Sean Huze: The Sand Storm

My initial reaction to Huze’s play The Sand Storm was that it was very raw and a truthful account of the events happening in Iraq. His use of stage direction adds a very vivid picture for the reader as if the play is being performed in one’s mind. His experience from his enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps adds what just an author could never achieve. He has the memories that make this play come alive. He uses flashbacks throughout the play as well to tell the stories of the men. The play begins with Sergeant Casavecchia talking about the way that no one really knows what war is really like. He says, “Politicians, four-stars, Scott McLellan, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Michael Moore...Shit. Like any of them know what the hell they’re talking about. But you all listen to ‘em don’t you? Your experts.” I liked this introduction because it is a very true statement. We listen to supposed “experts” about the War in Iraq or whatnot, yet many of these people have never ever served in a war nor experienced what these soldiers or marines are feeling. The men talk about the people that they kill, the civilians and enemies. This piece is extremely powerful because as I have seen in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, many men begin to feel dehumanized after killing not only their foes, but innocent people as well. They tell stories of events that really affected them, and of different men that they encountered that were influential, such as Lt. Smith, who took his job seriously, and respected the men he was in charge of. One of my favorite pieces of the play was the ending. The men all stand on the stage and talk about Sergeant David Casavecchia, who died. They talk about the many things he was, a father, son, brother, friend, track star, quarterback, and a marine. This was powerful to me because these men are human. These men had a life before war, and will hopefully have one to follow. These men are assigned to do unthinkable things at times, and have many problems following the “unreality” that the war brings to them. When they return home, they have extremely hard times adjusting to normal life. Plays such as Huze’s give us civilians a little better of an understanding of what these men feel.

Here is a link to more information on Sean Huze. He is not only a writer but an actor as well! He played in the Green Zone with Matt Damon recently. Very Interesting!!!!