Don't mean to be rude or abrasive but it seems like its just some Marine officer escorting a coffin back home. Did he have a connection with Phelps? Why is he so depressed in this movie? The army guy that is escorting his brother back has a reason to be sad but it seems Bacon is just overly dramatic for no real reason. Its war people die, get over it?
share"For those who have fought for it, freedom has a special flavor the protected will never know." Unknown American 101st Sgt. Vietnam
Be easier to explain quantum physics to you....
Amen to that!
shareMy God....the big deal is that you don't have the empathy to understand that the officer wasn't escorting a "coffin" back home. That coffin held the dead body of a young American who had given his life in the service of his country.
^^ That. This wasn't a story about a coffin being brought to it's resting place, it's a story about a son, a brother, a friend being brought home, and the respect and care that went into that process.
You miss the fact that Strobhl had taken a different path after his service in Kuwait from the first Gulf war. He was from a combat unit but switched towards the rear echelon units like logistics/personnel dept. Phelps on the other hand saw alot more combat than Col. Strobhl ever did (evidenced by the amount of ribbons on Phelps uniform). Strobhl thought for his combat experience that he wasnt a "real" Marine. After he meets the oldtimers at the VFW hall, he talks about this with one of them.
shareI think it is one of those cases where it happens all the time, but someone decided to take notice.
I was thinking about this the other day... and what makes this movie and situation so different is the interaction between civilians and the military.
Most of the time, as civilians, we see the military from afar. Right or wrong... that is the way it is. We see about them on the news, we may know someone in the military, we may run into someone in uniform at the local Wal-Mart. But basically we as civilians do not interact with them.
In this movie Kevin Bacon's character constantly interacts with civilians. The young driver, the gate agent, the ramp agent, the pilot, the funeral director, etc.
I "think" what makes the entire movie so special is the way the civilians interacted with him and he with them.
As I said... this movie is about heroes... some of those heroes may surprise you.
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This guy has so many parallels with rich liberals and their white guilt. Seriously.
Samjung is either an idiot or baiter, and as such with either should be ignored. That is the best everyone can do, and then he'll scurry away to annoy someone else.
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How dare you to be so callous and unsympathetic! You obviously do not have anyone you care about in the military or in Iraq. Well, let me set the record straight for you, I do! I have a cousin and a family friend who deployed two weeks ago. They will both be heading to Iraq for a year.
Do you know how slowly a year passes for a military family?
Do you know what it is like to watch the local news hearing of casualties praying it's not your own?
Do you know what it is like to not receive a message back wondering if they are okay?
For most families, this is temporary and their loved one comes home, for others it becomes their nightmare.
Those two men I spoke of are in the Army, however, I feel a kinship to anyone who has a loved one deployed no matter what branch of service.
You are correct, it is war, people die, we are not nieve to that fact. However, those "people" you speak of are someone's son or daughter, bestfriend, cousin, boyfriend or girlfriend, someone's husband or wife. They are not just "people", they are individuals with names, lives, hopes, and fears.
Until you have personally lost someone to war, do not tell me or anyone else to get over it! May you never know the pain you are so callously brushing off.
OP....I understand how you may not quite understand the gravity of the situation. There are a lot of facets one must take into consideration, and to be quite honest, it would take about an hour to type my ENTIRE answer to you. Simply put, the officer was escorting a young man who had given his life to defend a country he loved, and died supporting a cause that he, himself would have died for. He was giving the young man in the coffin the utmost respect during each and every leg of his final journey home. In addition, please also remember that he knew he would have to face this young mans family and friends, to see their grief and share their sorrow first hand. That kind of pain and heartache...would wipe the smile off anyones face.
The marines, along with all the other branches of the military, are like families...like a brotherhood. Each soldier; from a private enlisted man to a colonel, takes each death of "one of their own" very very seriously and very very personally. Understandably so.
I hope that helps clear it up.
to add onto imnottelingyou101's post...
I agreee and think that seeing how civilians were touched all across the country by Phelps' sacrafice greatly touched Bacon's character. Along with that, Bacon's character was struggling because, unlike Phelps, he had pretty much opted out of going to Iraq. Being with Phelps' body increased the guilt he was feeling.
Did you watch the movie?
I was born in the house my father built...
Daveeh, you must be very young and have never suffered a loss in your family to say something so foolish. It's called simple human empathy. You know, where one can feel for another human being and their loss. As a veteran and a retired cop, I have been to far too many funerals of cops and firefighters who have loss their lives in the line of duty. Nary a one I met and yet, due to their sacrifice for their community, I wept for their families. The same holds true for a young Marine sent to do his job and he is killed. I can feel for the family and a life lost far too young.
shareDon't mean to be rude or abrasive but it seems like its just some Marine officer escorting a coffin back home.
My God....the big deal is that you don't have the empathy to understand that the officer wasn't escorting a "coffin" back home. That coffin held the dead body of a young American who had given his life in the service of his country.