This is Birdy's first war. The only combat experience he previously had was at training, when he knew nothing was real. Sometimes, training only involved shooting on a screen, like in a video game.
Real war? Completely different.
In Sunrise Over Fallujah, Birdy has to get used to seeing people die, up close and personal. People he or his squad killed. Sometimes, innocent people. And one of the things that's complicated about the Iraq War is that Birdy and the American troops don't always know who their enemies are. Some people have weapons in their house because they bought them a long time ago, but others used them to kill Americans.
With a situation like that, hurting or imprisoning at least a few innocent people is pretty much inevitable.
Questions About Warfare
- How do officers explain civilian casualties?
- Why does playing soccer make Birdy feel human? For him, what's the opposite of feeling that way?
- Do you think Roberts really had to kidnap children to keep his men safe?
- How are IEDs different from the way war is shown in movies or on TV?
Chew on This
Nothing short of going into combat could have prepared Birdy for war.
The guerilla tactics of the Iraqis who set off IEDs are what makes the Iraq War different from wars of the past.