Checkpoint #1: Band of Brothers

Preface

World War II was the deadliest war in all of history. Countries from all around the world chipped into the fighting. The main countries consisted of Germany, Japan, Italy, Britain, France, Russia, and the United States. All people signed up and volunteered to fight for their country against the evils of the opposing side. The United States had a voluntary paratrooper unit that had an amazing story. The Easy Company, 506^th Regiment, 101^st Airborne unit was the greatest American paratrooper unit, and their untold stories of success, hard work, and brotherhood will provide readers with entertainment, knowledge, and excitement.

Through diaries and interviews of survivors of this unit, I will tell the story of the Easy Company’s success in the most devastating war in all of history. The gruesome training, the deadly and horrifying battles that lead to deaths of many men, and the rests in between battles that are almost as bad as the battles itself are all described in the story of the greatest paratrooper unit. Their amazing stories will show readers exactly what happens on the battlefield in World War II.

The average person really does not know what happens in the military. There are plenty of movies and books about war, but everything that happens in war and the military is an unknown concept to most. In World War II, the soldiers of the Easy Company were volunteers who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the United States of America. Taking physically strong men who were not familiar with the military into the best paratrooper unit requires immense training. The journey from college boys to heroes on the battlefield is a beautiful yet brutal one. It’s a journey worth writing and reading about.

The Easy Company reveals many things in war, but the most important one, I believe, is the importance of togetherness and leadership. The most important thing in war isn’t the physical attributes or marksmanship, but it’s trusting your comrades with your lives and having a great leader to lead you to victory. The people in a unit become brothers, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives for their brothers without second thoughts. The trust that soldiers have for each other allows them to be victorious, and a lack of trust is what can lead to losing. This is the same as a good leader. Having a leader that is respected and can make the right decisions in the heat of battle can be the determining factor or victory or loss.

Each and every soldier, corporal, lieutenant, and captain are crucial to victories and losses in the Second World War. There are many characters to be knowledgeable about, but it is still important to highlight everybody because they all made great contributions to the cause. They are all brothers who were all willing to do whatever was necessary for finishing the task and succeeding in the war. All men of the Easy Company were willing to jump out of planes and fight the Axis Powers for their country and brothers.

This is no ordinary war novel. This is a story of boys from all over transforming into a band of brothers who will succeed in battles from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle Nest. The courage of this unit is beyond describable. The ability to push through a training that was brutal to the body and mind and jump out of planes to stop a force of evil is amazing. The soldiers of this unit whose stories have been untold previously will now be able to share their brilliant story with readers from all over the world. This paratrooper unit was a special one; it was the best one.

Microblog #1: Band of Brothers

Characters in this novel do not come in a small amount. Since this is a war book, many characters come and go, whether they are killed in action or forced to leave due to gruesome injuries. The characters of this story play a crucial part, and they are what brings the points of togetherness and hard work across. Since there is such a large amount of characters and roles in the military, it's very easy to get lost and lose track of who's who. This happened to me often in the beginning of the novel, and it was very difficult to read when the names of the captains, corporals, sergeants, and more were meaningless to me. To better understand the book and the characters, I created a character list to help me sort out the different characters from one another. I would put down anybody who was of significance, and I would write their role and any important traits or actions. The book flowed much easier once I began this reading strategy, and I could read the story without questioning, "who's that again?" every few pages. The characters of this story are important to the novel, and understanding who they are helps you understand the novel much better.