only so much smug from the rest.
Hey, DOB's not smug.
I liked his realness too but he lost me when he tried to mock Chris Hedges at the end, he was a war correspondent for about half of his life, he saw more conflicts than the guy in the video, in Central America, the Balkans (twice) & the Middle East. And he saw the war from a more objective perspective. If he'd bothered to research Hedges and where the quote comes from (other than just wikipedia him and stop at 10 secs), he'd have realized Hedges has the same perspective about war : you go back because you don't fit in at home anymore, it's the same feeling for war correspondents. The quote is a distortion from what he actually said, but it still sorta stands
hand solo - maybe you could share the actual quote so the rest of us can judge for ourselves...?
Originally from one of his books, not sure which one but he talks about the same point (the addiction of warzones) in this lecture : /watch?v=nzNhsNHg7PI. He talks about his experience as foreign correspondent at 33:06
This guy is a win for the channel.
A BIG win!
hmmmm nah.... his head is too rectangular.
auhauhauha
Holy shit the last part gave me goosebumps...
Jacob Koseda Andersen same dude
😈😈😈
Jacob Koseda Andersen the truth should always give you Goosebumps
Hurt locker is often misunderstood, although unrealistic, you have to remember he didn't care or fear, for his life, he took extra risks
Literally loved how real that ending was
+
You're not using the word liter... oh...wait...
Carry on...
“The biggest attraction [to war] is purpose, when you’re in a combat zone things become simple. You survive, and you do everything you can to make sure your friends do too. When you’re there, all the nonsense falls away, and you gain a huge amount of perspective for what really matters.”
-Christian
Wow, that ending hits hard.
You were on fire at the end. Best minute I’ve ever seen on TH-cam. 🔥 🤚 🎤
sadly this cracked does´t exist anymore
You're a fucking idiot then. Congrats.
@@nunliski easy does it, laddie.
@@ElGranSanto Soldiers are evil, stupid slaves. "Sense of purpose" my fucking ass. That's no more meaningful than saying you play a video game to find a sense of purpose, except you're actually killing other human beings.
@NonLegit Nation My dad was a soldier who committed suicide. I know he also would have been disgusted by the sentiment expressed in the video.
It pisses me off when people make war seem like some game where you're a total badass and it's the most fun thing ever and killing your enemies is like an even more exciting version of Grand Theft Auto. War is Hell, the worst kind of Hell. You have to go away from you central air and Walmarts to God knows where, you have to follow orders instead of doing whatever the hell you want, you have people trying to kill you and your buddies, and you have to kill capture them. People might think that killing people is fun and invigorating like a real life video game, but then they see their buddy they been hanging out with the past few weeks with a bullet through his head or his limbs scattered here and there behind some ruined building or in a ditch somewhere. They might have to their enemies or innocent civilians in a similar state. They might see kids used by the enemy to smuggle weapons or again, dead somewhere. But no, killing is FUN and war is just an escape from your boring old reality to become a certified badass and is an EXTREME version of everything you see in video games and movies. Except you know, bullets hurt, injuries are devastating, PTSD is a thing, there's no pausing or playing something else for a while when it's not fun anymore, and you don't respawn when you die. Yep, a barrel of fun.
Why do you think we humans find war cool in games and movies? Obviously there's gotta be a disconnect somewhere. Even the people you mention who don't really consider what war actually is in reality, would probably never enjoy being in a real war. I think it's really interesting and somewhat "shocking" that we are able to compartmentalize fictional violence from real vilence, in that sense.
We humans are so fascinated by war because fighting to survive is a deep rooted instinct and a natural part of life that we've had the good fortune to not have to worry about in our comfy lives. Fighting and killing and trying not to get killed is something we all know how to do, like fucking or breathing. Just like every animal out there, since its programmed into our primitive lizard brains. Its just that in our society where we're relatively safe from danger, the thought of violence and death is so outside of our realm of experiences that it's become novel almost. Companies dress it up and make it fun and exciting and give it to us spoiled, sheltered, ignorant retards like "Hey, have you heard of this thing called war? Apparently some people in less evolved parts of the world far from anywhere your lazy ass might go fight and kill each over power or money or some shit like that. But you won't care why because look how exciting and flashy and epic I'm making it look for you. Wouldn't you like to experience that kind of excitement for yourself, but in the safety of your own home and without the constant threat of death? Hell, we'll even make death trivial by letting you revive as many times as you want, because that's all death is, a minor inconvenience that might set you back a few minutes until you blow that guy's head off. Oh, did I mention you can blow people's heads off? That's right, you can do that and any sick, twisted, and evil thing your mind can come up with to other people. It's ok though, even though they look just like people they are just random bits of data and images programmed to run around and be walking targets for all of our sick fantasies. And while in real life doing such things would quickly land you in jail, in games there aren't any consequences to doing any of this stuff, and if there are then you can just reset so ha. No one will care if you go out on a killing spree and kill every man woman or child you come across, and truthfully, we encourage that kind of behavior. If we didn't, then we wouldn't have programmed the game that way, though officially it's for 'realism'. No, we just want you to become so desensitized to blood and violence that we just keep shoving these murder simulators out to you month after month and year after year. Because war and violence is a novelty that we sell to you safely to make a quick buck by appealing to your deeply ingrained fight or flight survival instincts. But you don't care about that, since you're too busy checking out how bloody and realistic I'm making these new headshots look. So go out and buy my latest version of Murder Simulator, or maybe check out my new film War is Awesome. Because as far as you fat entitled idiots are concerned, it is. I'm Roger by the way."
I'm sorry, I blacked out there for a moment...
Oddly enough, I was actually watching a movie last night with Ethan Hawke, called Good Kill. I'm not going to say that it was super accurate as having been in the military, there were some things that were off, but he's a drone pilot that used to fly F16s and dying to get back to it. Then, the toll of that, on top of what he sees every day on his screen and what he has to do, in addition to how it's corroding his marriage because he won't talk to his wife and ends up distancing himself from her more and more because he doesn't want to throw the weight of his burden upon her. So... he turns to the bottle.
Admittedly, I don't know enough about the program in which to say if these scenarios are worst case for the sensationalism of the movie... or if it's actually worse. Kind of like that movie The Caller with Halle Berry, in which she spent three days in a 911 center and said that so many of the calls were way worse than what was in the movie script. Like there's one point where the Lieutenant Colonel was talking about how one of their guys popped on coke so they were getting a new person. Citing that he was 22 and burned out, so he did a bunch of coke to pop intentionally... finishing with "22 and he 'burned out.' Hell, when I was 22, I was just getting started." Though said in a way he wsn't really surprised, like they may have a high tunrover rate for their job or something, due to these "burnouts." Sure, perhaps it's over dramatizing it, but can you imagine?
Kathryn Woolfenden What about people who become mercenaries? Like the people from Executive Outcomes and Sandline.
Saeed Vazirian as if a soldier gets to decide if their country invades another, right. You're an idiot.
Chris Hedges, pulitzer-winning journalist, with 15 years experience as a foreign correspondent, much of that either in war zones or covering global conflict. Wrote a top-selling book on the experience of war that included interviews with soldiers. (Also criticised The Hurt Locker for being misleading war propaganda.)
Might have a clue about war.
Byron Smith
War is a force that gives us meaning is a great book. This video was also excellent, funny however that the narrator critiques Chris Hedges quote by basically making the exact same arguments that Hedges book, the source of the quote, puts forward. Obviously he has not read the book, just Googled the author. Hedges has also been extremely critical of the movie and it's director, Katherine Bigelow.
Pls stay more often in front of the camera
nice voice and mature presence
Amaretto I was actually pleasantly surprised that for once there wasn't the usual forced awkward, ironic meme culture humour. Unfortunately its likely this guy was just here to compare the movie against his personal experience so I doubt we'll see him again
I confess I do think the editor guy IS funny, and absolutely a real talent. But this new(er) guy, I agree - we need some new kinds of funny, and this guy is that and GIVE US MORE.
Big dick too
jay kj Damn, he was fun to watch.
Amaretto Yeah! I want more vids with this guy.
Holy fuck. Chris Hedges wasn't a servicemember, but he was a war correspondent who saw the frontlines with his own two eyes. Here's the full quote.
_"I learned early on that war forms its own culture. _*_The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years. It is peddled by mythmakers- historians, war correspondents, filmmakers, novelists, and the state_*_ - all of whom endow it with qualities it often does possess: excitement, exoticism, power, chances to rise above our small stations in life, and a bizarre and fantastic universe that has a grotesque and dark beauty."_
When he says war is a drug, it's not a drug for _soldiers,_ but for _the media._
And you're telling me this movie cut the full quote and corrupted its meaning entirely. In doing this they show that the quote is lost on them. The filmmakers did _exactly_ what Hedges condemned them for; they sold the fantasy of war to the viewer and insulted all the people who actually lived the reality.
Thank you for clearing that up. Chris Hedges is a quality journalist. It seems that whoever did the research for this video, didn't look beyond Hedges Wikipedia page. The man was on the frontlines of wars on several continents, caught in the middle of ambushes, and had people next to him killed in fire fights. I have only listened to his interviews, but will soon read his books. He has lived a life more interesting than most.
Jesus... that shit got deep at the end.
Jeez*
War is deep it makes you disappear and a completely new person appears. This new person doesn't give a shit often.
I'll say Jesus if I want to.
For real man but it sums up the feeling perfectly.
god damn that ending. i'm detecting a 97% level of realness
He hit the nail on the head on that one. That was coming from the heart.
You are goddamned right about that!
maybe a bit of his reflection is relevant to the rest of the cracked team... Very different tone and message than everyone else from Cracked. It's good, brings fresh perspective.
i Agree this guy is the only one worth listening to on cracked.
Wow, that got really heavy at the end there.
It's hard to explain.
Maybe, but he did a pretty good job.
Shawn Ravenfire I just postes this exact comment. Then scrolled down and saw yours
Shawn Ravenfire - it should be pretty heavy. if you want to make a movie about war and your intent is to tell a compelling story or make a political/moral statement that's fine. create a fantasy land with a fantasy war and go nuts. but don't try to shoehorn some fantasy or agenda based garbage in something that really happened. it would be like me making a movie and calling it your autobiography only I make it "Shawn ravenfire is Jack the ripper", "based on a true story!". I mean... "some" of it is true right? so technically that's a legit statement...
idiot number3 I AM Jack the Ripper! Mwahahahaha!
Personally I feel like Jarhead was the closest to my experience. I was deployed to Kuwait in 2003 at age 21 all pumped up and ready to spread American freedom. Qualified on the M2(.50 machine gun) Spent the entire time building base camps all over the country and didn't fire my weapon once.
I trully enjoyed a military video without fake patriotism and empty words like: "We're fighting for our loves ones", "We fight for the good against the evil people", ....
This is just a soldier, talking about his regular job. This guy respects the enemy, and understand that they are doing their job too. War is just that, trying to survive and keeping your friends alive. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Bravo That kind of mindless, "Just doing my job." attitude is what keeps our perpetual war machine moving. I wish soldiers would wake up and realize they're being used to preserve a global corporate hegemony.
I'm not saying it's good or bad. It's just reality.
And when a soldier fights after the courtain of an ideology/patriotism is when he is able to perform the most horrible acts. They are comminting horror because of a "good purpose".
Accepting that it is just his job, results in a more human behaviour. That is what happened in the 1WW when soldiers stop hating the enemy and the cry for peace was loudest.
Yeah. The banks, politicians, rich fuckers playing us like pawns... all true... but guess what. The war is going to happen wether you support it or not. So you can either bitch and moan about how "above it" you are and everyone else just isn't as "woke" as you. OR since its happening ANYWAY, you can join in with the guys you went to school with, grew up in the same neighborhood as, played video games online with.
Bravo because of that. there is no point for a war. everyone just wanted to survive.
That whole view of yours is typical of someone who doesn't understand what its like to serve in the military. Looking at the big picture conspiracy while failing to see the individual experience. So your deployed to some shit hole and your job is to basically bring stability to a certain town or area in Iraqistan or whatever. Your not sitting there going "oh muh global corporate hegemony." Your going, how do I stop these assholes from putting bombs on the road of this town we are trying to protect. How do we keep them from terrorizing the people, cutting the village leaders head off, or burning down the school we just built for them because they don't want women to be educated. Try looking at it from another perspective rather then just assuming your "above it" to even try.
This is the best video Cracked has ever made. Give me less of the smug hipster assholes that are usually in these videos and give me more of this guy.
Yep... they lost me a long time ago... I was surprised this video showed up in the recommendation
dey aint lost you, you still watching.
I gave up on the Cracked website awhile ago, and usually avoid most of their videos. I clicked on this one before I knew it was Cracked, and watched it through despite its brand.
CallumAnthony93
Like I said... This showed on my watch list... Didn't even know it was them...
Same here. Gave up on Cracked a while back, but I was pulled in by the fact that I always thought Hurt locker was overrated. lol
This is first time I was actually glad Cracked's click-bate worked on me.
Thank you for your service. I spent 5 years in Afghanistan with the US Army; you hit the nail on the head. I hope you make more content for cracked.
My thoughts to vets:
Yeh sure I don't doubt your authenticity at all.
But FFS when are we gonna expect the same standard of judgement of soldiers that we do of politicians?
Iraq was a BS war. Afghanistan became a BS war by the time the Iraq War began.
We wouldn't have empathy for Vets if THEY had taken responsibility for the horrors of war by NOT joining/re-enlisting into BS wars. In one day in 2003 there were 5- MILLION PEOPLE PLUS Protests held around the world. We all knew Iraq was BS war.
Politicians will always fight these wars if they're allowed to take our taxes and young people agree to fight.
I don't have sympathy for USA soldiers, they either know they are fighting BS wars or they don't and I strongly oppose them and until I see evidence that changes my mind, I sympathise with civilians who had nothing to do with this, who are dying, unprotected in their homes. Not the troops in MRAPS, body armour and drones looking out for them.
I still revisit this video from time to time for the ending. Great stuff, hope he's doing well
I am a Marine vet with 3 deployments... 2 Iraq and 1 Afghanistan. I love your perspective and truth to this subject. One of my favorite movies is Full Metal Jacket. In which I feel the most realistic thing about it was the first seen.
My thoughts on his views:"
Yeh sure I don't doubt your authenticity at all.
But FFS when are we gonna expect the same standard of judgement of soldiers that we do of politicians?
Iraq was a BS war. Afghanistan became a BS war by the time the Iraq War began.
We wouldn't have empathy for Vets if THEY had taken responsibility for the horrors of war by NOT joining/re-enlisting into BS wars. In one day in 2003 there were 5- MILLION PEOPLE PLUS Protests held around the world. We all knew Iraq was BS war.
Politicians will always fight these wars if they're allowed to take our taxes and young people agree to fight.
I don't have sympathy for USA soldiers, they either know they are fighting BS wars or they don't and I strongly oppose them and until I see evidence that changes my mind, I sympathise with civilians who had nothing to do with this, who are dying, unprotected in their homes. Not the troops in MRAPS, body armour and drones looking out for them.
Don't confuse the senders with the sendees---The soldiers do not pick the war--politicians who have never served or have not served in many decades pick the war. A Serviceperson's job is to go where sent , complete the mission and survive with unit intact--that is all. You don't disobey, you don't question, and you don't do what you want--that is why Sgt. Bergdahl is on trial.
+Ced Cole. No. I fundamentally disagree. Firstly do you think the same of the German soldiers forcing Jews to force Jewish children into furnaces?
Maybe 2 generations ago, the politicians could effectively control the information about the conflict that the soldiers did not know the real facts about the conflict.
That isn't the case now, it hasn't been since Vietnam. We all knew Iraq was an illegal invasion. On one day 5 million + people protested in 5 cities against the war. Soldiers who signed up later than 2002 had easy access to information about the conflicts they were joining up to fight in. Worse for those who joined up after no WMDs were found.
If they joined prior to a conflict, hoping to only serve in defense of their country and then..later are sent to a conflict..sure they can't be expected go AWOL on principle.
That isn't the case of USA Military. USA has been at war for 98% of it's existence and except for an hr in December 1941, they haven't ever fought in DEFENSE of USA.
Since 2002 has been a rolling global campaign that pays disregards all laws on war and the US Constitution on declaring war.
Every person joining the US military since then have access to information to understand that and they still join.
They join in the knowledge the US military are fighting illegal, unconstitutional wars. That is their choice, it is their responsibility.
If enough Americans refuse to join when politicians declare illegal wars, then the politicians won't be able to start illegal wars.
All US troops fighting today are equally as responsible for these illegal wars and the suffering that results,as the politicians.
Don't be misled into thinking too few volunteers will stop wars. They'll just start pulling draft numbers and calling people in against their will. Or call up more National Guard units. Or both.
Full metal jacket is amazing
ever heard of a war documentary called star wars?
Jacob Wilfojac
that actually happened, unrespectful prick
sorry you found my comment dis-respectful, but someone has to raise awareness of that dark part of history that happened long long ago.
Jacob Wilfojac
yeah bro, we shall never forget the jedi
exactly, and of course the Alderaan massacre.
best realistic documentary LOL
HAHA, I have to agree, I am an Iraq vet, and I have never seen a movie that reflects the military accurately . In fact often the comedies come closer.
Nick Usalis Knight Stripes was always a favorite
Gerry Buckets no they can still be a movie and accurately reflect life. Wow, your not to sharp
Look at Generation Kill, it's a series, it's very accurate and you will enjoy it :))
Nick Usalis Knight If movies do that then less people will join. Army needs bodies!
Very Good Point!
I feel like people are forgetting this is a movie. WWII vets said the same shit about saving private Ryan.
I am prior Air Force myself and a friend of mine who was EOD explained to me much of the same thing about this movie, but he told me that most likely the producers got some reports about the dumbest things EOD techs did in the field, because those were the actions that got reported and they made a movie about it.
Also my favorite line in this was "Cloud of a person".
I asked an E.O.D. friend that returned from Iraq if the Hurt Locker was realistic at all. He replied, "Yes.", "Just like how Top Gun is a realistic portrayal of the Airforce." Best movie review i've ever heard.
StratoScopes Uhh what?
Except top gun is Navy lmao
Nicholas Vickers I didn't want to call bs but he had me confused too lol.
But wouldn't the Navy's air fleet still be considered "an Air Force", still confusing.
L V Why the capitalization?
When I was deployed IEDs were mostly found by, infantry patrols, route clearance (combat engineers, MPs) or convoys. I was a M2 gunner on a convoy escort team (gun trucks) in a MRAP. EOD was called out usually with an escort of their own. When they went to work they had their escort, and our gun trucks securing the site. EOD also uses robots a lot more than that movie showed. Explosions in war movies would have killed almost every main character in every movie if they were that close. In movies the explosion itself is exaggerated while the shockwave, which is what kills you along with shrapnel, is almost non existent.
I was in the Infantry. We found a lot of IED's in Iraq. We lost 3 MRAPS to them. A buddy of mine who was the driver of a Bradley got his back burned when an EFP hit the side of the Brad and burned through the hall. EOD never left the wire without us. No one left the wire without us. Someone else's mission was our mission.
So much information I’m getting from peeps that I’m gonna use in my comic book.
Are the shockwaves like a wave of wind and various sizes of rocks, glass, metal, and wood that come at you?
sudden air pressure change. even when you're relatively "far" - makes your internals wobble and damage.
I was swedish military, deployed to Afghanistan and recently Mali. Last part was exactly what I felt like made me go back. This video makes me very happy someone talked about this.
I thought it was obvious that Jeremy Renner's character was meant to be a total toolbag and the movie showed very realistic consequences to very action movie -style a acts. When I did my tour, my comrades and I watched the movie. We loved it. Really. But there were so many things we just shook our heads at, or rather, laughed about (we were having fun, don't judge us) while other things were really great because they were quite realistic.
The sniper scene never gave us the distance that the ambushers were away, so they needn't be actual snipers if it were only 200-300 meters and they shot many times to hit far fewer enemies until they had gotten them all. They were capable of assisting each other because they were familiar with the general concepts. Only when they hit the very last one that ran away, was I taken out of the experience, cause hitting moving targets with such a slow firing weapon is very difficult. Also, given how the sunlight angle had changed, I assumed our gang of idiot heroes had waited for hours for fear there might be more trying to wait it out and get the jump on them once the heroes try to move away. The idiot squad really had the sun-battered and exhausted look at the end of it. Also, the british guys were mercenaries, not SAS. (they might have been former SAS, but that is a different point and up for debate)
At the very beginning, I also found it very strange that there was not at least half a battalion worth of people securing the area, so the EOD could work safely. Same thing in that place with the bomb in the corpse of the kid, though there I will admit it was clear to show the very real tension of clearing a house with characters we were already invested in.
When Renner's character went out on his without telling anyone to find out more about the dead kid (very movie- style thing to do), everything he did basically backfired. The whorehouse thing mainly served to keep the movie going, because it would be really unsatisfying to end the movie there.
I assumed the adrenaline thing was talking about Renner's character specifically as the every other soldier shown is shown to be quite different in their behaviour and motivations.
To summarize and conclude, to me, the movie was basically a parody without being funny (a deconstruction, is that the term?) of your usual fare in action movies and video games. A very, very good movie to be sure (I watched it many times and will probably do so again^^)
On a final note, to the presenter and writer of this episode.
1) great work showing those glaring flaws
2) thanks for taking time out of your personal life to make an effort to actually educate the general population, I really liked what you did here and I respect you for it
Small note: If the target was 200-300m, they would not need to be assisted to be able to hit. 300m targets are part of the marksmanship qualifications. I went through AIT at the same school as IED (Redstone Arsenal, AL), and we had basic marksmanship training. In my entire time of service, I never learned even the basic concepts of sniping or assisting with sniping.
Yeah he wouldn't NEED to be assisted, but it wouldn't hurt either. I qualified marksmen in the AF (its only AF small arms training but it's still annual but only 63 rounds are actually scored against your qualification I hit 62 the last time I did M4. The rest are practice or familiarization, for instance the gasmask portion isn't scored.) I would say the basic concepts of assisting are self evident, you missed, shot landed a few inches to the right ect. Even if the targets were 500m out you wouldn't need to be some sniper god to hit them, after all its possible to hit that with iron sights if you take your time.
I don't want to discount your experience as you are apparently an ammo guy (Redstone was part one of our training and the most minuscule part. Also, we continue to train after we graduate....) but we are all trained on the Barrett as it is part of our tools. I can't say for everyone but my company all qualified on it (assisting and all). Also, man redstone was a weird steam punk nightmare right?
Hi Andy, I didn't know that you were trained on the Barrett. That's cool. I honestly never even saw one in person my entire time in. Yeah, Redstone was such a weird little base, haha.
thank you guys for serving
"It's like, no, most of us have a lot of regard for our own life' Best. Quote. Ever.
No real vet worth a shit thinks Hurt Locker is realistic, only fobbits. EOD weren't kicking in doors to find bomb-makers, they sat on some fob playing xbox and took 3 hours to spin up while some convoy waited on them. The most realistic war movie is Battle:LA, and that had fucking aliens in it.
So you're telling me that aliens are real.
That's crazy bro... but I had a feeling.
Roman Fox haha lol
If that's what you got out of that statement then more power to you. #RaiseMinimumWage and all that.
If you like sci-fi war movies, you should definitely check out Ghost Recon Alpha. It's a 23 minute short film that you can watch on youtube. Here's a link th-cam.com/video/7-wAzlqzXH0/w-d-xo.html If you liked Battle:LA you'll definitely geek out on Ghost recon Alpha. As for fairly realistic war cinema based on true stories, HBO's 'Band of Brothers', 'The Pacific' and 'Generation Kill' are beyond superb.
Roman Fox Hey, that's pretty good.
I was a 91a when I was in, I think it is a 68w now. I have never seen a "realistic" war film. If there was such a thing I would have no desire to see it.
Iraq vet here, Blackhawk Down is the most realistic war movie I have seen.
If you take the idealism away of the actors about how they're noble people, then yes. The infantry is full of killers, not knights that protect society.
They did the whole "Americans are heroes and saviors of all mankind" bullshit but other than that it was pretty good.
13 hours
SrgGoofy Not necessarily. I’d have to say Full Metal Jacket is at least fairly accurate in its portrayal of 1960s-1970s Boot Camp. Definitely more accurate than the soldiers removing their CIF gear before a combat op in BHD.
Fucking LOVE that movie
I appreciate the hell outta this video.
I got out in 2010 and since then have only worked jobs where I have no coworkers. Unbearable was the perfect word. I have regular sessions with my psychologist at the VA but I still can't to be around most people for prolonged periods. Luckily there is a Naval Air Station here which means more Vets. That really helps.
For all it got wrong, it absolutely nailed the environment of an Iraqi street. The garbage everywhere, the paranoia of walking that street with people who could end up killing you. Just the utter fear and breakdown of the psyche of going through it daily was well shown. But ironically life was so much simpler over there. Here it feels like we have no purpose. No direction. I dreaded every deployment, even hated it while there. But with hindsight you realize the guys you were with are closer friends than you could ever hope to find here. We laughed, fought, and cried together and I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.
It was virtually the same in Yugo. Just less sandy.
Yeah no shit its garbage everywhere. Is it maybe because there is a fucking war in there? Also im interested why would they want to kill a foreign soldier in their homeland.
This guy is good. Please do Black Hawk Down next.
Hell yeah. And maybe Full Metal Jacket (just the boot camp parts of the movie; we all know everything else is BS).
That one is actually touted as being based on reality.
well it is only because the incident did happen on the specific operation and they did get a good amount right they did leave out a lot of other things and focused on the American forces a bit to much because it was not the US or UN that saved them it was if I remember this correctly a Pakistani force that was stationed in the area or some trained forces in the area. also just a personal thing they hardly used the little birds while in the book and with what actually happened they were used constantly.
No joke I actually met the commander from black hawk down, and I mean the real commander not the actor. He was a cool guy
Scottyplo BHD was based off of actual events. That's like saying "Do American sniper next"
Chris Hedges based his experience from the tragedy he witnessed in Yugoslavia and the 15 years he spent as a war correspondent for the NY Times. Many of the soldiers did agree and support the idea of war being a drug. You don't have to think about life, you just have to fight to live or die.
Thank you for seeing clearly
True.
I think the idea of "you weren't a soldier so you can't ever comment" is precisely the kind of in-group mentality the army can breed, and it's a rather dangerous one.
This.
BURN1NG CHR0ME It's not that civilians can't have an opinion, it's that they can never fully understand those who serve. The camaraderie, the support, the sense of purpose, among other things are why many Vets feel lost after they retire. Honestly, the amount of bullshit that we have to deal with on a daily bases is enough to make somebody's head explode, yet we continue to do it.
As a former infantry soldier I can tell you that journalists usually don't understand whats going on over there. I'm sure that a few of them are different and I don't know enough about what Chris Hedges actually did over there but I can tell you that a lot of the information that other reporters put out is blatantly wrong and they usually interview those that are either cracking or bullshit artists. Why you ask? Because they're far more quotable and sell the story everyone wants to hear.
As for Chris Hedges himself, the man describes himself as a socialist, nothing in the wikipedia page or a (admittedly brief) search showed him actually going to the front lines during his reporting, and he discussed the massive "human cost" to the war before it had even started. He also described himself and other reporters as "hostages to the military" during the war. I'm not saying he was wrong about the war, but none of that background says that he understands soldiers nor has he really been with the infantry when they were getting shot at.
Examples of reporters getting the story wrong:
During the initial invasion I saw a reporter talking about how close he was to the front lines while a line of Paladins passed him. Paladins look like tanks but they're actually artillery units, if they're in the front lines someone seriously screwed up.
When my team was transferred to gate guard duty they had me setup behind my 240 and pretend to scan the horizon with it. Unless we had a certifiable threat or we were cleaning it we never even touched the thing and we'd never scan the horizon with it unless we were getting ready to shoot someone with it.
A huge stink was made about a soldier shooting an "unarmed prisoner." What wasn't reported about the soldier in question was that his team wasn't the team that initially cleared that room and he'd lost a good buddy the day before due to a suicide bomber that had played possum in a situation very similar to that one. Judging by the reporting it sounded like a soldier just started shooting a prisoner for shits and grins when in reality he panicked when the prisoner moved. Not saying he was right for doing that, but I can understand how it could happen in the heat of the moment. If you can't, then I know for a fact that you've never been in a situation like that.
I'm convinced that "The Hurt Locker", and "American Sniper" for that matter, wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it was had it been made at any other point in time. Its release coincided with the return of thousands of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and drew entirely from the misplaced belief of the American public owed it to those service members to applaud any media that glorified that service.
Basically, people got it into their heads that they were obligated to praise it, lest they be seen as "unpatriotic" or "unAmerican" regardless of how the film stood on its own merits.
Nastrael Rowe it's odd that you chose that very valid point. It also possible that those returning vets imagined the Hurt Locker as truth themselves. As the host stated, EOD techs are a support element. As is 90% of the military. My numbers may be exaggerated, but on my trips I heard a statistic that for every 1 service member that conducts patrols off the base, there are 4 that never do. Because like this guy, I've always had the same argument about the movie.
Well, part of the success of American Sniper may have been due to those timing instances you mention. However, I think it's more likely because American Sniper didn't take a stance on war itself but just allowed the exploration of how it affects people. A.S. wasn't trying to push a "support war or you're not a patriot" message, nor was it pushing a "all war is evil and those who engage in it lose their soul" message. Instead, it was constrained just to show us the story of one man who went to war and how it affected him. It was a human story with war as a backdrop. Honestly, most of the war movies that people actually remember are like that. People still watch Full Metal Jacket even though the Vietnam War is long since over. I'm not saying that American Sniper is going to be the next FMJ, I just think it may deserve a little more credit than you're giving it.
Nastrael Rowe honestly I have never seen American Sniper. I was in Baghdad at the time Chris Kyle's team was over there. I'm not a SEAL, nor have I ever worked with him. I know his story from literature, and feel I don't need to watch that. With that said, I am not talking bad about his movie either.
Has Clint Eastwood directed a bad film? I even love Gran Torino.
That 4th Dirty Harry Film was only so-so.
The terms “war movies” and “realism” don’t really go hand in hand...
Santa isn't what?!?!?
Elemer San Miguel don’t worry
Don't worry he's just kidding
It was just a joke ok, he didn't mean it
Oh dear.
Elemer San Miguel the profile picture makes this comment for me
Years ago I saw "Full Metal Jacket" in a theater when it first came out. I'm not saying it was the best war movie. But a couple Vietnam war vets who were sitting behind me said that during a couple of scenes of being on patrol, that movie came the closest they had seen to capturing the feeling of dread that they had… not seeing the enemy, but knowing that they were being observed and might come under fire any second. For what that is worth.
Platoon?
No, they were talking about Full Metal Jacket.
Fair enough. It's been a while since I saw that film, but didn't remember there being that many (one?) nerve-racking patrols. Much of the movie Platoon features walking through jungle, being unsure if the 'enemy' was watching and if they were going to pounce out.
Would love to see you ripe into American Sniper. Want to see besides the "Drama added" inaccurate, to see the military/reality inaccurate.
Ralph DuBreuil He should do Zero Dark Thirty next. Finish up with Kathryn Bigelow.
Ralph DuBreuil As a guy who works in the tech field I could spend hours talking about how shows misrepresent programmers, network engineer, IT security etc.... but I choice not to because that Hollywood for ya
I love the raw honesty. Very well done. :)
This guy should have a series on war movies or something. He's pretty good.
Oh hell yes!
Illier1 Pretty good
Ramirez wtf small world Man! Haven't seen you in like 9 years. Good job on the video.
why is it once i joined i see people that i served with in the most unexpected places and times. Even when they leave the service.
He is way more insightful than any grunt I ever met.
This is a quote from the movie Aliens, right?
Gumz? Hey, it's good to hear from you! Thanks for the support!
Khashon Haselrig XD
More of this guy
Agreed, more of this guy, with more war related items. He's the best thing I've seen on cracked in a long time, would love some war story segments also.
Yes agree. There are far more tears than there are jokes and smiles from grown men in combat. You will change after that.
Aaron B I disagreewith the laugh tear thing we just laugh at darker shit that makes others look at us and say wtf is wrong with them
I love the speech that you gave at the end bro about the war and what really matters when you're there
...damn, this guy was good. And that ending was equal parts moving from him and surprisingly tasteful from whoever does the video editing/approval from Cracked.
It's probably not really worth hoping for, but maybe this is a sign of some actual self-awareness from Cracked about the increasing pile of insufferable whining that waaaaaay too many of their videos tend towards. Having a soldier talk about a movie that received unfounded praise for its accuracy in depicting soldiers is great. Having a random guy talk about how he knows all video gamers are all violence junkies because he likes video games, too, is...less so. It's basically the "hav[ing] to listen to people bitch and complain about every little thing" bit from the closing monologue.
...okay? Considering that the only other video I referred to was posted well into the past, I have no idea what you're supposed to be talking about.
And no, "If you don't like it, don't watch it" isn't a defense for a video. Sure, if I had the option of purging my brain of whatever I saw in it, then maybe that would be on the table, but it isn't. So instead, I just get to react to rather than retroactively destroy whatever I've watched.
...and as a side note, consider how awful "Nobody forced you to watch it" is as a defense. I would *hope* not. That's barely a step above "But it isn't hurting anyone." It's not a defense. It's the equivilant of "Eat your dinner because there are starving children in Africa."
I wouldn't get into an argument with Chinedu Opera. He's not playing with a full deck of cards.
+Chinedu Opara You are complaining that Cracked videos shouldn't be criticized, because they complain about free/paid stuff, for free.
The literal audience, dude, is people who want critical views on things so they can develop their own critical outlook on things. I started watching Cracked for After Hours. Now, three years later, I realize that the things that they complain about in most of their videos or analyses that they make in their videos aren't accurate at all to the source material. They make you think, but they're not meant to be an accurate representation of the truth.
As +ElectricBayonet2 was saying, Cracked is a site about critiquing _stuff_ . Any stuff. And the presentor in this video is using that fact to reflect that, to a soldier like himself, it can be grating to have people create problems about shit that doesn't matter.
***** If anything, it praised Cracked, dude. And it's an expression of opinion, it's not a motion for changes to be made.
Complaining and criticizing may or may not change anything, but thinking and reflecting on new points of view can change _our own_ outlook on parts of our lives.
That's what I like about about this video, it's a point of view that I would never hear about if people like this didn't share it with us, for us.
Thank you for doing this. The Hurt Locker was painfully unrealistic for those of us who served. Who the heck ever left a FOB in just ONE HMMWV? Nobody, that's who.
Taylor Almond Burgdol?
As I said before, I really like this movie... as a character study of a complete psycho asshole. Renner's character is just The Worst and I didn't realize other people thought he was super cool, that's terrible.
Hahaha, you called me a moron and used the wrong "your" just one sentence prior. You should probably get help for your drinking problem and stop trolling people who have actually done something worthwhile with their lives.
I doubt it.
>Brags about his intellectual superiority
>uses words like plebe
>anyone who takes orders is a looozer F THA SYSTEM
>"Gene pool"
Bet you watch Rick and Morty and pretend to read quantum mechanics books on public transport.
You know, as much as people bitch and moan about Cracked making "political" videos, I really enjoy these human perspective videos that you folks do. The ones about politics, human rights, history, and all the other things that asshats think "aren't funny".
Thank you for making these.
I'd say it's not funny as it's not intended to be funny. This is a serious piece.
The problem is that most guys that enlist are too simple to find their purpose in civilian life - everyone struggles with it since it's hardest thing to do. This belief of becoming a hero when enlisting creates this unfortunate cycle. Then they come back and fall back into it - trying to find purpose without the war that simplified their life. Those unlucky ones die without doing anything heroic.
Best Video uploaded in a while. Congratulations! A+ material
As a former 11b, OIF vet I cant even come close to explaining how much I enjoyed this video or how perfect it is. Thank you and well said brother.
Right?! Movie didn't even cover the importance of eyepro! Where's the clearing barrel are the ECP?
one soldier to a prior, great video. I can also completely and utterly agree with him on the reason why we deploy repeatedly, which is also why I've re-enlisted over and over again. Deployments make life simple, military life makes sense. I wake up every morning knowing exactly what's going to happen, whose always in charge, and everyone is in the same shit, so no one really bitches cause, why?
keep up the good work and thank you for leading the way, hooah.
ball park franks thank you for your service
You could just read the bible and have a career where you surround yourself with people who are devoted to serving God by serving others and that job doesn't involve murder.
+Jeff II War isn't murder. In fact the Bible is full of war and draws a distinction. It is unpleasant, but also very much a part of the human condition. Cain killing his brother out of pride = murder. David killing Goliath as he fought for the Philistines = war. One is praised as the work of God, the other is reviled as a heinous act.
LupineShadowOmega I get where you're coming from. However you are wrong. War unsanctioned by The Almighty results in murder. Mind you, I am not speaking of war done in his name, but military conflict actually commissioned by HIM against specific enemies/people with a clear directive. That has NOT happened in more that 2,600 years, longer if we're specifically speaking of ancient Israel taking up arms defensively. Longer still, if they were on the offensive. Every other action resulting in the willful loss of human life is unrighteous and thus is murder. God does not support any man made war and that includes all that are going on today and have gone on for centuries. Every man, woman and child that has lost their lives as a result unholy conflict, since 607 B.C.E., has been murdered.
Just in case you or anyone else is wondering what allows God to make the decision between righteous judgement resulting in death or murder/manslaughter? It's the fact that he's the creator. Without his authority, life does not exist. That alone is enough, but he can also read hearts making him uniquely capable of deciding who is worthy of life and who is not.
So you are a child with a gun is what you're saying.
Chris Hedges spent much of his journalism career in Kosovo. Central America, Africa and the Middle East during the wars that were being waged in the regions. I think he has the experience and wherewithal to make that statement.
I thought Generation Kill was very well done and seemed very realistic, would be interesting to hear your thoughts on that one .
Me too. Most guys I know who were enlisted love the series, though the few officers I know aren't as big of fans due to how they are portrayed outside of the main lieutenant.
George Delaney Well, most of the officers in Generation Kill had not been deployed in the field before. They were desk officers running operations from planning rooms and doing logistical planning and the such. All important roles, but not roles that prepared them for active combat command in the field. At least, that's how it's explained in the book.
It was loosely based off of a Rolling Stone article written by a journalist who embedded with the troops.
Jamie Wanless LT. Fick was a infantry LT before going to recon with a combat deployment to Afghanistan. Additionally, LT Fick was portrayed as a great officer and even stated in the show as "the best officer in the company."
Generation Kill promoted killing Iraqis just because they resisted foreign oppression, while being sympathetic to its murderous characters.
My Grandfather was a POW at Stalag Luft III when "The Great Escape" happened. He already told me how bad they got it but I'd love to hear you put it as eloquently as you did this! :D
Dude. I'm a Veteran Navy Seabee - 1 tour to Centcom. I worked with Army Task Force and EOD.
On to the relevant stuff: When i saw this film, I was like "Hurt Locker is a good film, but none of that s*** would happen... Especially when he just strolled off base and came back..." you're covering that part as I'm typing this.
Thank you for finally calling this puff war film out.
but who would argue against that? Who in their right mind thinks that the military allows it's government property to do whatever the fuck it wants?
Yeah, me too. The moment that a$$hole abandoned his post, I was pissed at the movie.
A good deal of the public, Englithened, that's who. Popularising BS like that in films which get hyped as realistic, doesn't exactly help to dispell such myths.
Wow, I was not expecting this when I clicked on the video. Cracked is usually heavy on snark and sarcasm which I love. This was not any of those. This was powerful and I applaud the team member who created and started in this for sharing his perspective with us. Thank you.
100%! my Dad was a US Army sniper for 20 years...someone finally gets it
yeah, and with army sniper, you mean work in a cubicle, and with cubicle you mean unemployed
7haiverson, about you... You are the unemployed scumbag sitting at your computer potentially giving a huge slap in the face to someone who respects someone for courage. You, you are the opposite of courage. You are a coward. Go shit talk someone else, tell you what go have a go at your grandma, as you usually do.
My dad was patrolling certain parts of Germany in 1980s
7haiverson Internet warrior having no sense of humanity in him strikes again
yup yup my dad as well it was crazy the kind of math he could do in his head, human calculater, but he got back and was happy being a mechanic sooooo yea
Thanks for sharing with us, and thank you most of all for your service. I look forward to more videos by you.
Been to Iraq, and this guy is 100% right. Life is simpler over there. Not necessity better.
Josh P same here, and I agree.
Plus u come home with a bunch of cash in your account lol.
your ending was awesome. mic drop worthy. thanks guy, take care
4:58 "he had extra"
CIF shows no mercy
yea my gloves got blown up from an IED.. welp that's 2 bad looks like we'll have to charge ya for it 😂
We didn't get gloves from CIF. We had to buy that shit ourselves.
We bought our own gloves too because the ones we were issued weren't that nice.
I remember having to bye new stuff because (meh...soldier shit) ......brand new and CIF did not accept it.
Jess 6
The most disappointing thing about enlisting when youre a kid and full of enthusiasm and patriotism is thinking you will leave your training school for your particular enlisted job and thinking youre going straight to play with the latest government technology, vehicles, gear, hardware, etc. And do all the exciting shit you see in tv or movies. And instead being endlessly assigned to shit details, cleaning or kitchen duty, etc. And not because you got in trouble or as part of njp but basically just because youre the FNG (fucking new guy), and your squadron/unit etc. just has a revolving door of fng's doing shit jobs until some e4 or e5 decides he likes you enough to decide you can now actually perform the job that the Government has invested 100s of thousands of dollars in to educate and train you. Talk about a cold hard dose of reality.
isnt like that for any job?
Watch the movie "Private Benjamin".
Accurate. Or join the infantry so you can do everything you didn't sign up for.
This is one of the reasons I'm glad I went Air Force. Even though it usually isn't action-packed or anything someone will make a video game about, I am doing the job I was trained to do every single day that I go to work.
Ivan bang on the money matey , I played PlayStation and got super fit over 5 years , swept the world and dusted the same 20m room for 5 years too
I've never been in the military or watchted this moive, but each point you brought up I instantly knew that they got the stuff wrong the second you said it.
"a sniper isn't just anyone carrying a sniper rifle"
battlefield community: not true!😭
Vets are very diverse in their backgrounds and their beliefs. It's great to see his intelligent point of view (which I agree with), but don't just listen to how one veteran feels about things. Ask a bunch. Figure out why it's so hard for us to adjust to civilian life after getting out. Ask how we feel about patriotism being attached to war. Ask us how we feel serving as a soldier under a president that we didn't vote for (pretty much every soldier has experienced this). I'm sure you'll get plenty of diverse answers. Veterans of war go through some things that are hard to understand unless you ask them.
DeeDubb So how do you feel about patriotism related to war?
OR like ignore the vet who CHOSE to fight a war that MILLIONS of people campaigned to stop. The Vets can live with their choice.
Thinks about the VICTIMS the civilians who had not armour, air cover or escape. Who's home got turned into a warzone through no fault of their own.
The Vets knew the deal. These chose wars. Walk on by.
Ashley Thomas the people who were the "bad guys" chose their home turf for said war dude, they used that as a tactical advantage, basically using confusion and rules of engagement to take veteran lives. What you say sounds nice and all, but, you're clearly ignorant as fuck or are so young and idealistic you don't understand how the real world isn't so white and black.
Ashley Thomas to say they chose to kill civilians is laughable - imagine how you'd feel if every time you left your home one of your neighbors was going to shoot at you, and you KNEW that it was coming. How would you behave after about a day or two? Panic? Anxiety? Reactive? Probably.... would u maybe shoot someone 97 days in thinking it was a possible threat and realize they were just taking out their cell phone?
Glad you made it home brother. I have a lot of EOD battles that didn't. Stay safe.
Christian Bro Thanks For This Great Explanation, Few People Recognize The Realities Of War & Your Closing Statement Gave So Much Clarity On The Mindstate Of A Soldier/Vet. i Appreciate It
I like how the christian capitalised the first letter of every word for no reason, then the atheist responded by refusing to acknowledge capital letters at all. I wonder if that means anything...
99lum lol I'm Not Very Religious Bruh But I Definitely Notice The Major Contrast Here.
99lum probably not
mad kobra
He was saying that the original post Has All Of Its Words Capitalized Like This, while yours doesn't capitalize anything at all.
8:25-9:25 damn
Within one minute you articulated my reasons for enjoying the military.
I knew I wasn't the only one, but damn does it feel good to hear other people say it.
Thanks for making this video m8, made my day a little brighter.