Rodrigo Jose Samodal

LDS 102

Charles Powell

March 27, 2016

A Few Good Men

Out military was created to fight to defend the ideals of our country. However when military soldiers and officers separate from the values of our nation, it is up to the civilian population to uphold justice. This shows the need for a balance of power. This idea is portrayed in the film “A Few Good Men.”

Shortly after the night when Marine Private William Santiago is killed, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey are arrested and charged with murder and court-marshalled. However, naval investigator and lawyer Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway attempts to take the case, but it is ultimately given to navy lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee. They both believe the two marines carried out a “Code Red” order, which is regarded as a violent extrajudicial punishment to discipline a marine who steps out of line.

Kaffee and Galloway follow through with the case, and claim that they were ordered to carry out the Code Red order by Lieutenant Jonathan James Kendrick, who denies having given such an order, and instead ordered that Santiago not be touched and have him transferred of Guantanamo Bay. After finding contradiction in his orders, Kaffee ultimately causes Kendrick to admit to his actions of ordering “Code Red” and his attempts to hide it. Kendrick is ultimately charged with perjury, and Dawson and Downey are found innocent from charges of murder, but are found guilty of “Conduct unbecoming of a United States Marine” and are dishonorably discharged.

This film shows proof of how, despite popular opinion, civilians ultimately have control of the military. Especially in cases such as the one portrayed in the film, when crimes have been committed within our own military, civilians must take responsibility to bring justice when it is needed. Although this does bring tension between the military and civilian populations, it is necessary to have a balance of power. If there is no balance of power, then the military will be able to commit to whatever actions they deem as just and necessary. This will cause the formation of a militant government, which ultimately opposes the American ideology. I believe that it is just and right that civilians have control over the military. The balance of power is necessary to prevent any one group or organization from separating and straying from the values of their country. This balance of power is needed to maintain successful times of peace in a nation.

Citation

A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. Prod. Rob Reiner, David Brown, and Andrew Scheinman.

Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Perf. Tom Cuise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, James Marshal, JT Walsh, Kiefer Sutherland. Digital Campus, 1992. A Few Good Men. Digital Campus. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. <http://digitalcampus.swank.com/stonybrook/SDC/Watch.aspx?v=2dd2af4344b24fc1ac9347e0aa51b2b6>.

Rodrigo Jose Samodal

LDS 102

Charles Powell

March 19, 2016

Platoon

In times of war, there is always a terrible price to pay. Losing lives, losing sanity, and losing humanity. The Vietnam War is a prime example of what it war time can do to soldiers. The film “Platoon” captures what life was like for soldiers deployed into the Vietnam War. It portrays the different kinds of personalities in leadership in the military.

The plot of the film follows Chris Taylor, a college dropout who enthusiastically volunteered to fight in Vietnam. He is assigned to Bravo Company of the 25^th infantry division. He is placed under command of Staff Sergeant Barnes and also befriends Sergeant Elias. Both soldiers loyal to the cause of the war, but differ greatly in personality. His Platoon commander, Lieutenant Wolfe, also shows a different personality and perspective as well.

Staff Sergeant Barnes is a hardened and experienced veteran of the Vietnam War. He is hard-headed, aggressive, bold, and sometimes cruel. His methods of handling situations are often harsh, and he is often seen fighting with his fellow comrades at times. Sergeant Elias is much more reserved in his actions and is never too rash. He seems to have more sanity and self-control than Barnes. Lieutenant Wolfe, on the other hand, seems to be quite reluctant and hesitant with decisions and actions. He also does not show very prominent leadership qualities and is not very bold.

When the platoon finds a small Vietnamese village, Barnes was seen harassing the villagers, and ultimately, out of anger and cold blood, murders the village chief’s wife and holds his daughter at gunpoint. It was at this point the Sergeant Elias arrives, furious with Barnes. Elias condemns Barnes’ actions and a fight breaks out between the two. The fight eventually is broken up by the very timid Platoon commander, Lieutenant Wolfe, who finally steps in and then orders the village to be burned to the ground.

Barnes’ actions could possibly have him court marshalled and prosecuted. Knowing that Elias would testify against him for an illegal killing of an innocent civilian, Barnes shoots Elias after running into him in the foliage, then reporting that he was killed in action. However after seeing Elias alive and running from the NVA, Taylor suspects that it was Barnes that tried to kill Elias. He later attempts to convince the others of the truth, which causes Barnes to mock them and a fight breaks out between Taylor and Barnes, in which Barnes cuts Taylor. Later on, after another NVA raid, Taylor encounters Barnes, obviously driven to the point of insanity, who tries to kill Taylor, until an airstrike knocks them both unconscious. Taylor sees Barnes wounded, and instead of helping him, he kills him.

Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias both were effective leaders in the field of duty. They wanted to get their job done and get home safe and protect their platoon. But their methods and personalities are very different. Elias is reserved and has a more composed personality while Barnes is aggressive. They each handle situations differently. Lieutenant Wolfe is also a different leader. He, in my personality, is not fit as a platoon leader as he is too reluctant and hesitant to make decisions when needed. All of these officers were in the same situation and had the same job to do, but each were unique and different. The military needs this diversity in personalities in leadership qualities.

Citation

Platoon. Dir. Oliver Stone. Prod. Arnold Kopelson. By Oliver Stone. Perf. Tom Berenger, Wilem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen. 1986. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://digitalcampus.swank.com/stonybrook/sdc/fwatch.aspx?v=25bada9d4f2a40dfb3a191325b0f6e1a>.

Rodrigo Jose Samodal

LDS 102

Charles Powell

March 6, 2016

Fury

Peace needs great leaders, but war time breeds great leaders. The soldiers in the military need leadership to guide them if victory is to be achieved. Leaders in both headquarters and the front line to show the way. However it is those soldiers and individuals in the field and fighting along-side their fellow comrades that have the most.

The film “Fury” portrays what Hollywood believes military leadership on the battlefield looks like. The movie follows the American 2^nd Armored division and their journey through Nazi Germany. US Army Staff Sergeant Don “Wardaddy Collier commands the tank crew of a Sherman “Easy Eight” Tank nicknamed “Fury. He and his crew, consisting of gunner Boyd “Bible” Swan, loader Grady “Coon-Ass” Travis, and Trini “Gordo” Garcia, have been piloting “Fury” since the North African campaign, and now find themselves in Nazi Germany, where one of their assistant driver has been killed in action. Now a fresh recruit, Norman Ellison, is assigned as a replacement.

Norman was a clerk typist and has never seen the horrors of war before. The plot shows his development and his baptism by fire. Sergeant Collier takes Norman under his command and guides him through his first experiences in combat. Norman is very reluctant to follow orders and carry out his duty as a soldier, and Collier will not have it, as it will interfere with his own duties and put the entire crew in danger. Collier explains that as long as Norman follows his orders, he will survive and make it home alive. Collier has promised his entire crew the same thing and they all follow him loyally, as most of them have been together and fought together for months.

The “Fury” crew see Collier as a valiant leader and are extremely loyal to his orders. They will follow him to the very end, and that becomes evident in the finale of the film where the crew make a final stand in their immobilized tank against hundreds of German soldiers at the crossroad they were ordered to defend. Most of the crew want to retreat on foot, but Collier chooses to stay and defend the tank that has become his home, and the entire crew decide to stay and fight by his side. In the end, after a long battle, most of the crew is killed, and only Norman survives.

Although the structure of this film was based mostly of historical facts, the majority of the plot and characters were fictional. Sergeant Collier was meant to be the embodiment of military leadership on the battlefield, or at least what Hollywood pictures military leadership to be like. The film industry made Collier’s character as perfect of a leader as possible, with no faltering in his leadership style and characteristics. He knew how to handle every situation he came across with precision and expertise. And his men followed him and respected him throughout the entire journey.

Hollywood’s portrayal of military leaders has evidently changed over the years. From earlier films such as “Patton” to more modern films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Fury”, the portrayal and characteristics of military leadership has evolved. The earlier films focused on the character development of the particular main protagonist that the film. These older films highlighted the particular character during critical points in the plot. Sometimes the character reacted in a positive way, in other times, not so much. But there was evident character development for the duration of the plot. In the more modern films, the leadership traits of the particular highlighted character are shown in a broader perspective and extravagant. To elaborate, the character’s actions are exaggerated and dramatized to show how well they stand out from the rest of the cast of characters as a leader. The film shows how the leader’s actions and decisions affect the group that follows them and it also emphasizes the group’s reactions.

Throughout the history of film, the Hollywood film industry has evolved in a variety of aspects. Film portrayals of characters in modern films contrast to the portrayal in older films. The more traditional films focus solely on a single character and their traits and how they develop throughout the film. More modern films dramatize and exaggerate the actions of characters for appeal and show how others react to them. I much prefer the portrayal of leadership in the military in more modern films because I believe it to be more wholesome and fuller. I can relate to the characters in some aspects and apply what I learn from these films in my own life. I can only imagine how this fill change for future films.

Citation

Digital Campus. Dir. David Ayer. Prod. Bill Block, John Lesher, Alex Ott, Ethan Smith, Brad

Pitt, and David Ayer. Perf. Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, Scott Eastwood. Digital Campus. Digital Campus, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

<http://digitalcampus.swank.com/stonybrook/sdc/fwatch.aspx?v=0bdfd3c197824ccc97ec28c9d777a709>.