Task 1-- We slept with our boots on

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

Steve Carlsen

Background information

The poet, Steve Carlsen, was just an ordinary infantryman during the on-going Afghan Conflict. He experienced three years of combat after joining the military in October 2000. After basic military training he reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations, and again to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003.

The war in this poem refers to the War in Afghanistan, also known as Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A). It is part of both the War on Terror and the Afghan Civil War. The Afghan War was sparked off in response to the 9/11 attacks on the United States by Al-Qaeda. OEF-A has since evolved from just a plain struggle against Al-Qaeda and its Taliban supporters to a complex insurgency effort.

Belligerents include (on the side of the Coalition) include the NATO-ISAF forces of the United States and the United Kingdom, among others, and Afghanistan, whilst the Insurgents consist mainly of the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda.

In this poem, he recounts the harrowing moments during his time in Afghanistan, putting a lot of attention on his emotions to bring out the theme of fear in his poem, to the extent that he slept as prepared for battle as he could, recounted that he drank fear like a drunkard consuming alcohol and feeling that he should go to heaven should he die, because he had already served his time in hell on earth in Afghanistan.