In Black Hawk Down, the phrase no man left behind is embodied. In this movie a quick extraction mission of enemy VIPs goes wrong when the American military underestimates the reaction and force of the local rebel militia, after that it becomes a chain reaction of unfortunate events. Starting with the convoy becoming stuck in enemy territory and having a tough time finding a way out. Then the catalyst to the entire mission gone wrong situation, was when a black hawk helicopter gets shot down and due to the importance of the helicopter along with the pilots are small squad of Army Rangers are sent out to set a perimeter around the crash site. This is one of the first instances where leaving no man behind is seen and the complete turn around from a quick extraction mission to surviving in enemy territory with little to no support. However, after the mission of returning the VIPs was accomplished, the task turned quickly to the task of retrieving the men who are still stuck behind enemy lines with no safe zone. The mission must be completed before any other task can be started. Mission first, men right after is how Garrison ran the operation. But, right after the mission was accomplished and the convoy returned he gathered up all his resources to focus on the mission of bringing back those left behind. The cost of this rescue operation was costly with another Black Hawk going down and this time the pilot becoming a POW. Then more troops being wounded and lost the longer they waited for reinforcements, with the troops going in also suffering casualties. When a mission goes wrong nothing can be done to avoid the mess that come after.                                                                                                                                                             This movie raises the question of how far should a unit go to really make sure no one gets left behind? In this instance it could be said that the cost did not outweigh the results with all the elite soldiers returning back and those in the first crash being rescued. The helicopters destroyed to prevent enemies gaining intelligence, but the lost of one pilot due to a slow reaction time causes a POW and the deaths of two other soldiers. A unit should always be ready to go in to retrieve those who have been left behind because that is exactly what the other soldiers would do for them in that situation. The cost of a rescue mission should not outweigh the results because every life saved is an important one. One thing which should be done to take preventative measures against losses is having a quicker reaction time to those that are behind. The quicker you can react and retrieve them the less amount of losses there are. Granted in the movie, the reaction time was slow due to the amount of losses they took, and the preparation of additional forces, but the way those in charge adamantly took a stand saying no one gets left behind is commendable they did not give up on their soldiers. This shows that a unit will do what they can to ensure that they get their men back home with a larger force. A unit should always go in for those left behind, however the mission to rescue them should be carefully planned out as to avoid more casualties. This means that for the rescue mission to be optimal it must be react quickly and be carefully planned out. It is hard but this is what is needed to save the most lives and ensure success.

Citation:

Black Hawk Down. Perf. Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, 2002. Film.

In the movie “A  Few Good Men” the effects of group discipline can be seen in the way which Colonel Jessep deals with his men. If one soldier is incapable of completing a task it is up to the men in that soldier’s squad to “take care” of him, so to speak. This means that the men of his squad take it up to themselves to discipline this soldier to make sure they keep up, complete the task, or do not step out of line again. However, in this situation the discipline was ordered by Colonel Jessep, making it a “Code Red” order, which is when a commanding officer orders men from a squad to teach a lesson to a soldier that has been shown to be a weak link, however this ends up causing the weak link to die because of the harsh punishment he received. The pros that can be seen from this treatment is that it will prevent that soldier from being the weak link or risk more of the same treatment. The cons of this treatment is that the soldier could feel threatened and start to reach out to higher forms of authority. The treatment could also not affect the soldiers performance or even push the soldier to not feel like they are worth, taking their own life to end the harassment. Lastly, the soldier could be punished to such an extreme that it causes their body to fail and they die. It can be seen here that in group discipline has more cons than pros which brings the question: why was it in effect? Although disciplinary action was what the military used to correct certain actions of soldiers, if looked at from another perspective this treatment is cruel and unjust. People do not deserve to be treated this way, even if they are in the military, it shows no morality and almost close to no humanity. Especially if it can be shown that this type of treatment can be harsh enough to kill a soldier.                                                                                                                                                            In this movie it can also be seen that the military thinks very highly of themselves, especially in the eyes of Colonel Nathan Jessep. This can be seen in the single line “You can’t handle the truth” by the Colonel himself (Jack Nicholson). There are somethings which the regular civilians should not know about the military to protect them from the harsh realities of war and training people to become killing machines, which usually involves harsh ways of dealing out punishment. The higher sense of authority which the military believes they can carry out any orders they want, no matter what the cost, because they believe that whatever they do it is beneficial to the protection of the United States and all the citizens. But does the treatment of one soldier who is punished to an extent  where they die, really protect America and her citizens? There is no reason behind, besides the Colonel’s reason that if a soldier is not tough enough, they will falter in battle which could affect the battle, then the war, then possibly our country. However, a soldier does not need to be punished to an extent where they die. There are somethings which the military should do and not tell us just for our own safety, but there are other actions which they perform which are not necessary. We have given the military too much control of themselves, which in turn makes them believe that they are higher over regular civilians. This makes them believe that they are also above the laws that apply to us. There needs to be another entity involved in the military in order to regulate them and make sure that they do not perform actions which they believe they can but in reality cannot perform. In this way we can check the military and make sure that at least we know that they are abiding by the rules.

Citation:

• Reiner, Rob, Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Bacon, James Marshall, J T. Walsh, Kiefer Sutherland, and Aaron Sorkin. A Few Good Men. Burbank, CA: Columbia TriStar Home Video, 1993.

In the movie Saving Private Ryan, it is clearly shown that there is a tension for following lawful orders and following the human body’s natural instinct to survive. This is seen in the group of main characters that make up Captain Miller’s squad. After landing on Omaha Beach, which they barely survived themselves with all the chaos ensuing around them, they received orders to retrieve one Private James Francis Ryan, because it was soon found that everyone of his other brothers serving have been KIA. Since he was a paratrooper and behind enemy lines, they knew that multiple enemy counters were up head. During each enemy encounter they seem to lose one man every time. Each time this happens the squad keeps having doubts about their mission and whether or not they should continue or list him as MIA. Miller shows his strength and skill as a leader constantly by corralling after each unfortunate death, pushing them on to follow their orders to the letter. Everyone, unfortunately, in the squad do not have choice and have to abide by the Captain’s order even though he is starting to begin whether or not this man is alive or dead. Soon, however after Medic Wade’s death everyone is beginning to think that the mission is costing more lives than it is saving one soldier, compared to a hand full of men. If this soldier was dead or if they could not find him then this mission would be a waste of time and lives. This soldier have to deal with the fact that each time they go out their is a high possibility that they will be killed and the fact that each time an enemy is encountered someone dies does not comfort anyone.                                                                                                                            The tension, however for survival and following order, seems to most prevalent in the end of the movie and everyone finds the private, but with faced with one order that could possibly be their last. This order was to help the remainder of men with Private Ryan secure a bridge that was soon going to be under German attack. It can be seen in each of the men that this is possibly the last time they were going fight, since the odds of defending the bridge under a sizable German force when compared to literally a handful of soldiers left. Everyone, however does well to put aside their fear and turn that instinct to survive to something they can use to help them fight, determination. This can be seen in all the scenes in the end of the movie one being the fight to the death with the German soldier and Private Mellish where both men having to follow order to kill each other. Here it is seen that Mellish uses his instinct to help him fight off this German soldier until he is finally overpowered. Also it is seen in every one of the final scenes. All these men fight to their last breath putting away their fear from their survival instinct to follow order that they all realize and understand that they will save more lives then they are possibly going to lose in this fight. In moments such as these is can be seen that although the their tension between instinct and orders in final moments they come together hand in hand to bring out the strength and courage every soldiers has.

Citation:

Saving Private Ryan. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Prod. Steven Spielberg. By Robert Rodat. Perf. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, and Tom Sizemore. DreamWorks Pictures, 1998. Film.

In the movie A Bridge Too Far, it can be said that it accurately depicts the tension and strife of war. Depicting Operation Market-Garden, which shows airborne forces being dropped in location to secure enemy controlled bridges. The main objective was to have airborne forces land and take over main bridges to move Allied armor and forces up to the front lines to deal major blows to the Germans. It shows the different sides of the operation from different Allied forces, some more successful than others, but ,mainly portrayed are the airborne forces led by four different commander two Americans, one British, and one Polish. The four commanders are Major General Urquhart, Major General Sosabowski, Brigadier General Gavin, and Major General Maxwell Taylor.                                                                                                                                        All of the four airborne commanders seem to be put in difficult position of them all, one being trapped with no communication and dealt with overwhelming odds. Major General Urquhart is stuck without communication, meaning no reinforcements. Continually being pursued by relentless German forces who begin to surround his position. However, despite all the challenges he faces he stands firm, which seems to be a defining trait in all four of the airborne commanders. He splits of from his men to scout ahead however, he gets stuck in a small town surrounded by a small German force. No communication was the greatest blow to his forces as it took away their supply drops, making them continually run low on ammunition and supplies. Even with that misfortune, he faces German Panzer Divisons and greater German forces but still effectively leads his men not letting their situation break him or his men down. Leading his men by his action and defiance against the Germans, this is also seen in Major General Sosabowski. Major General Sosabowski wants to move his men in order to reinforce allied forces at Arnhem, however he is unable to move due to natural forces, being fog. He knows that Allied forces desperately need his reinforcements, he moves on his own and at night to try and provide reinforcements and supplies as quickly as he can. However, like with most Allied forces in the war he is dealt with serious losses. Both American commanders while not in the same position as the the other commanders were also dealt with blows with destroyed bridges and being consistently halted.                                                                                                            All four commanders are defiant even though they are constantly being delayed, overwhelmed, and stranded. Even as they stand as strong leaders trying not be be defeated, the operation was a failure because of German resistance. These were strong leaders who went in to the operation with their mission in mind, however during the course of the operation it can be seen that their mindset changed to survival with all the defiance of the German army. The airborne forces had strong capable leaders however, even the strongest leaders out of them, could not be able to overcome their confrontations. It can be seen that one of the main traits of military leaders is their defiance against overwhelming odds, which they do in order to inspire their men to not give up and fight till the end. In this way it can be seen that soldiers do take on the attitudes of their commanding officers.

Citation:

Bridge Too Far. Dir. Richard Attenborough. Perf. Sean Connery, Ryan O’Neal, Gene Hackman, and Paul Maxwell. Mgm, 1977. Web.

Colonel Chamberlain in the movie is seen as a man of great value. In the movie he receives a fair amount of men who have seem to given up hope, however he chooses to not treat them differently or as outcast. The speech which he gives about what they are fighting for the idea of freedom and each other as he points out, trying to inspire these defeated men to become the courageous soldiers they once were. He was also very much willing to stick with his men, marching with them even though he has a horse that he could ride at any moment. Pointing out the importance of the coming battle as well, shows what is as stake and the odds they are at with only a few hundred men. Also he is later seen with a runaway slave and is very compassionate with letting him rest, eat, drink and have him checked for injuries. He seems to be a man of the people, one who fights for those beside him and those who will benefit from the victory of the Union in the war. He is seems unwavering with the odds he is up against. This unwavering attitude is also seen with Brigade General Buford who holds a position against larger Confederate force until reinforcements arrive. He knows that the odds are stacked against him but his unwavering stance helps to secure a solid ground to hold against the Confederates. His actions showed that the Union would not be so easily defeated, however they were soon overrun and forced to retreat to Gettysburg. Chamberlain is a great leader who believes in his men and treats them as equals no matter what they have done, and he stands strong against adversity, fighting with no reinforcements and low ammunition. Full faith in his men and fighting for the ideas that holds the Union together, is some of why he was able to hold off and force the Confederates to retreat.                                                                                              Robert E. Lee was on the opposite end as the Confederate General and one of the main military leaders. He is shown to be stubborn by ignoring the pleas of his officers to consider his action of pursing a retreating Union force at Gettysburg, instead of marching on to Washington to force the Union to pursue them. However, he respects the efforts of his men even if they have failed. His was too bold in his idea of attacking the Union a fortified position. He also commands great respect from his men as they are willing to follow his orders even with protest on how difficult these task will be such as taking Gettysburg. His boldness and mistakes is what ultimately leads to his downfall. He believes firmly in the ideals of the Confederacy and believes that nothing can stop his men as long as he believes in them and they fight with conviction. He does not give up easily and refuses to allow the Union soldiers to hold the field. Though he is a good tactician he is blinded by his refusal to lose. He fights with conviction however that all he believes will take them to victory which is why he is finally defeated.                                                          Both Colonel Chamberlain and General Robert E. Lee seem to have respect for their men which I believe is a characteristic a great leader should have. Leaders should respect the men they lead because these men are willing to follow them anywhere to fight for what they believe in.

Work Citation:

Gettysburg. Dir. Ronald F. Maxwell. By Ronald F. Maxwell. Perf. Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, and Jeff Daniels. New Line Cinema, 1993. Online.

Nowadays it can be seen that our military embodies diversity along with America itself with the many different races that make it up. This is what makes this country so great. It is a mixing pot with the melding of different races and cultures making it unique. Diversity is what America supports allowing everyone to be free and be able to accomplish their dreams, no matter what religious background you have or what race you are. Our military is also a representation of this with its diverse group of individuals that comprise it to make a whole which works together to defend and  fight for the ideas that America stand for. This shows that no matter how diverse we are and how much we differ we can stand together and fight for liberty, equality, opportunity, rights and democracy. Giving a chance for future generations to experience this freedom as we keep becoming more diverse. This is truly incredible that no matter what we are all American citizens bonded together with these ideas that allow us to live our lives as we do now. However, America never used to be as diverse during the Civil War era from 1861 to 1865. It is seen here that soldiers fought for the right that America be made diverse through the idea that everyone be made equal.                                                                                                                             During this time the US military was mainly comprised of white soldiers and the idea of non-white soldiers was absurd. Then that was all changed when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in January 1st, 1863 when slaves in the rebellious states were freed. This allowed for a movement to create an all black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. It is seen here that the military was attempting to become more diverse, even though black soldiers were still separated from white soldiers. These soldiers fought for the same ideals that white soldiers fought for bringing them together on the battlefield. While some treated them as a joke, they should that they belong and that they be treated with respect with the bravery and dedication to their cause. The fought for the idea that one day everyone will be treated equally in America no matter what race or even religion you are. It is these soldiers that we can thank for the freedom we experience today, they trail blazed the path that many other soldiers fought for in order to give us the lives they once dreamt future generations could have. Although it did not immediately happen until many years later thanks to the push that was the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s, however these men could be seen as forerunners to this movement. They showed that diversity was not a bad idea and that it should be embraced because it makes for a better, stronger, united people. Where would we be now without these brave individuals who fought for the lives we have today?

Work Citation:

In the movie General Patton can be seen as very egotistical, when he promotes himself before the Senate approves of his nomination from the president and constantly through out the movie. He also is very aggressive always getting what he wants when he wants. A man with a clear goal in mind which can be both a bad and good, as he would even ignore orders just to accomplish what he has in mind but does it for the good of the war. He does not think twice about risking his own life and sometimes even the lives of his own men, nothing can stop him. He dislikes the idea that his Allies would be in the spotlight especially during the plan to take over Sicily with Montgomery, and takes it in his own hands to win the battle. Patton prefers to obtain all the glory from war and his success in battles. The chase for glory often leads him to place many gambles in battles with the fate of the lives of many men. Patton usually has a one side view of everything which is his view and no one else’s. His tactics are effective however very costly. While Bradley on the other hand is more reserved and cautious. He is like Patton’s conscious constantly advising him on his decisions. Also to Bradley prefers to fight on the battlefield with his men and experience what they do. Bradley very much differs with Patton’s ideology with his main focus being about the men.                                                                                       Honestly I would rather be like Bradley, he cares more for his men than Patton which I respect. Patton will try to win a battle at all cost no matter how many lives are lost and expects everything to go his way. Bradley commands more respect for his men since he cares about their lives and does not make the irrational decisions that Patton continuously makes. To Patton the objective outweighs the loss of life, which is terrible this men have families and because of one man view of doing things his way they will never see their families again. Patton seems like he does not are for the lost lives and has he only has one view of the world, his view. Bradley seems more like a leader because a true leader would almost put the lives of his men in front of theirs because a leader without his men is nothing at all.

• To further develop my skills as a leader and a steward to the community.
• See how Hollywood really portrays the US Military to appeal to pop culture. If they project them realistically or fictionally.
• Learn more about how leadership is portrayed in the military and the qualities of great military leaders.
• See how important the role of a leader really is.

I was born in NYU Hospital in Manhattan, New York on April 25, 1996. My mother being  a registered nurse and my father a social worker who served in the army as a medic. I was the first child which meant a whole new challenge for my parents to take on. My brother was born 5 years later in the same hospital, we were both born on each others  I was raised in Kingsbridge, Bronx, New York in a nice apartment on the 6 floor, 65D. There I attended Our Lady of Angels Elementary School, it was a small school and at the time I was attending it from Kindergarten to 3rd grade there were no sports teams. So for some extracurricular I went to a Kickboxing/Karate class near by our apartment, got as far as a striped yellow belt and this is where I began my interest in physical activities and sports. Fun Fact, during the NYC blackout of 2003 I got stuck in the elevator of my apartment, so from that I actually have a slight fear of elevators. To continue, halfway through 3rd grade my parents purchased my house  in Yonkers, Westchester County, New York. I continued my education in Annunciation Elementary School where I became more involved with sports playing on the school basketball team and other sports for the recreational team Richards.                                                                                                     Growing up in the suburbs opened my world from a cramped apartment in the Bronx to a house with a yard, gave me a lot of room to grow up. I began to play a multitude of different sports; soccer, basketball, baseball and track. Out of all the sports track was by far my favorite, something about running just gave me the greatest feeling of freedom and carelessness. After graduating elementary school I went on to Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York. There my world opened up even more meeting different people but having a very different experience, it was an all boy school. Any boy around my age of 14 at the time would be shocked. But Stepinac really helped me to grow up and become a man. I played football my freshmen year and thanks to my academics I was placed in the Honors program. I found people who had the same interest as me and they soon became close friends. Those friends also opened my world up with music and showed me all the different areas that are fun to hangout in.  Soon I even became a lifeguard due to a suggestion from a friend, and I can not imagine myself without being a lifeguard on me right now.                                                                                           However, I really started to develop after I joined the high school track team. This is where I feel in love with the sport. It helped me to maintain a balance in my life academically and in sports. Even tough we were a small team we were tough always giving a fight my showing are speed could compete with some of the other bigger and more dominate high school teams. Sophomore year came I began taking AP classes and apparently got even faster last year becoming runner-up in the NYSCHSAA league in the 200 meter dash. When Junior year came, I qualified and helped my relay team qualify for the 2013  Indoor New Balance Nationals, it was the greatest feeling in the world just being there. Competing against some of the best high school talent across the country, I worked even harder and that year we made 2013 Outdoor New Balance Nationals for track. Junior year was by far my best year in track and in school the perfect balance. Senior was interesting, after filling out all my college applications, I could tell that it was going to be very easygoing from there own till college. I was getting contacted my colleges to run track however, I never really was interested in running college level track. After the applications were sent, and Indoor track season was ending I found out that our sprint coach was leaving. That took a toll on me, he was my mentor and he left right before 2014 Indoor Nationals. After that I became very uninterested in track and stopped trying since I really had no guidance, finished my senior concentrating more on what school I wanted to go to since I was accepted into all of them and expanding my social life. Also at the end of senior year I had a really bad breakup and that summer was one of the hardest ones I have had. My best friends leaving, dealing with my first major breakup, and losing interest in my favorite sport.                        College was a big deal for my family, first time I would leave my parents and hoped to make new memories. I admit it has been tough so far but I finally am adjusting and settling in to this whole new experience. Hopefully, one that I would look upon fondly.

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