Ouellette 4

Ryan OuelletteAshley HumphriesENC 110120 April 2015The Everlasting Impact of a War FilmAs a young child, I was incredibly receptive to all kinds of media. I was eager to expand my horizons and consume as much as I could. Genres like music, television, video games, and social media caught my intrigue early on and have refused to let go. None would quite have the impact on my life like movies would though. An incalculable amount of hours have been spent at the foot of a computer monitor or television screen, consuming countless types of movies. However, there is one film that stands out from the rest, Black Hawk Down.There ten year old me existed, lying my lazy butt on the couch, surfing through seemingly endless amounts of uninteresting and dull programs when something sparked my interest. Men clad in camouflage and body armor were barking obscenities and firing all types of rifles and machine guns. Normal boys my age were all enamored by action and violence, myself being no different. I was immediately drawn in by the scenes of mayhem that assaulted my senses. Needing to know the name of this movie depicting these modern day gladiators I almost instantly hit the info button on the remote control. And there I would lay for the next three hours, completely captivated by the intense images of warfare and death of Black Hawk Down.Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, but still the scenes and sounds of that movie continued to influence me. The themes of brotherhood, honor, and duty resonated in my younger, easily influenced self. I soon realized that I craved to emulate those same ideas. And with this realization began my search for groups, teams, and organizations that would foster those feelings. After many brief stints in multiple organizations, I discovered that none of them nurtured the same feelings from Black Hawk Down like baseball did.I was getting ready for my final little league game of the season after watching Black Hawk Down for the umpteenth time. It somehow became a ritual of mine to watch the movie before a big or stressful event in my life. As I laced up my cleats, grabbed my mitt, and hustled out my front door into the blistering hot Florida sun I knew it wasnt going to be an easy day. Fast forward a few hours and a multiple innings of hard fought baseball, my earlier predictions were correct. After nine grueling innings and several well earned runs, it was the bottom of said inning and we were down by one with two outs. The whole team sat on the edges of our seats, chattering the usual baseball jargon, as my kid brother walked up to the plate. Chris was the superstar of the team, playing both pitcher and catcher as well as being the best hitter on the team. After tapping his aluminum bat against his cleats and taking several pitches, the count was full at three balls and two strikes. I nervously chewed the ends of my fingertips and closed my eyes as the final pitch speedily left the opposing pitchers hand and arrived across the plate. The only sound heard in the stadium was the beautiful crack of the ball hitting the aluminum bat as said ball went hurdling out of the park, Chris had won us the game. Our bench cleared as we all rushed to home plate to eagerly greet him as he trotted the bases. And in that moment, after looking around and seeing all of my teammates grins and hearing all of their chants of praise, I realized that I had found what I was looking for. After watching that movie for so many years, I finally felt those feelings of brotherhood and comradery that those soldiers felt. And I couldnt be more ecstatic. Fast forward several birthdays, schools, and movies, my ritual stayed the same. Entering high school unsure of myself and lost, I looked towards Black Hawk Down once again. It was turbulent time of peer pressure, awkwardness, and confusion that seemed non-ending. However, that would not be the case as early on into my third year of hellish high school I found my calling. It was an unusually brisk October morning in South Florida as I sat in my Junior ROTC class. A young man walked into my class looking expertly groomed and clad in the digital camo iconic of the U.S. Army. As he stood in front of my class, regaling us with his stories and pictures of being an infantryman in Iraq, I realized that my calling had been starring in front of me the entire time. What better way to emulate the feelings and ideas portrayed in Black Hawk Down than join the army outright? I thought to myself. And after many months of deliberating with my mom and ironing out the finer details of my contract with my recruiter, I was a newly minted member of the U.S. Military. Fast forward about eight months and we arrive in July of two thousand and fourteen, the month I was slated to ship off for basic training. July was a month of great anxiety and fear for me as I prepared for what would be the hardest experience of my young life. The days seemed to pass by much too quickly as that July fourteenth ship date all but arrived at my doorsteps. As I normally did before a big junction in my life, I watched Black Hawk Down, hoping for some last minute reassurance and inspiration. But as I watched the movie for the final time before I stepped into the greatest crucible of training the army had to offer, I noticed something new I hadnt in the countless prior viewings. The journey I was about to embark on began at the same place as the soldiers depicted in the movie. And as I sat there I was hit with a massive wave of humbleness that would keep me grounded throughout my tenure in the crucible. I realized that even almost a decade and half after its release and dozens of viewings, it still had lessons to teach. And this realization would cement this films place in my heart and the impact it has had on my life forever.There is no question that media is an integral part of modern society. Outlets such as television, movies, and games have effected most humans in one way or another. Black Hawk Down is the most influential for me. The lessons and themes displayed have shaped my view of the world. They have shaped how I went about and will continue to go about my life. I wouldnt be where I am today without this movie, a student at a great university and a member of the mightiest military in the world, among others. And with combination of other factors, I have this movie to thank.