Jarhead
Essay title: Jarhead
“Yes the motherfucker looks so deadly it makes me giggle and blush.” (155) Weapons play an important role in war. Not only do they protect and kill, but they provide a feeling of comfort to a soldier because the soldiers are in control of their weapons. During the Gulf War in Iraq, soldiers were excited by their deadly weapons as described in the pervious quote. In the book Jarhead, a memoir by Anthony Swafford, soldiers have intense relationships with their weapons. Swafford constantly describes the many guns he carries, the process of cleaning his weapons and how they use them. Swafford’s fear of dying triggers his obsession with weapons because they are the only aspect of the war he can control to stay alive. Even after the war is over, soldiers continue to feel in control of their
As a member of United States Marine Corpse, Swafford knows his duty is to kill the Iraqi soldiers with his precise sniper shooting skills. However, his own fear of death causes him to question if he wants to kill the opposing soldiers. After complaining about a new gun they have recently received that has some inconvenient problems, the instructors tell them, “we’ll [soldiers] really make marksmanship history when we tear the asses out of the Iraqi armored brigades…” (156) This statement makes Swafford reconsider his duty as a soldier and surfaces his paranoia of being shot and he thinks to himself, “But do I really care about tearing the asses out of the Iraqis?this is death- the war moving closer, encroaching upon me… Who will sight in on me?” (156) Many soldiers are confused as to why they are even fighting the war in the first place, causing feelings of carelessness. Here, Swafford questions his “care” toward killing the Iraqis, suggesting that his primary concern is surviving the battle. He understands the impinging war means he is closer to death. He is paranoid about dying, but he is also fearful for the death of both U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. Although he is confident in his skills as a sniper, he is scared that an Iraqi soldier will hone in on him taking his life with one precise shot. The constant paranoia of being sighted by opposing soldiers and fear of dying generate his obsession with his weapons because they will protect him.
The close relationships with his guns reflect his fear of dying, rather than his duty as a soldier. The reader first sees the passion Swafford has toward his weapons when he and his friend Johnny are assigned the newer, more effective Barrett gun, even though along with this privilege comes extra weight to carry. Swafford feeling of comfort by having this new gun is expressed when he states, “STA 2/7’s Barrett is assigned to me and Johnny, which mean among other things, we now carry more weight on our backs. But we also own the best gun in the desert.” (159) The weight soldiers carry can accumulate to hundreds of pounds and most are rarely excited to add more stress on their backs. However, Swafford not only feels proud to have this gun, but is overwhelmed with reassured protectiveness against the Iraqi soldiers because he has “the best gun in the desert.” To Swafford, this gun does not mean he will be able to kill more Iraqis; but rather, he is better able to protect himself on the battlefield. Swafford new gun gives him a sense of comfort in the desert because you can’t beat, or in his situation, kill the best.
Swafford’s obsession with his weapons is extended when he designates an entire chapter to the process of cleaning and maintaining his M40A1 Rifle. This is also the only chapter in the book that he titles. In this chapter, “Care and Cleaning of the M40A1 Rifle System and Optics,” (121) Swafford lists the materials authorized and needed to clean his rifle and optics, when to clean them, and what type of climate to avoid using it in. According to Swafford, you need to clean your rifle, “A. Before firing, B. After firing, C. Cold climate, and D. Hot, humid climate.” (121) Swafford lists all the instances when a soldier must clean his or her rifle, which is basically all the time unless a soldier have never fired it or in not in war. Through this description, it is obvious that maintaining his rifle is extremely important to Swafford. He states last that you must always clean you weapon in a “hot, humid climate” to stress the fact that the war is taking place in a desert, and that climate is inevitable. This is a constant external force that affects the performance of his weapon. Swafford follows the cleaning process by listing the optics operations in cold and hot/humid climates. Swafford descriptions states:
4. Optics operations in cold climate
A. Condensation- avoid condensation
B. Frost- avoid frost
5. Optics operation