Stream of Consiousness for Black Hawk Down

While watching the movie Black Hawk Down my mind was all over the place. So many thoughts brought on because of the movie, were bouncing around, running into and over each other, I wasn’t able to just relax and watch the movie. So I grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote down my thoughts as they came to me. It was interesting to go back and look at my thoughts and reactions after the movie was done. I think I might do this again with other movies.

Here we go…

• This whole thing happened 21 years ago.
• Idealism and the US are not the best mix. It’s too hard to choose who to help. As much as we would like to, we can’t help everyone.
•  HA! I love it. Yurel is the dude from the movie Tigerland. (Another good movie by the way).
• Orlando Bloom is way sexier on apirate ship than as a soldier, (where is still sexy) but is 10 times sexier as a soldier than he was in The Fellowship of the Rings/ The Hobbit, LOL.
• Josh Hartnett is sexy as heck man.
• Premonitions have got to screw with your head don’t you think. You are sent to do a job. A job that you have been trained for. And then you get this feeling. I would think it would undermine your confidence. But even if it didn’t, would that premonition help you or hurt you? Do you become more careful and extra vigilant, or does fear take over without you even know it, and you over think something and then make mistakes?
• As a mother in general, a mother to a child in the military, to know what the parents/wives of some of these soldiers are about to hear, it breaks my heart.
• Black Hawk Down! Black Hawk Down! The whole mission for the day can be summed up into 2 words. Cluster Fuck.
• Where did the guns and ammo that Aidid’s militia, and the market place venders, where did they originally come from? How did they end up in the hands of these people? Is this another the US will use the bad guys to help further their (the US) plans, train them, heavily arm them etc., and then when they are finished let them go about their lives, only to have to come back and deal with them as enemies at a later date??
• Above all else, remember you are in God’s hands.
• I understand the WHAT and the WHY they are doing this, but man this is such an unnecessary loss of life.
• Where is Chalk 4? They are six blocks away from the crash site. Well they need to haul ass. WTH?? That pisses me off!!! Let’s see, you are at the JOC watching this on a screen. They are on the ground taking fire, not out for a leisurely stroll. They are working their way to the crash site as best as they can. So shut the hell up about hauling ass. You don’t like how fast they are moving, get in there and do it yourself. Let’s see how fast you get to the crash site.
• It’s horrible that is happened, but I would think when it is all said and done, while grateful that you survived, it would have to be embarrassing to come so close to death because you missed the rope and basically fell from the helicopter.
• Humvee’s need better protection for the one manning the guns. I wonder if they have been changed.
• Those *F*ers in the chopper giving directions to the crash site really need to be fired. If I was relying on them to give me directions, they are above me looking down, and they are telling me what they are telling these other guys, I swear I would want to be the crap out of them if we all lived.
• Two snipers VOLUNTEERING to secure the crash site for super bird 64, and it was denied. They know the risks they are taking. Instead they were told help is on the way. Not sure how long it would take to get help, but it was on its way. (It took hours by the way.) So, thanks but no thanks. (Eventually they were allowed in, and died, but in doing so they saved Michael Durant.)
• Even with all of the destruction in this place, there is beauty. You have the beaches and waterfront, but also man made beauty. The hanging metal work caught my eye. Even falling apart after being in a building that had been basically bombed, it still was so pretty. (Yes I know it was a film version of the events, but still)
• I love the lone donkey. He was probably one of my favorite parts of the movie because it was so random. I wonder if that really happened in real life.
• I understand why they are broken down at boot camp/basic training. It’s to be brought back up – but as a team. To take orders without questions. If they weren’t taught that, you would hear “*F* that – I’m outta here!” all the time.
•  How was this raid ever a good idea? I’m not talking about the actual raid, the objective of the raid. I’m talking about how was this plan put in place, and everyone looked over it and said, oh yeah this looks like a good idea. Send in this amount of people to do A, B and C. Everyone else in the city, armed with basically the same weapons as us, is going to get scared and let us take a bunch of people with no retaliation. Was it arrogance or what? There had to have been a better plan.
• Kilo 11 (Hoot). Dude. I could eat you with a spoon. YUM.
• Since they didn’t tell anyone else that they were going in, and now they need help like yesterday, and the guy in JOC is angry, because 10^th mountain said they weren’t in the know, they weren’t ready with back up, so it would take a couple of hours. The need help NOW!!! Um, ever heard this saying? Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine. (Even if you are the all mighty U.S of A.) I think that fits this situation dead on.
• I could never be a doctor or nurse. I couldn’t handle it.
• It’s never ok to lie. What about to those who are dying. Telling them that they are ok. They are going to make it. Just to keep them calm. Is it ok then, to give them some peace?
• Why do I choose the loooooong movies to watch late at night?
•  Why do I choose to drink a BIG glass of tea during the looooooooooong movies?
• I really, really, really have to pee. But I really, really, REALLY don’t want to have to hit pause. I hope I can make it and not pee myself.
• It’s got to be hard for the medics to see them die. (I know it’s hard for everyone, but especially hard for the medics). Knowing they couldn’t do it. They couldn’t save them. It isn’t their fault, but I bet they feel that way. Especially in a war zone out in the field, not back at base. Their survivor guilt must be HUGE.
• How many times did these guys think Why the *F* am I here, why the *F* are we here. (Not in Somalia, but on this raid.)
• NSA = No Shit Assessment. I love that.
• These damn beetle bug things that keep crashing into me are starting to tick me off.
• The vehicles are full. Get on the roof. ??? How is that even remotely ok? So they are going to use the vehicles as cover, and what do they do? Drive off and leave them on foot to find their own way. No cover, no ammo, nothing. I’m sorry, you’ve been out here 15 hours or so, fighting for your life basically the entire time, but you are going to have to find your own way back to us. After all, no one gets left behind, and all of that.
• Surreal = the Pakistan guys with white towels over one arm and trays of water in the other offering you a glass of ice cold water.
• HEY! I saw his eyes move. Dead men’s eyes DON’T move.
• In this SNAFU over 1000 Somalis died. 19 Americans died.
• Michael Durant who was captured was released after 11 days.
• I wonder what the surviving troops think about this. I wonder what the families of the dead think about this.
• What ever happened to Hoot (Kilo 11)?