The war ends without Swofford ever firing his rifle.
Troy desperately pleas to make a kill, but was denied and overruled as the airplanes destroy the Iraqi airfield, much to his and Swofford's disappointment. At the last second before Swofford takes the shot, Major Lincoln interrupts them to call in an air strike. Lieutenant Colonel Kazinski, their battalion commander, orders them to kill at least one of two high-ranking Iraqi Republican Guard officers at a nearby airfield. Near the end of the war, Swofford and Troy are finally given a sniping mission. Before they can finish, Sykes orders the squad to move upwind. The Marines later catch sight of distant burning Kuwaiti oil wells, ignited only moments before by retreating Iraqis, and they attempt to dig sleeping holes as a rain of crude oil falls from the sky. The Marines march through the infamous " Highway of Death" (on the northbound road leading back to Iraq from capital Kuwait City), strewn with the burnt vehicles and charred bodies of retreating Iraqi soldiers, the aftermath of a bombing campaign. Following an accidental air attack from friendly forces, the Marines advance through the desert, facing no enemies on the ground. Knowing that Troy will not be allowed to reenlist, the Marines attack him with a red-hot USMC branding iron, marking him as one of their own. Swofford learns from Sykes that Troy concealed his criminal record when enlisting and will be discharged when the unit returns home.
Later, Operation Desert Storm begins and the Marines are sent to the Saudi Arabian- Kuwait border. The punishments, combined with the heat, the boredom, and Swofford's suspicions of his girlfriend's infidelity, give Swofford a mental breakdown, to the point where he threatens Fergus with a rifle, then orders Fergus to shoot him instead. Fergus accidentally sets fire to a tent while cooking some sausages and ignites a crate of flares, waking the whole camp and enraging Staff Sergeant Sykes, who demotes Swofford from lance corporal to private and puts him on "shit-burning" detail. Swofford obtains unauthorized alcohol and organizes an impromptu Christmas party, arranging for Fergus to cover his watch so he can celebrate. They even erect a bulletin board featuring photographs and brief notes telling what perfidies the women had committed (known in military slang as a " Jodie Wall"). Eager for combat, the Marines find themselves bored with remedial training, constant drills, and a routine monotony that feeds their boredom, and prompts them to talk about the unfaithful girlfriends and wives waiting for them at home. When Kuwait is invaded by Iraq, Swofford's unit is deployed to the Arabian Peninsula as a part of " Operation Desert Shield" in the Gulf War (1990–1991). While Swofford feigns illness to avoid his responsibilities, a "lifer", Staff Sergeant Sykes, takes note of his potential and offers Swofford an opportunity to attend his Scout Sniper course.Īfter gruelling training, the Scout Sniper course is left with eight candidates, among them Swofford, now a sniper, and Swofford's roommate Corporal Alan Troy who becomes his spotter. Claiming that he joined the military because he "got lost on the way to college", Swofford finds his time at Camp Pendleton difficult, and struggles to make friends. Swofford struggles with the possibility of his girlfriend cheating on him, and as his mental state deteriorates, his desire to kill increases.In 1989, Anthony "Swoff" Swofford, whose father served in the earlier Vietnam War (1961-1975), attends United States Marine Corps recruit training before being stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.
After putting up with an arduous boot camp, Swofford and his unit are sent to the Persian Gulf where they are eager to fight, but are forced to stay back from the action. Jarhead is a film about a US Marine Anthony Swofford’s experience in the Gulf War.
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