Free Republic

AFTER a review of Anthony Swofford's 2003 Desert Storm memoir "Jarhead", one old grunt wrote, "I remember hearing exactly the same stories about Korea and Japan from the NCOs when I went in, and I passed on my own versions of those legends to the replacements who came through Vietnam. Of course, gullible civilians were always fair game." Apparently not much happened to Swofford when he was in the Marines in the Gulf, and his disappointment is palpable in Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal in the movie of "Jarhead." Swofford wanted some hard-core guts-and-glory, and if he didn't see some he'd create...

SAM MENDES has the unenviable distinction of having directed one of the three most undeserving Best Picture winners in the last 30 years. In 1999, his directorial debut, American Beauty, won the Oscar and then, immediately, began sliding to oblivion. A paint-by-numbers critique of American middle-class mores, American Beauty was so heavy-handed and obvious as to be insulting even to the elite sophisticates it attempted to flatter. Of course experimentation with marijuana brings happiness. Of course the homophobic, wife-beating Marine father next door is really a closet case. Of course the only well-adjusted adults in the neighborhood are the...

GREENVILLE -- Diantha Eldridge remembers all the Marines in their crisp dress blues, how they came to her home in Greenville in 1992 to pay respects to her son. Although he signed the funeral guest book, she has no memory of one certain Marine -- Anthony Swofford, author of "Jarhead," a gritty account of the Gulf War and now a major movie, opening Friday. She does take issue with the book's depiction of her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Troy Collier. Eldridge said she tried to reach Swofford to give him a piece of her mind. "We would have had a...

Part coming-of-age story, part military-training horror show, part bawdy male-bonding romp, and part poetic meditation on the murderous impulses of men at war, director Sam Mendes' Jarhead (opening Nov. 4) doesn't offer much in the way of conventional, audience-pleasing payoffs. It's about being worn down by fear in a combat zone where the war could start at any minute, but doesn't in fact commence for months after deployment. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a grunt who's molded into an expert sniper, then left with no chance to strut his stuff because the Gulf War is over in a flash. Peter Sarsgaard...

With the United States and some of its allies at war, the major studios would traditionally crank out escapist fare, like comedies and action adventures. But with many of those movies, like "Stealth" or "The Island," flopping this summer and thoughtful films like "Crash" doing well, it may be that U.S. moviegoers are in the mood to think. The change comes as box office totals are down about 6 percent from last year. "Audiences want something smart and intelligent, but the rules of marketing still apply ... if it's too esoteric, you may lose the mainstream audience," said Paul Dergarabedian,...

http://www.powells.com/authors/swofford.html A Gulf War veteran speaks out. "I was over there to fight for oil" October 25, 2002 | Page 6. ANTHONY SWOFFORD is a former Marine corporal who fought in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1808640992&cf=info Release Date: November 4th, 2005 (wide). When a young man joins the Marines and trains to be a sniper, he finds himself plunged into the chaotic swirl of sand, oil, fire and death that was the Gulf War. [Maelstrom] Sons of bitches are casting this movie in seductive terms. Don't get suckered into this money pit by terrorist propagandists. Quotes from various...

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (Sept. 21, 2005) -- It was in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 movie “Full Metal Jacket” that R. Lee Ermey portrayed Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, the quintessential Marine Corps drill instructor and for many Marines, a movie version of the nightmare they overcame in training. The movie is a staple on nearly every Marines shelf and has easily become the most quoted and re-enacted film in Corps history … for now. In the coming months and into 2006, the film industry will again turn its focus to telling the Marine Corps story. On Nov. 4, "Jarhead”...

MUDPUPPY'S BIRTHDAY!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JARHEAD!

Anthony Swofford, author of "Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles," is going to be signing his book and speaking at Joseph-Beth in Lexington, Kentucky on Monday, May 12th.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MARINE RAIDER WEB SITE This history of the United States Marine Raiders has been compiled from the most accurate sources available to us and will be periodically updated and upgraded. The goal of this web site is the establishment of a limited United States Marine Raider search engine, by linking pages to relevant Raider information Online. The history of a small military unit can not be adequately appreciated, unless it is viewed in context of the larger effort of which it is a part. Effort will be made to relate Raider operations to such efforts. We promise...

Happy birthday, Marines! All FR Marines check in here for birthday greetings.