We Slept With Our Boots On
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell
Basic background information about poet:
· Joined the Army in 2000
· Went for basic infantry training
· Joined Delta company of the 1st battalion 504th parachute regiment
· Deployed to Kosovo in 2001 as part of peace keeping operations
· Deployed to Afghanistan in 2002
· Honorably discharged in 2003
In this poem, the writer bases his poem on his experiences on his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is an especially mountainous area, therefore in this poem, the frequent appearance of mountains.
Tone
The poet has placed a mood of chaos and desperation in this poem. The tone is especially apparent in parts such as “I run as fast as I can through the lead rain”. This describes the battlefield as filled with bullets. After this line, there is another line saying “I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more”. The author probably did not aim when he fired; the battlefield was so chaotic and messy, that the author did not bother aiming. This could also be because they had dropped off from a helicopter and there was a lot of dust surrounding them.
“Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think”
Beauty refers to the beauty of the mountains, while terror refers to the terrorists. By saying that these two were a strong mixed drink, it could imply that they simply fought an killed without thinking. This could also be called the loss of humanity.
The loss of humanity can also be seen from the part where the writer said that “Blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood”. This line might have two interpretations. The first being the literal meaning that lead is thicker than blood. But referring to the first half of the line; when one says that blood is thicker than water, it means that blood was more closely related and important. But when the writer said that lead was thicker, he could have meant that the his gun and bullets were more important to him than his family members and friends
The last example of the loss of humanity is:
“They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes”
They did not bother bring the corpses and the useless back to base. Once someone had died they were to be forgotten and left behind and were never remembered again. This shows that as long as you are of no use, you are thrown away and forgotten.
Form
The poem, only had one stanza throughout the entire poem. I think that this is because of
The writer has extensively used military slang in this poem, such as:
· Lock N load
· We’re leaving this bird
· LZ is hot
All these terms show the fast pace at which these battle were fought. They were intense and short battles, where the chance of you dying was high. This can be seen from the line “The reason why I survived was divine”. Another example that the death rate was high was in the last line, “Another paratrooper”. This shows that there were so many paratroopers who had died in the course of duty that “Another” was used.
The writer has also used end rhymes in his poems, rhymes such as:
· “Hot” And “Not”
· “Flew” And “Clue”
· “Peaks” And “Creeks”
· “Tell” And “Hell”
Analysis on other lines in the poem
“Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire”
This shows that the moments anyone carries guns, they have lost their innocence. And by saying that washed by blood and baptized by fire is the direct opposite of someone innocent.
“Brothers were not borned, they were earned”
This is one of the positive sides of this poem. Brothers are not connected by fate, but by trust and comradeship. Comrades are comrades, but comrades who are willing to sacrifice for each other are brothers.