#The Sergeant: The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

deadpresidents · 10 months

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I ask this every month or two but what have you been reading lately?

•True West: Sam Shepard's Life, Work, and Times (BOOK | AUDIO | KINDLE) by Robert Greenfield

•The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee (BOOK | AUDIO | KINDLE) by Paul R. Gregory

•Wahhabism: The History of a Militant Islamic Movement (BOOK | KINDLE) by Cole M. Bunzel

•The Madman in the White House: Sigmund Freud, Ambassador Bullitt, and the Lost Psychobiography of Woodrow Wilson (BOOK | KINDLE) by Patrick Weil This is a really interesting new book about one of the more unique Presidential biographies ever written. William C. Bullitt was a longtime American diplomat and former supporter of Woodrow Wilson who blamed the failure of American ratification of the Treaty of Versailles following World War I on the worrisome personality changes he witnessed in President Wilson after Wilson suffered a stroke and serious health issues in the final years of his Presidency. Bullitt was close to Sigmund Freud and he teamed with Freud to write a psychological biography about Wilson several years after Wilson's death. The book they wrote (Thomas Woodrow Wilson: A Psychological Study) was very controversial and wasn't even published until nearly 30 years after Freud himself died. It's a really fascinating story and Weil's book -- as well as the original book by Bullitt and Freud -- reveal the potential dangers behind Presidential disability.

•The World: A Family History of Humanity (BOOK | AUDIO | KINDLE) by Simon Sebag Montefiore

•Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic (BOOK | AUDIO | KINDLE) by Simon Winchester I try to read every book that Simon Winchester writes. It seems like he's written books about basically every subject under the sun, and I can't think of a single one that I didn't find interesting.

•The Sergeant: The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said: Son of an African General, Slave of the Ottomans, Free Man Under the Tsars, Hero of the Union Army (BOOK | KINDLE) by Dean Calbreath The subtitle of this book alone makes it pretty clear that this is one hell of a story about a man who lived quite a life.

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anonymoushouseplantfan · 4 years

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Telegraph- Camilla Tominey

Prince Harry misses the Army and tells friends his life has been turned upside down

After Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior royals, the Duke was forced to relinquish his military roles

ByCamilla Tominey, ASSOCIATE EDITOR29 April 2020 • 9:00pm

The Duke of Sussex has told friends he “cannot believe” what has happened in recent months and that he misses the Army, The Telegraph has learned.

Prince Harry has confided in pals that he “misses the camaraderie” of life in the Armed Forces, where he was affectionately known as ‘Captain Wales’, having been stripped of his military appointments following the Sussexes’ split from the Royal Family on March 31.

After Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior royals in January, the Duke was forced to relinquish his roles as Captain General Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant, RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command.

In a sharply-worded statement reflecting on what had been agreed with the Queen, the couple pointed out that Harry retained “the rank of Major”, insisting he would “continue his unwavering support to the military community in a non-official capacity.”

They are now living in Los Angeles with their son, Archie, who turns one next Wednesday (May 6).

A well-placed source revealed: “Harry has told friends he is really missing the Army as well his military appointments. He misses the camaraderie of being in the forces.

“He has been telling friends that he still can't believe this has happened. He can't believe his life has been turned upside down.

“He was in a happy place when he was serving in the Army, then he met Meghan and since then life has been great. But I don’t think he foresaw things turning out quite as they did.”

Stressing that Harry, 35, does not blame his wife for wanting to return to her native America, the source added: “Of course he doesn’t blame Meghan. There is just a sense that he might have been better protected if he was still in the Army.”

Harry and Meghan have relocated to America CREDIT: REUTERS

In March 2015, Kensington Palace announced that Harry would leave the Armed Forces in June after his 10-year military career saw him serve two tours of Afghanistan.

In the statement announcing he was looking forward to a “new chapter” in his life, the prince admitted that he was at a “crossroads” and quitting the Army had been a “really tough decision”.

He had previously spoken about Army life being “as normal as it's going to get”, adding: “I'm one of the guys. I don't get treated any differently.”

The decision came after he launched the Invictus Games in 2014 to huge acclaim, giving wounded or sick armed forces personnel the opportunity to take part in a Paralympic Games-style tournament.

Reflecting on his Army career, Harry said: “From learning the hard way to stay onside with my Colour Sergeant at Sandhurst, to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan, the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life. For that I will always be hugely grateful.”

Prince Harry (right) served two tours of Afghanistan CREDIT: PA

Described as an “exemplary soldier” by his military superiors, Harry saw action in Afghanistan twice, most recently in 2012 as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner. Gen Sir Nicholas Carter, Chief of the General Staff, praised his skill, judgment and professionalism in “selflessly” supporting troops on the ground.

Having started full-time military duties as an officer cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in May 2005, he was commissioned as an Army officer in April 2006, joining the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals).

In late 2007, he spent 10 weeks in Helmand province in Afghanistan but was pulled out after the media reported his secret deployment.

He began training as an Army Air Corps pilot in January 2009, becoming a fully operational Apache attack helicopter pilot in February 2012.

In 2014, he took up a staff officer role helping to coordinate significant projects and commemorative events but insiders said he was unsuited to the desk job, based at Horse Guards in London, much preferring to be more visible promoting veterans through initiatives like Invictus.

A spokesman for the prince declined to comment.

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theactofseeing-blog1 · 7 years

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Hacksaw Ridge (Dir. Mel Gibson- 2017)

“Please lord let me get one more” the mantra repeated by Andrew Garfield’s Desmond Doss as he carries what is left of his platoon half by half to safety. You can see why Mel Gibson makes a point of this utterance. Gibson, who in recent years has made the headlines for his personal demons, may have been praying for one more directorial success. It is very easy for his (rightfully) controversial opinions to over-shadow the promise he showed in the woefully forgotten Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ ( bit too arch but a box office of $612 million in 2004 is not to be sniffed at). Many have hailed Hacksaw Ridge as his first step to being on the right side of people’s conscience in over a decade.

Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss the first consecintous objector to win the Medal of Honour for his heroics in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 saved 75 men. Portrayed by the with wide eyed innocence of (the man with the most resilient hair in the industry) Andrew Garfield, we see what made this pacifist one of the most respected men in WW2.

Garfield is supported by Vince Vaughan’s barrack chewing Staff Sergeant Howell, after Vaughan’s appearance in True Detective second season is trying to ignite his very own McConaissance ( reconnaVince..?). As well Hugo Weaving bringing gravitas to the conflicted role of Doss’s father suffering from the effect of PTSD from the Great War, showing incredible range in few scenes.

With Garfield and Weaving’s performances we get nuisance and understated fine details, such as Garfield’s imitation of the real life’s Doss distinct lip movements. The same cannot be said for Gibson’s direction, which smacks you with you both romantic melodrama and chunky squib splattered gore. His approach is so straight forward and masculine, it is the T-Bone steak to Garfield's steak tartar. This is not to say it isn't effective, Hacksaw Ridge does fall into some cliches, we get war torn walking ghosts fresh from the frontline looking at the fresh meat cadets, and forlorn veterans talking to grave stones. Tonally the film shifts from the warm amber glow of middle American sun through hanging branches of when Doss meets his sweetheart, none of which wouldn't be out of place in a Nicholas Sparks film, to the struggles of an enlisted objector in training with a small stop in court room drama. Until this point Gibson directs with purpose but with a sense that he is holding his punches. It is not until the film moves to aforementioned Hacksaw Ridge, we realises what Gibson was withholding.

With a suitable amount of dread built ( soldiers looking at bodies piled on trucks as they return from the front and shellshocked soldieries muttering of the sheer ferocity of the Japanese) when the suspense is shattered with gunfire thudding against meat on the ridge, Gibson unleashes the full armoury of the horrors of war. Limbs are severed and splintered with explosion, bullets make mere colinders out of soldiers and skin crackles and spits under flamethrower ignition. It is a relentless, brutal, visceral introduction to the battle the likes of which have not been seen since the Omaha beach landing in Saving Private Ryan, but it is incredibly effective. This is no Eastwood’s Battle Of Iwo Jima double, there is one side to the conflict. The Japanese are reduced to an monstrous faceless swarm of an enemy with little empathy played on their behalf, but thats fitting with the film.

Even though it is a chunky muscular film, it leaves you emotionally drained. Broken by the first attack you left face down in the crimson mud grasping for breath, so when the heroics of the film shine it is completely fine to shed a tear for the bravery of Doss. A rousing score and some obvious hero shots could have seemed forced but here they felt earned. Gibson splices stock interview footage of the surviving squad mates pre credits, to ensure that you are left unsure to whether to reach for a stiff drink or a handful of kleenex man sized tissues.

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