Testament to the Armed Forces

The most amazing part of this series is the testament to the Armed Forces. It is just an amazing series that shows the true power of friendship. I wish that I could say that this happens in other ways, but truthfully it doesn't. In times when a man needs to be more than what he thinks he is, the people around him work with him so that all will succeed. I like that definition as a leader.

I wish I could say that there is more for me to express about this series, but there isn't. This is a series that repeats a theme over and over again and it is truly inspiring. If you haven't seen the series, I strongly suggest that you give it the 10 hours it takes to watch it, and do just that.

Leadership

                As far as a miniseries goes, there has to be a lot of progress through each episode while still developing characters and plot for the whole series. I have made it through episode 5 of the miniseries Band of Brothers. The last two episodes have focused more and more on the leadership of Easy Company. There are a few things that I have noticed about a leader. The first and most basic is that a leader isn't a leader if no one follows. I know that statement seems like a "no duh" statement, but in the show a whole unit of men were willing to face the worst disgrace a soldier could because they wanted to live and their leader was not the man to follow into battle.

                Another observation is a leader leads. Which means that he is at the front. When opposition arises, the leader is the person who will make the decisions knowing the consequences of those decisions and be the first to move against the opposition. I know that this defeats the hierarchy of power, especially when it comes to war and chain of command. However a true leader is the front runner. The president is the leader of our country, and when faced with a difficult situation HE is the one making a trip to a foreign country to try to resolve the problems. Captain Winters in the show Band of Brothers is the leader of Easy Company, and he demonstrates his leadership throughout, particularly episode 5. When his unit has to advance to overtake the enemy, he throws a smoke canister out to be the sign of when to advance. Since he is throwing, he doesn't need to see when the smoke comes out for him to know when to start running.  Well, there was a delay on the canisters part and Winters was already 60 yards ahead of everyone else. He doesn't look back because he doesn't need to.

                A good leader builds a support team around them by gathering people with skills and utilizing them. A great leader takes whatever people they have and build those people up. Winters didn't need to look back because he knows what men he has built up and trusts that they will follow him. I can't articulate how I feel towards this. No matter how hard I try, I can't describe what impact a team like this has on my life. If it is just four, or forty four, when a team works together, all making sacrifice for one another... I just want to pray for that for my family.

                Most men will understand what I am talking about. I only say men because we can make a relationship as strong as brothers without needing to come from the same parents. I tell you, my sister used to only call herself my sister strictly because we came from the same parents. That was when we were younger. However my friend Logan, I have only known for six years, and he is the man that I would call if something terrible happened to me or my family. I know that this is small scale compared to how close the men in WWII grew together, but the bond is so strong.

Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers is an HBO mini series that I am hooked on. There are only 10 episodes. So far I have made it through three of them and I am blown away! The series in whole seems fairly accurate, and it should be considering that it is based on true events that took place during WWII. The action and drama is good and all, but where it has truly captured me was the attitude of a nation for that generation. Being 25 years old, I find it very difficult to find the mentality of the men that served in WWII in my generation.

In these days I can meet a person who is fighting against conformity, complaining about conformist ideas, and wants recognition for his/her individualism. Honestly, when i meet these people at first I am captivated by their out of the box thinking, and their skewed points of view. Then six months down the road, I realize that they are not wanting to change the world for the better. They for surely do not want to change the world for the worse either. If i delve a little deeper, i usually find out that they are "members" of a group that just wants change period. They are wondering around life aimlessly, and when they see situations, they cant see past it. They are so short sided, that they blow things way out of proportion. Then the" members" of the group gets together and start a petition, and start asking for signatures from people they don't know. (That is captivating, for a person from a small town who has lived by these rules his whole life.) It is an action that may or may not make a difference.

How does that tie in with the show??? After the first episode, I was moved. I was taken back by the fact that Easy Company (the name of the unit) were all men that lived to serve  their nation. Don't get me wrong, the "members" of the individualistic group run based on the same idea that a group is more powerful than one person. However the difference usually comes when the heart of the issue is brought up. The famous words of Kennedy ring true, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." The heart of what you live for, and fight for is what moved me. These men lived for and fought for the people they loved, and the nation that they believed in. My peers fight for a group that they want to brag about, plain and simple.

I love the idea of a family simply because it is something that is so much bigger than yourself. It is a system of support that is held together with the fabric of respect, honor and love. I hope and pray that my generation will be able to recognise that and focus on how to build their system as a family. True identity is found in what you care, live, and fight for.