Do you have what it takes?

Do you have what it takes?




"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." Theodore Roosevelt (Paris Sorbonne,1910)

What is Special Operations? Special Operations or Spec Ops is the Special Operations Force made up of an unspecified number. It is an elite Special Force which deals with situations such as hostage-taking, counter-terrorism and its war-time role of reconnaissance and strategic special operations. There are many types of special operations, Air force Pararescue, Marine Recon, Navy Seals, Army Ranger, Green Beret, British SAS, OSS, FBI, DEA, and Delta Force.

I have always wanted to be in the Air force Pararescue since I watched my first documentary on them. Their uniforms were so cool and when they jumped out of the planes in their scuba gear made me get so excited and want to be there. Since 6 yrs old I have been shooting guns and hunting. Many of the things that the PJ’s do is what I love to do. They sneak around the woods with full gear and guns. They rescue people and help them and I would love to have the opportunity to do that and serve my country. I have recently got disqualified from the military due to scoliosis which is curvature of the spine. they told me that i cant join because i don't meet the requirements. that was very hard to hear but i haven't given up and I'm still trying to get in.

Air force Pararescue lives by the motto “These things we do so that others may live”. They have a 2 year training program called the pipeline. This will test all aspects of the people trying to become a PJ. It is one of the most physical training that the military can offer. The PJ’s are qualified in skydiving, scuba diving, rock climbing, and they are certified paramedics. They do all search and rescue missions whether it is a downed pilot that needs to be rescued to a squad of Marines that have been run down. They also do many rescue missions in the United States.

Marine recon plays a special roll in our military. They are the first ones into the fight. They have the most weaponry that is used to take out and capture the insurgents. Their training involves a seven-month course which centers on all the skills necessary to develop a Marine special operator, which include direct action, close quarters battle, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, fire support, tactical casualty care, irregular warfare, survival evasion resistance and escape, and infantry weapons and tactics.

The Green Beret do inside work. They work closely with hostage taking and going behind enemy lines to infiltrate. They get in with the enemy and pretend to be part of the enemy. When a person or soldier has been captured the Green Beret infiltrate and get the hostage out with out being detected. The Green Beret work closely with the CIA. The CIA gives the Green Beret inside infofrmation for missions so that the soldiers on the ground can get the mission done and come back safe.
It takes certain skills to become a special operations team member. You need to be in the best physical and mental shape. Many Spec Ops units make sure that you have been Airborne qualified and have spent an estimated time of 12 months in your MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). They require that you speak a foreign languag. Many test need to have been taken in order to become a spec op.
Mental awareness is very important in a Spec Ops team. When one is over seas in a secret mission your performance ways heavy on your mental capacity. You could be up for days with only 2-4 hours of sleep and possibly no food. Killing people messes with your head and can hurt your performance which could also hurt your team. Mentally preparing your self before missions will help you get through the hard times, You need to know how to work well with others and cope as a team. Know what another is thinking by just looking at them is a good skill to have.

To become Air born qualified you must go to Fort Bennings Georgia. They are the largest Airborne school. “At Jump School, you'll be introduced to your best friend - your parachute. You'll get to know everything about it. How to wear it, adjust it, use it, the works. You'll also learn all the techniques needed to accomplish your mission with absolute confidence. How to stay loose; get ready for impact; let your legs absorb the shock; roll and collapse your chute quickly; release your harness; unsling your weapon; and deploy into position”. (Army Airborne School)
To have what it takaes to be in the Special Operations of the United States military is honor, duty,commitement. direct action, close quarters battle, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, fire support, tactical casualty care, irregular warfare, survival evasion resistance and escape, and infantry weapons and tactics are all what the spec ops team members need to have.
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms.

Friend or Foe (treasue Island)

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island explores the ideas that Long John and Jim have a good friendship even though they are very different people. From the time that Jim met Long John he felt a connection with him. What is a friendship? A friendship is a person that will stand up for each other and will go out of their way to do something for that person. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts, an acquaintance, a person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade and a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard are all different ways of friends. A friend needs certain qualities such as loyalty, honesty, trust, and you need to enjoy each others company.

You want a friend who is loyal and that will not back out of the friendship and that will never let you down and has your back all the time. Friends should be concrete in the way that they always stay around. An honest friend is good in a friendship in the fact that when friends lie to you they start losing your trust and they will go behind your back and will forget your feelings exist. Enjoy each others company because if you don’t like being around that person then what’s the point of handing around with them or even being their friend. You can get very annoyed with your friends but no matter what you need to stand by them and have their back because friendships and relationships are the greatest thing in the world because you know that they will stand by you feelings and decisions even if they don’t like it.

Like long John Silver towards Jim I will go out of my way to do something for one of my friends because they have never lied to me, stabbed me in the back, and have always been there for me. It is wise to have intelligent friends such as Long john because he knows a lot, he knows how to talk to people, and treat people. Long John and Jim have a very strange friendship. They get along with each other very well, yet they are complete opposite people. Long John is the most feared pirate in the world. He kills people and steals his way through life. Everyone shivers when they hear his name. “There were some that were feared of Pew and some that were feared of Flint; but Flint his own self was feared by me and he had the roughest crew afloat.” (Pg 74) Jim is a young boy that worked in a motel that his mother owned. He has never killed anyone and he is very honest towards people. Jim was raised with the greatest intentions.

Friendship is way of life. You live even after death when you have friends. Friends die. But not friendship, Friends are actually our replica and we share everything with them...including sensitive issue. The reason that friends are important is so you can have someone to talk to if you don't want to go to your parents. And they can always help you when you get into a situation and you're not quite sure what to do. If you didn't have any friends then you would be anti social, and that's not good. They give you people with whom to talk about things that are bothering you. They allow you to feel good about yourself and to feel that there are people who like you. They keep you from being too self-centered because you have to think about their needs as well. Friends also have these qualities a common need a common tie a support emotional bonding common interests self-preservation social comparison generate happiness or joy. "You got to have friends to make that day last long," sings Bette Midler. But good friends may help your life last longer, too, according to an Australian study. Conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University, the study followed nearly 1,500 older people for 10 years. It found that those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22%. (Bette Midler)

Siddhartha comes to America

Siddhartha’s Experience in America

On a warm New Hampshire day around 1:00, Siddhartha arrived at my little old cottage on Mt. View Lake. His water plane made a soft but intense landing. He stepped out of the plane and stumbled on the dock as it was rocking back and forth from the waves that the plane had created on landing. “Welcome Siddhartha it’s so nice to meet you. How was your flight?” I said. He didn’t answer me right away. I think he was in shock from the landing. I told him that there was food and drinks inside. I felt he must have been hungry after a 27 hr flight. We sat down and talked for a while about his culture and life. I later then showed him back outside to a place where he could meditate. It was down by the late next to a big old pine tree. The breeze was blowing, fish were jumping and the smell of the pine trees was soothing and relaxing. I watched him meditate for about an hour. He didn’t move one muscle. It seemed as though he left his body was a free spirit blowing in the wind. His mind took him where ever he wanted to go. After about two hours he finally stood up and stretched. He came to me and asked if he could go swimming in the lake. I said “yeah of course you can, would you like me to get you a towel and a bathing suit”. He said “No”. He jumped right in close and all. Well when I say cloths I mean a rag around his body with a string attaching it. I took him inside after his swim and told him that were going to need to get him some new cloths if he wants to stay around here. We got him some new cloths and then he meditated once more. He was going for a long time so I then relaxed and went to bed. The next morning when I woke up, Siddhartha was still sitting on that stump meditating. I wanted to take him somewhere exciting now but I didn’t want to disturb him. I walked to him slowly and whispered to him asking if he would like to go somewhere with me. “Siddhartha would you like to go somewhere with me. It’s going to be exciting and enticing?”. He slowly awakened and said “sure I would enjoy that very much I have had many exciting times in my life like, parties and women”. I told him this will be a lot different than drinking and women. “Women usually don’t like to do what were about to do” I said to Siddhartha.

We started on our journey to what is called a gun range I told him. I hoped that he would like it because I don’t think that they believe in guns so I was hoping that he wouldn’t be offended. He said, “Gun range, I don’t know that that is”. I explained to him all about it a told him how to hold the gun and what not to do with the guns. He said “I am up for anything, I am here to try new things”. We arrived to the range about 20 minuets later. As we got out of the car I pulled the guns out of the back. They were still in their cases but are still very intimidating. Siddhartha was acting skidish. “Siddhartha would you mind taking out one of the guns please?”. He unzipped the case and pulled out the gun. He laid in down in the right direction as I told him in the car. I thought to my self how smart he was even under these circumstances. He asked what type of guns we were going to shoot. I said “we are going to use a 20 gauge shotgun, a 12 gauge shotgun, and a .22 rifle” I told him that the 12 gauge was the most powerful and then the .22 was the least powerful. We started him out on the .22. It shoots like a bb gun with no recoil. He squeezed the trigger slowly and the firing pin hit the primer and the bullet flew towards the target. He jumped from the sound. He said that his heart was pounding and he liked it so far. I then brought out the 20 gauge which was a lot more powerful than the .22 but now as powerful as the 12. He fired the 20 gauge and said “WOW, that’s insane”. We talked about how he liked it so far and he said that was enjoying this more then meditating. We took a short break so that he could calm his heart rate. The smell of gunpowder filled the air. H got back up and walked towards the guns. He wanted to shoot the 12 gauge he said. I put a round in the chamber and slid the hammer forward. I told him to hold on very tight because this is going to have a kick to it. he slowly squeezed the trigger and the gun sounded. he sat there for a minuet and didn't move.
I walked over to him to see if he was ok. His body was moving in the action that he was crying. I asked him if he was ok and he lifted his head laughing his head off. We both laughed for a while with no words. Siddhartha and i went back to the cottage where his plane was waiting. "Siddhartha I enjoyed our journey together. If you ever want to come back to America just tell me". "I will enjoy that very much" he said. His plane flew of into the distance and diapered. our journey was over and back to my life I went.

the things the carried

The Things They Carried By Tim O’Brien. New York Times, 1990 Genre: Fiction

The novel The Thing They Carried was about of platoon of soldiers in Vietnam. The book was a bunch of mini stories that were all connected to the war and after the war. It talks about all the tings that the men carried weather it was a pair of sox to the love of another soldier or women at home. They carried love letters, malaria tablets, 8 pound mine detectors and each other. There really wasn’t a protagonist because each story had their own characters as well as setting. Most of the story took place in Vietnam but some stories were in the homes of the men.
“The Things They Carried is as good as any piece of literature gets….the line between fiction and fact is beautifully, permanently blurred. It is the perfect approach to this sort of material, and O’Brien does it with vast skill and grace….it is controlled and whiled, deep, tough, perceptive and shrewd. I salute the man who wrote it”.
-Asa Baber, Chicago Sun - Times
Tim O’Brien is a well written author. His writing is very simple and very understandable. His wringing is powerful and full of surprises. This book compared to many other books was really easy to read. I could actually understand what I read and it’s easy to get the jist of what he says and how he says the words is very easy to follow and it keeps you interested.
“To carry something was to hump it, as when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross humped his love for Martha up the hills and through the swamps. In its intransitive form, to hump mean to walk or to march, but it implied burdens far beyond the in intransitive”. (2)
I choose this quote because it shows the way the he wrote and how he explains what he takes about so that you understand it. It shows his writing style.
This book was one of my favorite reads. It kept me interested the whole way through and I couldn’t put it down. I like war books that have battles and talk about guns and such it’s one of my hobbies to shoot and be in the woods and going military activities. The author affected me in the way that I only like to read war novels now because he opened them up to me and it let me know that reading good book is fun and entertaining.

The mishap

Friday Night Lights (Boobie Miles)
Great Gatsby (Daisy Buchanan)
The setting of the storie is in a small town called Odessa TX. its about a day on the town when a blind date goes wrong.

One Monday morning in a little town called, Odessa TX, Boobie Miles, who you may remember from the book Friday Night Lights. He is one of the famous well know foot ball players in the high school. His hits are like car crashes with the sound and power. He meets up with Daisy Buchanan from the book The Great Gatsby. It was a blind date that one of her friends set up for her. Her friend is from the same high school as Boobie. Neither of them knew what they were in for and were both very nervous.

They met at a little place in the town. Daisy asked Boobie if he drinks and Boobie says “no I am still in high school and I can get kicked off the football team if I am caught drinking and I am not going to take that risk” she doesn’t know what to say because where she comes from, they always have party’s and drink even when its illegal. She is involved with prohibition.

They chit chat for a while and have a few sodas because Boobie wont drink anything. They talk and talk and they really got to know each other. Boobie asks daisy if she like football and she said that “I love that game”. He tells her that she needs to come see one of his games and hang out after.

They departed that day and went their separate ways but kept in touch by texting. Later that night daisy called him and she was very drunk and asked Boobie if he could come get her at the bar. He wanted to make good impression on her so he went. On his was into the bar to get her his coach drove by and saw him walk in. Daisy buys Boobie a drink and all the people there think he is 21 so he decides that know one will find out so he goes for it.

After a few more drinks he and daisy decide to leave but daisy asks to drive. She climbs into the driver side door and takes off. She has been known for her reckless driving because she hit someone and killed them. Boobie asks her if she has her license and she replies “NO”, and all of a sudden (smash) they get hit by a car and Boobie flies out the window because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.

The crash was horrific ambulances and fire trucks were all there. Boobie was taken by an ambulance to a near by hospital.. His family and coaches and teammates all met him at the hospital. He had a broken leg and 4 broken ribs. Daisy came into the room drunk and started yelling at everyone and she said to the coach “were just drunk its not anything bad so chill out” the biggest game ever was tomorrow and the team was missing their MVP. Boobie was kicked off the football team and was never to play football again because of his leg.