This one's a special edition. Not talking about competition, diets, training, yada yada ya... but, our troops, the United States Military. Get this, it's inspired by a video game I just finished... yeah, I know.
The name of this 1st-person shooter is Medal of Honor, a long time franchise that's been over-shadowed by the beast that is Call of Duty. I played this game as a fill-in and time-killer, waiting for the recently hacked Playstation network to rebuild it's servers. Medal of Honor, as it turns out, has been one of the greatest games I have EVER played. I'll tell you why...
Realism. Granted, I am not a military soldier. I have never seen war first or second hand. I have NEVER even considered enlisting. My honest thought process on ME going to war-- maaann, f*ck that... Which leaves me to love and respect our troops as much as I do. My favorite movie genre, war films. Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Full Metal Jacket, Born on the 4th of July, Glory, Black Hawk Down, even Braveheart and Shaka Zulu... I have been watching these movies since childhood.
This game, Medal of Honor, was constructed based on first hand accounts from actual soldiers in our country's military. Before it's release to the public, Medal of Honor, was scrutinized and picked apart by the government. Why? The game takes place in Afghanistan, against the Taliban, searching for Bin Laden. Yeah. For online play, players were allowed to choose between playing as an American soldier or a Taliban soldier. Absolute uproar by the government masses and tender-hearts. Cases have been filed in the courts against the powers that be that are challenging video game creators on their content.
After SOME adjustments, the game was released and got NO good reviews due to the negativity brought upon it by it's content. A. Damn. Shame. In playing this game, the intensity had my on edge. The missions, the dramatics and theatricals, the situations you're forced into... so realistic. The ending is a shocker and at the same time, the ending isn't an ending at all... Before the credits roll, a message written by a soldier was shown on the screen. I read it... and teared up. For real. A video game.
Look, as of May 1, 2011, it was announced that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Our nation celebrates, yet, our men and women are still in the heat of war. My bestest friend, Terrance, is scheduled to ship to Afghanistan in July, and my heart breaks when I think about it and I think about it every day. I don't think Kristi has ever seen me get THIS emotional, THIS often... damn. Lucky for me, she says it makes me even more a man to be able to express my feelings, but personally, I'd much rather get up under 900lbs of weight to squat than to let anyone see me cry... anyway, that's a different blog, altogether. Back to the subject at hand... although we have crossed a milestone with the recent deaths of Bin Laden and Saddam, etc., NOTHING has changed. For every tyrant we eliminate, there are 10+ more, born and raised to be even more sinister waiting in the wings for their time to "shine". NO President can EVER take credit for our military's accomplishments and victories. It's the troops. ALWAYS has been, ALWAYS will. These suits are in air-conditioned offices talking strategy with no true idea as to what it's like on the ground. Our TROOPS are the ones defending our certain freedoms. ALL CREDIT TO THE TROOPS!
Yet, here we are... bickering amongst each other about who our president is, his birth certificate, his color, his political views... Here we are shooting each other in the streets, robbing each other, destroying families. I've said it before, I'll say it again-- SHUT. UP!! As random as my thoughts are here, the bottom line is this: Medal of Honor is the poo and OUR MILITARY IS THE GREATEST! Thank a soldier today!
That is all... for now. God bless.
