"War" by Sebastian Junger -book review

"War "by Sebastian Junger is a must read. The author follows a platoon of men in the korengal valley located in east afghanistan during the iraq war. He captures what few would ever dream about. As he follows the men of battle company though every day life of watching the men blow off steam to fire fights that end up killing alot of the troops. "War"  which has 3 part series inside itself ,"Fear,Killing and Love".The first book  "Fear" explains the men of battle company and all of its members going on deployment. One in particular troop named  Juan " Restrepo" was an combat medic who was killed in one of these fire fights. To honor him the men named an out post dedicated to him. The rest of the 2/3 parts are how the men deal with the struggles to find peace after doing their duty.

This book will  have you sucked in from start to finish with gripping detail on what it is really like to fight in a war to eat/sleep and breath the combat life.You also  learn about each individual person on a day to day basis with amazing stories and vivid descriptions. War is a book you just have to open.


http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7519640-war

"Just Happy To Live Life" dedication to Alonzo" Turf/Retro " Jones

intro: just a little something that was just on my mind after watching someone i used to see everyday on powell st. that had nothing and stunned america with his gift.

I come from a very dark place with a very dark past. It seems when things get bad i always go back to writing.I feel as though i did abandon it because i couldn't express myself. But it seems to always find its way back through intense moments. Its like my mind just speaks for its self through emotions i feel during that given moment and everything becomes clear to me through quoting. I think Alonzo "Retro/Turf" Jones would understand.


I was inspired by how much he wants to achieve his dreams. He inspired me to write this quote and i thank him for reminding me that when things get really bad your only half way there. i hope he keeps doing what he loves.


"You want something in life go and get it. Don't stop until you achieve your dreams never give up .If you feel like giving up because your tired and cant go on and throwing it all away makes sense because its too much... your half way there. The impossible starts with the possible. If you think you have it bad always remember somebody else has it worse."

Some of my favorite Things

-----

  intro: iv chosen some pics as well as videos that i think would represent me the best and my artistic background

I love tattoo's. I love all forms of art and what they represent. I love how art is not just restricted to a painting on a piece of paper but every where.I love how the skin serves as a canvas for ink to be transferred into a persons body to tell that persons story.

 I chose some of these pictures to represent my culture and my love of the arts such as music,movies and photography. If it where not for these things i wouldn't be the guy you see in front of you today

All these things inspire me and give my world color and life.

Description: Photos are of tattooed people as well as some of my favorite bands and celebrites.

My Favorite Post/Quote on facebook

intro: this is one of my favorite things iv ever posted on facebook that had real meaning to me at a certain point in time in my life.

"i became a man on my own.I took my mistakes and made them my strengths. the battle inside each man is endless. learn from your mistakes"-Ramon "Rome" Spicer

I woke up and just reflected on myself and realized i became a man without my bio father.Sure i wished i had him as a child but now that im grown i realized i didn't need him. i made my own way in this world without him. i made alot of mistakes along the way trying to figure out who i was a as a person aswell as trying to be a positive role model for my younger brother.

Therefore this quote i came up with was one of the realist things iv ever thought to myself and it holds absolute meaning to me. It defined  moment where i was most clairvoyant in my head and was able to capture something that was real to me.

Awesome drum cover for "One"-Metallica

  awesome cover to one of my favorite Metallica songs this chick is badass.


intro: I love drum covers and this chick had a pretty good rythem to my favorite song by Metallica.So i wrote a little something about my self explaining why i like rock.


I started to like older bands when my rock addiction matured .When i was younger listing to rock music was frowned upon.Since most people i hung around only listen to rap they thought this particular rock/metal music was "evil devil worshiping music". I was always a rocker on the low lol. only if they knew  how to listen to something different back then. I always felt different from everybody but the same when i hung out with them.

Yet sometimes when i didnt hang with my fams ( friends iv known for a long time) i would hangout with the punk/metal kids any chance i got because they interested me. Although they liked me i was the odd ball of the group.I had dreads,sagged my jeans and wore nikes also sported gold teeth. They had black ripped skinny jeans, band logos on their jackets that was frayed  spiked hair or sometimes dyed lowcut hair with spots and old chuck taylor shoes and torn vanz.

Joining the Military a Good Decision or a Mistake?

Intro: this is a piece i wrote for my final in English.It has to do with a difficult choice i must make if i cant have an successful life out here as an civilian.

Why do so many people emphasize that the military is bad. Sure a lot of people can get hurt probably will get hurt but that's they signed up for. But some find the military to be a quite useful even productive in certain areas such as medical research which is an interest to me. In most cases the military is good at helping out a kid who comes from a broken home or when a kid ages out of foster care that has nowhere else to go. So the question is, is the military the right choice for me?

I believe enlisting in the U.S. Navy as corpsman is the right choice for me. I believe because of my upbringing and background I am more suited for the task more than others. I grew up in a harsh environment and still do today. I'm interested in medicine whether pharmaceutical or nursing. Those seem to be my calling.

Yet alot of people say it's the wrong choice to join, I say the choice is not up to them and it's entirely up to me. People also say the reason why it is a bad move is because you could be killed or even worse, end up crazy with PTSD. They also say I should stay and get a job to support myself while attending school. This is true. But where I want to go in life and what I want to do in life has much more than just getting a job and going to school until I'm like 30. I want to experience a different life. I can do that and learn about myself while studying medicine in the military. I do believe it's the right choice for me to join the Navy as a corpsman.

I started asking questions as well as finding decent information about people who were or was in the military. Although I couldn't find much on the Internet because of the same repetitive notion that military has its pros and cons. I will say this much each side had a valid argument. I learned about the benefits of serving. Those who serve as a hospital corpsman have a better chance of finding a medical profession a lot easier than those who are on the field when they get out of active duty (all professions do see combat).

It seems that the main reason some join is for either for money for college, life experience, military career or even a decent job in their field when they get out of military or go in. But for some it seems self-worth will be based on their rank.

Therefore with that being said this seems to be a lot of myths about why people join up and I'm here clarify through extensive research as well as my own personal conversations with people who I know where the military or knew someone who’s spouse was in the military.

One day after school I went to my neighbors  at their home .They are 10 years my senior but really cool people. We engage in a conversation about school, life, and what you want out of life.

 So my neighbor Nathan and I and his girlfriend Colleen were discussing his experience in the Coast Guard and it was really eye-opening and intriguing. This is what Nathan told me;” I was in the Coast Guard, I will tell you this much I hated it and I loved it. I'll say this much I loved to travel that was the perk of serving and I did a lot of it, traveling that is.” And I responded with a boatload of more questions asking why he did in the first place.

 Later on in the conversation Nate also said,”Dude don’t join the military unless you have no choice. If you do, join the Coast Guard. No combat plus much bigger quarters than the Navy. I’d recommend getting grants bro. You can live a much better life then going into the military”. Nathan is great photographer as well as a great cook and some of his recipes came from his travels.

I took in consideration that he knew what he was talking about since he served. Later in our conversation I also talked with Colleen who was agreeing with her boyfriend. She responded,” As Nate was saying you can get grants dude, there is a shit ton. Because you're so multiracial you can find so many grants that will pay for you to go to school. I wouldn’t recommend you go to the military dude unless you feel as though you should. The choice is totally up to you”.

Later on that day on my way back home I was actually thinking a lot about what they had said. Most of it lingered. What they both had said made total sense. If I can stay out here and get/receive grants I “could” be taken care of.

What made me really consider joining before my conversation with them had to do alot with my little sister who is going to the Naval Academy after high school, and my brother Pain who's joining the Navy some time in 2013.

I want to be watching their back also being able to meet up with them if I could. When I was younger around the ages of 18-20 I was considering  joining the Marines because of hotheaded situations that involved women that I loved. As I got home I wanted to know what it was like to be in a combat situation that was one of the things that was lingering in my mind.

So I asked the only guy I knew who seen combat firsthand. My former foster guardian named Glenn. This is what he told me.

” I served in Vietnam. It was the best thing for me since I lived in poverty. I grew up living in a hellhole, between my father and group homes. I couldn’t wait to sign up at 17 and enlist. The military treated me good. But I must warn you combat is much worse than hell itself. Movies don't even come close. You have 50-50 chance of being killed. Luckily for me I wasn't. But my friends weren't so lucky. I recommend if you enlist in the Navy take on a medical profession with minimal combat. That way when you get out you can work in the medical field”. What he said made sense as well as what Nathan told me.

So they had my mind pondering. These were alot of true facts that I don't think I could have gotten on the Internet without the information being misleading or ”beating around the bush “as you would say.

Although I did find information that was true to its nature and they all said the same thing. All branches in the service are mainly maintenance or supporting roles such as techs, docs and operates. It also told the same thing my former guardian told me that if you're unfortunate you can get deployed alot. But the main thing that stuck out to me was they teach you how to re-adjust to civilian life then back to military life.

To me this is like your brain being reprogrammed over and over again by other people.

Although when you come back to civilian life you don't have as warm of a welcome as you thought you did. Some beg to differ. Like myself I respect the troops and anyone who is willing to lose a limb or their life to make sure no one else has to endure neither suffering nor pain. This is one of the reasons I want to be a healer and to also protect. To help people. To fight for people who cannot otherwise find themselves.

Yet most jobs when you come back from either retirement or deployment, depending what you done can be useful in the civilian world. Such as fixing computers, becoming a medical assistant or even a doctor. Being a tank operator is not in high demand these days but a mechanic is. Life after the military doesn't mean you end up crazy or suicidal just means you have to keep your my hands busy like the rest the population. Some people think people in the military are different. To some extent they are. To be perfectly honest , the they are just regular people same as you and me. They just wear a different uniform is all.

For instance there was a medical corpsman in an article I read by Channel 10 news called “Navy corpsman killed by roadside bomb”. Clayton who was the corpsman who is spoken of ,was on patrol when a explosive device went off. As stated in the article,” A 21-year-old Navy corpsman assigned to Camp Pendleton was killed this week by a makeshift roadside bomb in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon”(ch.10news)

It goes on to also state that, “Petty Officer 3rd Class Clayton R. Beauchamp of Weatherford, Texas, died in the blast of an improvised explosive device during a dismounted patrol in the Shaban District of Helmand province, a Defense Department statement reported”(ch.10news).

This is a warning as well as reminder what could go wrong and what to avoid

Yet Petty Ofc. third class Clayton was a normal human being just like the rest of us .he wanted something different out of life. As I read further read, that he had a girlfriend he wanted to settle down with.

I read things like this it makes me have a better perspective on what I could potentially get myself into. But I also weigh out the benefits .when you go in or come out you do receive some benefits. Just like any other job you get healthcare, housing, and a decent paycheck. Not too shabby if you can handle the years of service ahead of you.

But what really caught my attention was the discounts you could get when you join. I could later on use this to help me buy a house, car or even a decent apartment. I looked into the G.I. Bill. And the bill upon service relinquish I can pretty much do whatever I want but I'm going to use it to further my education in the medical field.

All in all I think I'm going to join if I know I'm not going to make it out here with the same” day-to-day routine”. Regular people live their lives day by day, paycheck to paycheck, meeting a woman, settling down, having kids, and getting married. To me it's so monotonous .So played out. So cliché.

I don't want to work until I'm 30 . I don't want my life to be worrying about bills and women that have no clue what they want . My reason for joining, is to give back to a system that's given me a chance at life as well as allowing me to go to college. As I stated before the choice is up to me not anyone else.

Personal statement

intro: this is the final revised paper i had to write for english. im glad  im able to include this in my blog

Why Am I Here and Where Am I Going

Why am I here? It’s the question that is frequently on my mind. I know how I got here. A lack of self-control. From my parents that is. They were not really in the best position to have children but made do with what they had.

With that being said, I was born at Highland Hospital, time 12:45 am, date, 7/17/1991. The hospital is located in East Side of Oakland and not far away from the MacArthur Freeway or international.

 As an infant to a toddler growing up in Oakland was not easy. Ever since I can remember violence has plagued every moment of my life as a child. I learned a few things along the way. One of those things I learned was, whatever doesn’t break you or kill you, makes you a bit stronger in many ways.

I had a small break at the age of nine. I came to live with my godfather through the foster care system by court request from my mother. Evidently during this time my little brother and i had been split up a couple years prior.

When I came to live with my godfather things changed significantly. I noticed a change in my brother. As we were starting to get to know each other again. Things weren’t as they were before. The both of us were constantly at each other's throats. For reasons I will never know. 

A year later had passed after the both of us came to live with my godfather I will admit things where rocky at first but eventually mellowed out. My brother and I became close though this turbulent time.

 Later on in that year something else changed the course of my life forever. The morning of 9/11/2001 I wake up to the most insane news. The twin towers were attacked.when that happend a sense of total dread came over me. (During this time I lived in el sor brantë which is between Pinole and Richmond).

Few months after that, my little brother and my godfather packed our things and traveled to Southeast Asia where I would spend the next seven months in  very strange and exotic places.

I came back to the states on 9/12/2002. I ended up taking a 9/11 flight one year exactly after the anniversary, That was spooky as hell. The whole time I was on the flight I was afraid it was going to be hi-jacked and we all would die I a horrible fiery flamed death. I’m glad that never happened when the plane landed. I've had a few chuckles since then.

Things were so much different when I got back. It took several years to eventually catch up on things. Even then I never truly came back from Asia. When I did come back the states grew cold and dark like an abandoned house that no one wants to be in. it’s like America became obsessed with materialistic things and status.

Years later when I was 13 years old I moved to West Oakland. When I moved there things got really bad . I remember those hot summer nights when People where killing each over total mindlessness that could have been resolved through sit-downs. I guess the heat was boiling minds and making people lose their temper causing them to go temporarily insane. This would go on for a few years.

When I turned 14, It was an extremely weird and crazy time. Everything was so unpredictable that year, but I learned about life, love, hate, anger, suffering and fun.

I truly just floated along like a feather in the wind. I got into smoking a lot of pot and ditching school. I started to engage activities with females I met at school aswell as fighting alot. All these things had a domino effect on my life .As a teenager my life was filled with turmoil and I felt as though I pretty much rollercoastered though it with alot of ups and downs.

Years later at the ages of 18-20  it was a really harsh time. Between two bad breakups, dead grandfather, a dead friend, being stuck up with an semi-automatic weapon and pistols. Yeah you could say things were horrible.

Out of it I learned how to become just. And take the good with the bad. Because with without the shitty things happening in life, how can you enjoy the wonderful things It has to offer.

During that whole drastic experience I discovered how to become the man I always wanted to be. Self-assured, strong, a good friend and an understanding man to my family, who I always put first.

Now at the age of 21 i know now where I'm going. Iv drawn a mental map of things I want to do and need to do. The funny thing is not a lot of people get to go through life and learn from their mistakes and plan ahead.

Most would say they know what they want to do. They are right, wrong or lost.  But for me I took the initiative to prioritize whats really important in life such as going back to school. I'm currently enrolled at both BCC and Laney colleges. I was going to CCSF college in San Francisco. Long story short on why I switched schools I just needed a fresh start and let go of old memories I didnt need and where only getting in the way of my success.

But I did get the help I needed when I was attended there thanks to a great guy named Michael McPartlin and others. The goals I set out for the time I turn 24 or 25 is to finish up my Associates degree as well as going to the U.S. Navy. From there i’m going to take full advantage of the time I spend there to receive a bachelor’s degree.

Upon receiving my degree. I will be able to have the opportunity to do all the things in life I always wanted to do when I get out. But Most importantly when joining up I will get to travel and explore more of the planet like a did as a child. But this time it’s going to be different. The traveling will be done in the US military on a naval ship.

So where am I going you ask? I going to live life the way I want to live it no matter where I land. Living every moment of freedom the way I want to live it. I don't plan to stop there. I plan to do everything humanly possible that life has to offer to one human being. I plan to make the best out of my whole situation no matter good or bad. I want to do things my way.

That's where I'm going.