Task 1
Poem
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell
Steve Carlsen
Background Information
Steve Carlson was an ordinary soldier who has experienced 3 years of war. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003.
His vast military experience allowed him to tell us the readers, how harsh and cruel war can bring be it in small scale wars or large scale ones like World Wars. Steve is trying to leave the message to his readers that once you have fought in a war, you have lost your innocence as you have been exposed and scarred by war.
There are conflicts represented here. This poem is about a soldier fighting together with a few comrades. They are the few survivors of the war, as seen in “They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes; They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies”. This shows that the enemy is relentless in its effort to kill. Not only did they kill soldiers, they drained the soldier’s blood and even maimed it just to be sure. Thus, with such merciless killing the soldier may well be one of the last few men. As such he mentions that in case they have to run for their lives again they sleep with their boots on. The conflict here is that soldiers sleep so that they can prepare for another day of fighting, but instead the soldiers have to use the sleeping for fighting.
“I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more”
The emphasis of the last sentence on the trained soldier as the the term “say no more” means that the troops were already trained to do what was needed as no further elaborations were necessary.
It may also mean that the soldier was ashamed of having to do what he is going to do such that he does not want to further describe on how they are going to 'kill'. The soldier does not actually want to go to war, yet must.
The lines “And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell” means that the soldier thinks that the afterlife is heaven compared to earth. However, since a soldier has killed so many people he should go to hell. But, the conflict is that his life was so hellish he should go to heaven.
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
This three lines also talks about soldiers who loathe war, yet have the burden of fighting it. Baptism refers to a cleansing of oneself, attaining new life. However, this baptism is brainwashing, giving the soldier a cold heart with which to kill.
Point of View
Firstly, the poem is about a soldier and his comrades running and fighting for their lives. They are frightened and fearful and hence don't even take off their boots when sleeping. This is emphasized by the title which says "We slept with our boots on".
Situation and Setting
The poet writes the words "Hindu Kush" probably to tell us that he is fighting in a foreign land perhaps in the middle east.
Also, the imagery “From house to cave, to car to creek” “Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies” tells us that the fighting could have occurred on a creek at the top of a high mountain .
Language and Diction
The first line states: "They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes".
This refers to the enemy who is maiming their dead comrades to make sure they are dead. From here, we can tell that this setting may be one of a lost battle on the poet's side, and he is probably one of the few survivors. This could be the reason why the soldier and his comrades are in fear.
The point of view is mainly 1st person with occasional switches to "We", mainly to unite himself with his comrades as a whole. First, the poet would show his own personal feelings, emotions and actions, and then he would proceed to show a collective action by using "We". This shows that his emotions are largely shared by everyone who is involved in war, who are just as scared and terrified. Hence, this poem evokes our sympathy to the speaker who tells us about his emotions.
The writer uses the line "baptized in fire" to show the hopelessness and cruelty of war. Baptism symbolizes people being cleansed of their sins and to have a hope for a better future. Hence, by presenting the contrast of water which is fire, the poet is indirectly telling us sins of killing while fighting in war can never be cleansed. Also, it is know that people liken fire in religion to be related to the pits of hell and from here, he poet emphasizes how he is being punished for his sins of killing.
The poet also repeats the word "and". For example, "I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more ... Dirty and tired and hungry and scared".
The constant use of "and", show how never-ending, dreary and tiring war is. By making the line long, readers will be tired of reading such a long line without pause. Hence, by pausing, it is symbolic of a sigh which the poet is trying to evoke in the reader.
Conclusion
This poem makes the reader ponder about whether war is really glorious or not. People who have never fought war cannot truly understand what Steve Carlsen felt and wanted to convey. What I am clear though is that Steve Carlsen is trying to say that "Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns" and that is why war brings nothing but a living hell, further emphasizing that world peace is not as easy to attain as we thought it was. Also, only those who have not been to war think its glorious.
Sources
http://maytheforcebewithu.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-slept-with-our-boots-on.html
