Making Soldiers

The poems from Hugh Martin’s The Stick Soldiers each tell a story that is part of a larger war narrative. This structure reminds of that of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. However, while O’Brien frequently gave some sort of context to his individual stories, Martin does not do that with his poems, other than when he occasionally gives the location or the date. One thing that makes Martin’s writing quite different from other authors we have read this semester is the attention he gives to the preparation of the soldiers before they actually are sent off to war. “The Summer of Crawling,” which Martin notes is an account of Fort Knox, Kentucky, July 2002, is about part of the basic training drills the young men complete. Martin talks about how they had to “low-crawl across the yellow/ grass of the practice grenade-range” while being yelled at by the drill sergeant who also throws smoke bombs at them to make them crawl faster (31). Martin’s use of descriptive imagery and the fact that he dedicated a whole poem in his book to these events suggests that they hold real importance. The next three poems, “The Range,” “Basic Training,” and “Full Moon, M2 Machine Gun” are also about things that occur in the months leading up to the soldiers’ deployment. In “Full Moon, M2 Machine Gun” Martin talks about waiting in line for smallpox shots (35). I found this interesting because it reminds the reader of the smaller preparations that are also needed. It can seem obvious that physical training and some sort of mental preparation are important factors to training camp. Yet Martin includes the even the small details like how the doctor told the soldiers to let the scab grow where they had received their vaccines. These accounts are interesting to me, and it is interesting that Martin chose to include them, because the majority of what we have red has been focused on the atrocities of the war and life after.

"The Stick Soldiers" by Hugh Martin

The Stick Soldiers, written by Hugh Martin, is a collection of poems about the author’s experience as a soldier during the Iraqi War. The poems take on an interesting point of view because unlike the poems we read by Yusef Komunyakaa and Brian Turner, Martin’s poems encompasses a wider range of topics with regards to a soldier’s experiences such as the training camp, day-to-day operations, or periods of R&R in addition to what we generally read of war narratives (brutality and sadness in war & negative psychological effects of war). For me, one of the things that I noticed after reading Martin’s poems was how relatable (to an extent) the poems can be. I think Martin heavy emphasis on the representation of the soldier’s daily experiences accounts for some part of the poems connection to the readers. This differs to Komunyakaa and Turner because their poems focuses on specific aspects of war or the psychological effects that war had on them, which is something a civilian could probably never fully comprehend. So far, two of my favorite poems were “First Engagement” and “Four-Letter Word.” After reading, “First Engagement,” I thought to myself…I’m not sure if I can even comprehend how much anguish the soldiers could have felt for unintentionally killing innocent civilians. But then again, “First Engagement” conveyed to me the constant fear that soldiers have living in an unpredictable environment, and for that very reason, they are always trying to be one step ahead because any wrong move could be your very last. “Four-Letter Word,” to me, was another very interesting poem. The word “Iraq” for me doesn’t have too much meaning, except perhaps the thought of a fruitless war, however, for the author, the same word had an entirely different connotation because for him, it brought back terrible memories.

Turner vs Komunyakaa

In comparing Brian Turner's writing with Yusef Komunyakaa's, the first difference one notices is a change of focus on the subjects of poems. While Komunyakaa's writing was very introspective and centered around himself and the way he feels, Turner's writing is ultimately more vague and specific at the same time. It focuses on specific details of unidentified, generalized subjects and the language used is much more passive. Although I haven't read as much of Komunyakaa's poetry as I have read of Turner's, I get the impression that Komunyaaka doesn't include other individuals in his story telling as much. The way these subjects enter into Turner's writing gives a sense of how war has changed in the time between Vietnam and Iraq. Whereas in Vietnam the United States army went in with overwhelming forces and could potentially overcome any individual enemy they came across, these new 'enemies' seem much more dangerous. They seem much more dangerous and much less willing to roll over and accept American occupation. In fact, these opposing forces aggressively fight back against the Americans. Some are paid to fight and given bonus for the body count they rack up, and graffiti is sprayed on the walls saying that Americans will be killed. Although these are two different writers and they are bound to each have their own writing style, what they choose to write about does still tell the reader some about the wars that they each are part of. Going by their writing, the motivations behind the resistance against Americans in Vietnam is almost not considered at all. If it is mentioned, it is generalized and simplified as such things often are to make fighting easier for those involved. With this new war, a lot more attention is payed to the religious and specifically anti-American aggression from opposing forces who are a lot less like an army and more like civilians guerillas handed guns.

Yusef & Turner

Both Yusef and Turner use a type of fantasized imagery in their poems. In Yusef’s poem about visiting the Vietnam War Memorial, he imagines seeing a ghost walking by and a woman who seems to be brushing off names, but is actually brushing a boy’s hair. In Turner’s poem R&R, he does something similar where he switches between fantasies to avoid a reality. In both situations, the fantasies are fleeting, only lasting a few lines or even just one. The both switch between ideas so quickly in a single poem that it makes time seem of the essence, which would be rather fitting giving the poems are about war. 

The war in Vietnam was an almost hybrid type of warfare in the sense that the United States was fighting its first war where not all combatants were uniformed or identifiable. Some were uniformed soldiers, but others were guerrilla fighters, disguised as a housewife, a child, a newborn in its crib, or even a town elder. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been fought almost entirely in this style, however, a uniformed combatant is no where to be found. At any point a soldier has to be conscientious of who he’s engaging. I doubt we will ever know how many civilians have been killed because of misunderstanding. The guerrilla tactics and style of the various terror cells in the middle east have been successful in ruining the moral of our country and our military. When you don’t have a defined goal, victory is almost impossible. When the person at the wrong end of your rifle isn’t wearing a uniform, but could pull out a pistol and shoot you, the confusion and stress becomes too burdensome. Additionally, war doctrines have to be re-written, training takes a new direction, and leadership is all about motivation. 

Brian Turner and Yusef Komenyaka

Brian Turner and Yusef Komenyaka both write in a suspenseful way. In “What Every Soldier Should Know,” Turner is describing bits of information, which soldiers learn when they are abroad and in contact with civilians. Turner states “Inshallah means Allah be willing. Listen well when it is spoken.” Turner leaves the reader hanging and wanting to know why we should be listening when it is spoken. Later we find out that: “Men wearing vests rigged with explosives walk up, raise their arms and say Inshallah.” Komenyaka also writes in the suspenseful manner in “Camouflaging the Chimera.” At the end of the poem Komeyaka writes: “…we held our breath, ready to spring the L-shaped ambush, as a world revolved under each man’s eyelid.” Although Komenyaka does not end with the results of the soldiers waiting period for ambush, one is left imagining different scenarios. One of the major changes since the Vietnam War is the media coverage. During the Vietnam War reporters had access to the real images of the war. The images that were released into society had a major effect on the U.S. citizens. After seeing the live coverage, many citizens thought the war was unjust, and so many began to detest the war. Large demonstrations and protests were led throughout the United States in an effort to bring attention to the war. Today, media coverage on the war in the Middle East is very limited since most of it is censored. The media outlets do not give an accurate account of what is going on in the Middle East; instead they release stories that portray the U.S. involvement in the war as it is helping the people of the countries affected. My father was and still is an activist in our community. From the very beginning of the current war, my family attended peace protests and talks given by soldiers or parents of the soldiers, who had not returned. I remember one event where we were given pamphlets with very graphic images of the outcome of an operation vs. the pictures that had been released by the media outlets. I don’t know if these pictures were actually from the operation or if they had been photoshopped, but it leaves you thinking whether we are being informed on the current situation accurately.

Yusef Komunyakaa, Brian Turner Comparison

 Overall Yusef Komunyakaa and Brian Turner's main intentions of their poetry is to give the audience insight into the heart-breaking life of a soldier. Although there style choices may be different, the general theme of the poems is how quickly life can be taken away by war's destruction. Yusef's poems has a more metaphorical tone with shorter disrupted stanzas. His poems also have a feeling of a faded past, as a reflection of his time lost in war. Turner is a lot more descriptive in what he actually means, which makes it easier to understand and he has a more present sense; what he describes appears to happen in the moment, a moment in the future, or a moment in the past. Both poets have a disapproving tone of the war each fought in. 

     For the most part, little has changed since the Vietnam War. The only two things I can see that can change about war is the advancement of technology and how the media covers it. The mental and physical scarring of soldiers during and after war will never change, the sorrow of losing someone to war will never change, the deaths and fatal injuries of innocent bystanders will never change, nor the social tension between people on their views of war. However, the media can be an influential part of the politics of war. While in the Vietnam War the media covered the situation as a matter of win-lose. The Iraq War was covered with little detailed information. In both wars there was confusion about the purpose of the war, but the basic idea was that there were "bad guys" controlling a country and needed America'as help. In Vietnam it was the Communists and in Iraq it was the terrorists that attacked America. In both cases the media had influence over how the other country was viewed. Vietnam was a portrayed as needing America's democratic help from the evil communists. While Iraq, although did not have as much coverage, was still portrayed as a country of Muslim terrorists who hated America's democracy; in this case the media also twisted not only people's view of a race, but also of a religion. 

Brian Turner vs. Yusef Komenyaka

Yusef Komunyakaa wrote his poems based on his experiences in the Vietnam War and Brian Turner wrote his poems based on his experiences in the Iraq war. Both of their writings have similar and different styles and themes. One thing that their poems do share in common is the message of the rough realities of war and how that has affected their life and in turn impacted their writing. I personally liked Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” because it was really interesting how he could see the memories of the war in the black granite of the Vietnam memorial. The personal emotions that both Komunyakaa and Turner exemplify in their writing gives the reader a real feeling of the things they felt in the war. Like in Turner’s poem “The Hurt Locker” you can just feel the physical toll of the war. And I feel like that Turner’s poem were really descriptive to give a real sense of what it was like to trapped in a war, for example his poem “2000 lbs.” shows the horrors of a suicide bombing. There is a never-ending list of negative things that happen because of war: people are killed or injured, innocent lives are at stake, homes are lost, etc. . . War has definitely the same meaning throughout the years, but there are things that have changed. Going from the Vietnam War to the Iraq war the military has changed a lot and the weaponry has advanced. More rules and guidelines have been made to carry out a more “moral” war. One thing that does stay the same from all the wars is the pain and suffering caused from the war which causes physical, mental, and psychological affects on the soldiers.