![]() ![]() Today, he's a 36-year-old father of three who is part of a software development start-up in Kansas city. Josh Ray Person, a whip-smart 22-year-old with a quick response to everything and a penchant for energy drinks and caffeine. "No matter how gritty or politically incorrect, it was real life."Ĭolbert's vehicle driver and counterpart is Cpl. "At the end of the day, it was real events," Colbert said he ultimately concluded. Nathaniel Fick, a platoon commander, were generally well-regarded by the junior Marines and noncommissioned officers, others were sometimes regarded as incompetent or unable to handle the stress of combat, and given unflattering nicknames such as "Encino Man" and "Captain America." He did lose some friends, and said he experienced some ostracism within the close-knit reconnaissance community as a result of the unvarnished account. So many of the things I said, having them thrown back in my face was embarrassing." "I was excited, because I wanted to be able to share my experiences with the world, and I had a vehicle to do that. "It's like listening to yourself on the answering machine you sound like an idiot," he said of seeing his conversations and remarks reproduced. On a personal level, Colbert said his feelings about "Generation Kill" evolved over time. And I like to think my Marines did what was asked of them and more." "What I ask my Marines to do is execute commander's intent. "I don't tell my Marines in the heat of battle what to say and what to think," he said. He assured the leaders that the conversations were not a sign of dissension in the ranks, but rather a "ground-eye view of warfare." When he spoke with in July, Colbert, 42, was still on active duty as a project officer for Raids and Amphibious Reconnaissance at Marine Corps Systems Command, the branch of the service responsible for developing and acquiring new gear and equipment.įor Colbert, the attention that came with his inadvertent starring role was a mixed blessing for Marines looking for a long-term future in the Corps, conventional wisdom says to "keep off the skyline" or out of the public eye - particularly as part of a group of foul-mouthed Marines holding forth with complete candor on subjects ranging from their unit leadership to the state of race and class in America.Īs the articles came out and began to receive attention from the Marine Corps, Colbert said he was called in to several meetings with service leaders, including Mattis himself, to account for the portrayal. 24 as a master sergeant with 20 years of service. While most of the enlisted Marines in Bravo Company who make appearances in the book and show left the Marine Corps shortly after their deployment, Colbert chose to make a career of the Corps, retiring Oct. Brad Colbert, a wry, intellectual 28-year-old team leader whose coolness under pressure earns him the nickname "Iceman." If a single protagonist emerges in "Generation Kill," it's Sgt. But the Marines of Bravo Company who spoke with said they remain glad that their story was told, and proud of their service in what would be a long and costly war. Some have traded on their fame, while others have just tried to move on. Thanks to the runaway popularity of "Generation Kill," the Marines got something else they hadn't bargained for - a measure of celebrity and recognition that continues to follow them, to varying extents, a decade later. Central Command, was nominated this month to become secretary of defense. Mattis, now a retired four-star general and the former commander of U.S. James Mattis, who called the men of 1st Recon "cocky, obnoxious bastards" and sent them to the front, saying he prized their courage over the armor and gear of better-equipped units. Bubbling below the surface is a fundamental difference of perspective between the elite and irreverent Recon Marines and a larger Marine Corps with an allergy to exceptionalism and a need for all Marines to toe a strict line.Īnd at the helm of the entire assault is a familiar figure: Maj. ![]()
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