Welcome...and initial guidelines...

This blog will be used in the spring of 2008 by 80+ students at Drexel University to investigate the effects of Iraq on culture and the reverse. Our goal will be to better understand why the US is in Iraq, and to question whether literature can help us on this journey.

Weekly plans and other materials will always be posted in Vista, not this blog. So go to Bb Vista to get the discussion prompts and other instructions.

I intend this blog to manage our discussions and track our collective investigation.

You should have received an email from me inviting you to become a contributor to this blog. The email was sent Monday afternoon to your official Drexel email address.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

This blog focuses on a soldier, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He describes his life in the marines in a very easy, almost laughable tone. When he talks about the routine required in the case of a terrorist attack, while on the ship, he uses phrases such as “A lovely image,” which shows that he is not bitter about fighting in the war. He also describes the $150/month pay that he gets, and that this is equivalent to buying a box of cheerios a day. Also, he says that money is not the motivator, which shows that he is truly fighting for his country, and not any financial gains. This marine also describes his homesickness, and tells of how hard it is for his fellow sailors that have children at home. Reading this blog makes me appreciate our armed forces even more, because being able to have a humoristic attitude, in light of war, takes a lot of courage and motivation. This author is obliviously a laid back guy who lives each day to the fullest and appreciates what he has. No where in his entries, did I find the slightest sense of frustration. Instead, I found happiness that he is alive and that he has a loving family at home that supports him. Also, the USS Abraham Lincoln is in the top 10 of the longest deployment ships. This author, talks about how hard it is to come home, but it is even harder to leave because he knows he will not be home any time soon.

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