Actually, yeah, now that Bill mentions that scene, it was another example of a surprising character twist. Not only the viciousness of the comment, but how Captain America was so easily cowed into burying his AKs in the desert. Checking LK’s chain of command post on Caltrops (helpful reading to those of you having trouble tracking the names and faces under the helmets), I’m surprised there weren’t repercussions from that comment.
-TomOne of the things that the series is not getting across as well as the book did is that First Recon was being tasked with missions that they weren’t normally expecting to do. As “first” reconnaissance, the battalion were information gatherers first and a strike team second. The higher ups (Mattis?) decided to use a First Recon as a mobile/fast attack team/“tippity-tip of the spear” for the invasion to draw the enemy out in ambushes and also as a decoy from the main, old school, overwhelming force of the infantry.
I’m not sure how far down the chain-of-command this new strategy got, but not knowing it for some time appeared to be the main reason that members of the battalion thought that the officers were trying to earn medals by getting them killed.
Could be hand grenades, the problem is that they are tough to get off quickly and with enough range for these purposes. We experimented with 40mm smoke in our 203 launchers, but that ammunition proved less than reliable in providing a consistently visible warning. That’s how we ended up with the pop up flare, which is an aluminum container that uses the cap to fire off a flare. It has the problem of being unpredictable as far as where it ends up when aimed horizontally, and has accompanying safety issues when people prime them in advance. But it was still the best alternative in many fixed positions.
They also realize that the vehicles which make the abrupt u-turns are either scouting positions or are trying to lure them into an ambush
The problem with the first is that it’s not possible to say with any definite accuracy, and the trouble with the second was dealt with by never chasing people from roadblocks or checkpoints. At least, I’m almost positive that by my time that was never even a possibility for our responses. So, yeah, it’s a really fun time.
Are you? Captain America has at that point not only presented himself as the sort of man who is easily intimidated, but has provided the kind of questionable leadership that lends itself easily to blackmail. That is, he couldn’t say shit without having his own actions come up for review. One of the things all that anal retentive leadership (helmets! accountability!) is designed to build in future leaders is an awareness that you can’t be fucked with if your shit doesn’t stink, and no matter how right you are when people have dirt on you it won’t be taken as seriously. It’s one of those realities of human nature that military leadership handles psychotically, but effectively.
In a sense, that role continued for many recon units (at least battalion reconnaissance-as opposed to force recon) as general purpose QRFs and vehicle borne AO controllers for sparsely populated areas.
I’m not sure how far down the chain-of-command this new strategy got, but not knowing it for some time appeared to be the main reason that members of the battalion thought that the officers were trying to earn medals by getting them killed.
Perhaps. In a sense, the sentiment remains accurate if you don’t agree that the cost/benefit analysis matches up. I expect views of the Iraq war’s shock and awe phase to go through some very interesting revisions with the benefit of hindsight.
I guess it’s surprising to see the military presented with its own petty office politics and human nature trumping everything else. Which is part of what I love about the show, but is no surprise to guys like you and Chris. In Hollywood Army Movies, that’s not how it works. Instead, the men with rank are either noble or incompetent, so you can’t have Captain America and Stark Sands’* character in the same movie.
Which reminds me of another moment I loved: Sands’ telling the three men to “shut the fuck up and do their fucking jobs” when they offered their support in any upcoming inquiry into the incident where he tried to countermand an artillery strike. In a Hollywood Army Movie, that’s supposed to be the Bonding Moment. And then Sands’ character gets Shot.
-Tom
It still caught me by surprise, but yeah, it seems inevitable in retrospect. What would also be interesting is how Wright came across that conversation.
Which reminds me of another moment I loved: Sands’ telling the three men to “shut the fuck up and do their fucking jobs” when they offered their support in any upcoming inquiry into the incident where he tried to countermand an artillery strike. In a Hollywood Army Movie, that’s supposed to be the Bonding Moment. And then Sands’ character gets Shot.
I think that and Colbert taking ownership of the dead child decision were my favorite leadership moments. One by exploring a more subtle side of good leaders, and the Trombley incident with the opposite extreme.
Because the thing is, I don’t think you can ever have that sort of bonding between officer and enlisted (or even distant ranks within the two sides) in those kinds of situations. The damage you are doing to the chain of command and to your own authority in the long run is difficult to appraise at the moment, but when it comes back to bite you in the ass you’ll know. Again, something the infantry takes seriously.
The HBO Band of Brothers series broke your hollywood sterotype as well.
-CJ
I wonder how much of this is the freedom of HBO and how much is time. In a typical war movie, you wouldn’t have time to explore characters like Captain America or Sands in any kind of interesting way.
I was wondering about all the helicopters and tanks and such, and how they managed to get the props. For some reason cgi never crossed my mind.
Thanks LK
Aside from the HUMMV’s and trucks and maybe a close-up of a helo or two (not the attack helicopters) I think it’s mostly CGI. They said they had procured some armored cars, Mambas I think (from South Africa), for LAV’s and it just wasn’t going to work so they CGI’d LAVs in their place.
I think they did a good job at most of it, and finally someone gets the sound of the A-10’s gatling gun right (though it could have been a little louder and deeper). I think it’s just a sample of the real deal but still, at least they got it.
— Alan
Well, this episode did a good job of showing how even with a pretty damn solid ambush position the Iraqis were fucked. Fire discipline and night vision ftw.
Apache gun casings pouring into the gunner’s position was pretty cool. I had to slow that bit down and watch it a couple of times. Great shot of the bottom of the helicopter from the gunner’s feet POV.
Small nit, those were Cobra’s, not Apaches.
When they assaulted the bridge a second time, who was it that took charge and took the comm away from Captain America?
I believe it was the major who is second-in-command of the battalion. You normally see him standing around when Godfather gives his mission briefings.
I think it was Major Eckloff that took the radios from both captains. In the book, I think it was an air control officer assigned to the unit that took the radios away.
HBO describes him as “First Recon Major Todd Eckloff” (that’s the org chart I linked to above). Judging from the shotgun shells on his vest, I’m going to assume he’s the so-called Major “Benelli” (named for the shotgun he was mocked for carrying around) from Fick’s book. I’m not sure which part of the battalion staff he is, but I’d guess executive officer.
Of course, that has no bearing on who actually did it in real life.
Nit away. I don’t know crap about military hardware, vehicles or aircraft made after 1945. I wouldn’t know a Cobra unless there were shooting a large ape on top of a building in Manhattan.
I saw someone near Godfather with a shotgun, but I thought it was the Sergeant Major. Could have been the Major. Right before they spot that tattoo on dead fighter.
I just remember seeing shotgun shells on his vest. Two kinds of people have that kind of equipment ready to go, and none of the good kind are majors on a battalion staff.
So I know Stellan Skarsgard’s son Alexander is supposed to be the real anchor for the series, and he’s certainly good. But the guy I find most fascinating is Stark Sands as Lt. Fick, mainly because he’s such an unlikely bit of casting. The guy looks 14-years-old, as if he’d play some poor beleaguered geek. Which is exactly what he’s done in the other movies where I’ve seen him (he was a sort of mystery/thriller called 11:14 and he was in an absolutely wretched Day of the Dead remake as an incompetent National Guardsman).
But I love how Sands plays Fick. His leadership comes not from being a badass Marine, but from a quiet studied competence, even when he’s wrong, as he was in the situation with the smoke grenade at the roadblock. It’s an interesting contrast to Colbert always being one step ahead of everyone else, which smacks a little bit of “He’s the lead character, so he’s always right”.
I hope the series does well, because I’m looking forward to seeing the lead actors (particularly Skarsgard, Sands, the guy who plays Colbert’s driver, and the guy who plays Trombley) in more stuff. They’re all great.
-Tom