HBL

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


LZ definition: Landing Zone

Hindu Kush is a 500-mile long mountain range located in Afghanistan to Pakistan

Task 1:Steve Carlsen was in the army from 2000-2003, and was a paratrooper in the 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He fought many wars and was honorarily discharged from the army in 2003 This poem is about what it was like to be a paratrooper, about the emotions felt as death comes ever closer, and how the poet himself feels about war.

Task 2:The poem is written from a first-person point of view, making the poem more personal and in the perspective of an individual. This suggests that the persona has experienced the war firsthand, which is further confirmed and supported by his detailed descriptions of the war and his history as a soldier in the war.

The poem is written in past tense, thus implying it is simply a memory, a past event set in Afghanistan, from the mention of the Hindu Kush. The poem narrates the persona's feelings and experiences as he fights in the war, caught in the crossfire of the battle, taking in the thrill of the fight but also hindered by the fear, from his mention of beauty and terror being a strong mixed drink, referring to the battles. The poet does not mention much of their opponent in the war, the soldiers of a foreign land, but instead reveals the real obstacle to originate emotionally and psychologically. Hence, in this case, the theme is Man vs Oneself, where the persona struggles with expressing the glory of the war, as shown by, "washed in the blood, baptised by fire" and rejecting it out of guilt and fear, as shown by, "everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns". "Lead is thicker than blood, brothers aren't born, they're earned" This sentence shows that the persona's perspective of life has been changed by the war. He feels that true brotherhood is not one's biological siblings, but close friends who stick together. The persona makes his stand unclear until the last few lines in which he reflects and lastly concludes that war is equal to be going through hell. Another paratrooper reporting for duty, sir I spent my time in hell.

The poem follows an AA BB rhyming pattern where the last word of the first line rhymes with the last word of the next line. The persona narrates in an oxymoronic and self-contradictory way. For example, "Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink" and "who knew hell was so close to God". The persona also manages to bring out the emotions and sufferings of war through the fast pace of the poem in which the soldiers hurry to fight battles in different places, fighting chaotic battles, as shown in, "We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks, from house to cave, to house to creek". Adjectives such as "tremendous" and "dirty, tired, hungry, and scared" are used to describe the battle and its effects and outcomes.

I feel that this poem does manage to bring out the essence of war through the persona's thoughts and experiences. The rhyming pattern gives the poem a suitable and appreciated, fast-paced rhythm which aids in the description of war and the battle in general. The persona also manages to bring out his inner turmoil, excitement against trepidation, and finally decided that he disliked war in the concluding lines of the poem.