They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clueBullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell Steve Carlsen
My Analysis:
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clueBullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell Steve Carlsen
My Analysis:
Steve Carlsen was born and lives in Dowagiac Michigan. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003. He currently attends Southwestern Michigan College wher his professor, Dr Michael Collins challenged him to write about his experiences. So "We Slept With Our Boots On was written to express the feelings and thoughts of Steve Carlsen when he took part in the combat operations in Afghanistan.
The poem is very realistic as it was written by Steve Carlsen, someone who had beed through the war and the description of the feelings and thoughts at the time would definitely be very vivid and captures the readers' attention as they would want to know more about the experiences during the war. "My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins" tells us that the speaker was probably very scared during the war because he was afraid to die and was not well-prepared. "The only reason I survived that day was divine" tells us that the speaker did not believe that he himself would be a good soldier in the war and the chances of him not surviving would be very high. "Dirty and tired and hungry and scared" also gives the readers the impression that the speaker was not enthusiastic about the war and felt the pain and became tired. The speaker probably wanted the war to stop immediately so as not to suffer anymore. From these three lines, we can tell that the speaker is probaly a timid person who hated going to wars but had no choice as those men around his age were required to defend the country. He wants readers to symphatise with him and understand that war is an evil thing; it should not even have started.
There is a conflict in the poem as the speaker actually did not wanted to go to war as he was afraid to die and witness the innocent loss of lives but at he same time, have to abide by the law that says men at his age have to defend their country. Therefore, the decision could not be made himself and he had no choice but to pluck up his courage and do what he was supposed to do. "You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more" further emphasises that the speaker was forced into going to war and the command given by the high-rank soldiers were ruthless. "We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not" tells us that the speaker was on a war plane which creates more tension as the speaker is going to be ready to attack. The time where people are killed is going to come. "We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks, From house to cave, to car to creek" implies that the battle seemed endless and both opponents were very strong, not willing to give up anytime soon. The war is taking up all the soldiers' energy, and by the end all of them will be tired and injured.
Personification is being used in "Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies" to let readers sknow how much suffering and agony the soldiers have been through during the war. They have to overcome all obstacles, including tall mountains, and almost all the energy used to climb the mountain has been used up by the time the soldiers had reached the pther side of the mountain. Personification in "Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink" tells us that the soldiers have to overcome not only physical challenges, but also psychological ones. They must erase their fears, all of them during the war, and fight, which was tough to them.
I am truly emphatise with the soldiers going to war, especially the speaker. All of them have been throught the different obstacles during the war and some were eventually safe and sound. Those who did not survive were unlucky. But all in all, war is a cruel thing as it kills many innocent lives. All the soldiers who fought hard during the war were brave souls. Even thought there are some, like speaker, who did not have the courage to face the war, but at least they tried to overcome the different obstacles and eventually reach a conclusion. All those in the war, as long as they are present, they have contibuted much and they will always remain as the brave ones in our hearts. I am very touched by the poem.
