Currahee By Donald Burgett Sparknotes

Donald Burgett shares his experiences as an American Paratrooper during World War II in his memoir Currahee!. Interestingly, Burgett offers the first memoir that recounts the experiences of a United States Airborne soldier. The memoir follows Burgett through initial training stages to his involvement in the D-Day invasions at the Normandy beaches. Burgett tells personal stories that include his airborne training, the comradery and hijinks he shares with his fellow soldiers, and the valor shown by men in battle. Additionally, Burgett uses vivid description and a concise point of view to engage readers and reveal his experiences. Overall, Currahee! grants the reader an opportunity to peer into the training, preparation, and combat of a paratrooper

From the beginning, Burgett discussed how his brother had joined the paratroopers and how his brother boasted about the exclusivity of airborne divisions. Because of what his brother said, Burgett became even more eager to volunteer for the war effort and took the steps to eventually register for the paratroopers. Since he was so willing to join, Burgett provided a zealous retelling of events that shaped the representation of his experiences. Additionally, Burgett displayed a certainty that no matter what occurred, he would become a paratrooper and survive the war. Burgett’s courage allowed his writing to be confident and sure of itself. Thus, Burgett’s background as an eager and confident soldier dramatically shaped the storytelling and explanation of events within

For instance, Burgett provides distinct explanation of training regiments that paratroopers did, including the horrendous casualties that can occur during training. Interestingly, Currahee! contains several events that honestly display the training of soldiers, not the romanticized versions that are commonly shared. Once, a pair of soldiers jumped out of a plane and their parachutes became entangled. Instead of following protocol, one soldier panicked and they ended up striking the ground with such massive force that they bounced. The depiction of death and other injuries during skydiving drills adds to the unique experience that Currahee!