Close Relationships in Combat

The most prevalent theme to me in Generation Kill is the theme of close relationships. The men are very close to one another and develop impactful relationships, especially between team leaders and their drivers. Drivers must rely wholeheartedly on the intelligence and directions that the team leaders obtain and relate from their radios and communication devices. Basically, the drivers are driving blind in a place that they have never been before, and their sight is comprised of information from the team leaders. During the night, the drivers wear goggles to see, while the team leaders have to explain where to go, so the team leaders then have to wholeheartedly rely on their drivers because they cannot see where they are going. They have faith in each other and hope in their trust for one another.

 Colbert and Person are shown as the closest pair because Colbert illustrates how he can put all of his trust on Person to drive efficiently and effectively in pursuit of achieving their goals. Colbert’s nickname of “Iceman” is inaccurate when it comes to how he treats Person. At one point, Evan Wright relates them to a mother and father on a road trip that argue but still love each other. Pappy and Reyes are another example of this closeness between the team leader and driver. When Pappy and Reyes’ Humvee is attacked and shot at, Pappy makes sure Reyes is fine even though he is wounded because he cared so much about Reyes which reflects how close their relationship is.

All around the camp, the men illustrate how close they are to each other. When Horsehead dies, the men share stories about him and try to keep him in their memories. They respect each other and care for one another even if they are supposed to be cold hard killers that curse and smoke. This juxtaposition between what they are supposed to be and who they really are is represented in their relationships. Most of the men are family men or young adults that signed up for the Marines for the honor to serve their country, and when faced with the ethically-confusing task of killing, they concede into doing their jobs.

While some men respect and admire their team leaders, other men realize the ineptitude of theirs, especially those men under Captain America. Captain America kills random civilians whom he suspects of being the enemy and brandishes his bayonet whenever he gets the chance. He uses every opportunity to scream that he is under enemy fire or being shot at which causes the men to be uneasy. Because Captain America is so outlandish and unworthy of being team leader, his men attempt to take his orders as a grain of salt. They do not want to disrespect him because he still is the leader until later in the book when they have to ignore their orders because they become so ridiculous. Respect and trust build these relationships because they do have to trust each other to have their backs.