“I liked the Marine Sgt., too. Dealt a crappy hand to play in life and his biggest concern is not screwing up his kid like he perceives his parents screwed him up.”
You know, that was the most poignant part of his story. I’m willing to bet that, based on the way he looks out for his Marines, he’s going to be a great father.
It’s like a soap opera, only on deck. Or a carrier version of the PBS series Upstairs, Downstairs (Above Deck, Below Deck). Real life action. Part of the reason I believe they concentrate on the “lower class” of sailors is because there is more “drama” in their lives; broken homes, drunks, racists, out of wedlock pregnancy, rape, poor, undereducated, etc. etc. etc. It fits the PBS stereotype of who goes into the service and pays off more in dramatic effect.
However, I like the series in spite of this. It gives a good look into life on a carrier, a floating city, and how the Navy keeps the whole city in working order while accomplishing their mission. And how a ship works, its component parts. Fascinating actually. My friend turned me onto the fact the series was on, and I really didn’t think I would be interested, but it was on when she called me, so I switched to the carrier series and got hooked. Looking forward to the rest of the episodes. I’m so sick of Obama/Wright, Obama/Hillary, McCain/Obama/Hillary, I could regurgitate, so it is welcome relief from the political drama. I’d rather watch the soap opera drama on the high seas.
Absolutely. I really liked the way he publicly stuck up for the lCpl. on his team that signed off on a plane that turned out had a hydraulic leak. And then later, he reamed the lance in private and let him know clearly that it had better not happen again.
"If it happens agains, that'll be unpleasant for me and I'll make sure it is terrible for you."
Classic.
You know, that was the most poignant part of his story. I’m willing to bet that, based on the way he looks out for his Marines, he’s going to be a great father.I loved the denouement with him dancing with his wife. Him seeing the video of his child and meeting his child for the first time was great too.
I really have to give PBS credit for this. I don't think FReepers understand that they aren't the target audience for this program. It's aimed at showing the well-educated professional class liberals who watch PBS what the military is really like. It has the stuff they expect, the poor folks, the gays etc... but at the same time it shows that members of the military are genuine human being and genuinely care for the friends and the people they're dealing with. Hardly the brainwashed killers that Code Pink and other groups think they are.
I may have too much faith in humanity, but I think this serious humanized the US military for one of the groups that has the least connection to it, liberals.