D. B. Grady is a former paratrooper in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and man is he pissed about the advertising campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He claims that the commercial staring Sam Worthington, Jonah Hill and Dwight Howard is tasteless, "trivializes combat and sanitizes war."
Grady continues on to compare the "stupidity" of the Modern Warfare 3 commercial to the actual act of bravery from Sergeant Timothy Gilboe. Sergeant Gilboe's platoon was attacked by insurgents in Afghanistan.
While I appreciate all of the work and sacrifices the armed forces do for us all, it needs to be said that Modern Warfare 3 is a game and advertising sole purpose is to entice potential customers into buying your product. Suffice it to say, Modern Warfare 3 caters to a crowd that values flash over legitimate substance and is a game series that has never aimed to be realistic in almost any aspect.
Even if you dislike the series, you can't help but admit that the advertisement is humorous and, truth be told, captures the insane over-the-top experience players get when playing a typical Call of Duty title. That is unless you are one D. B. Grady.
The ad in question, in case you've forgotten.
If this were September 10, 2001, maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad. Those who are too young to remember Vietnam might indulge in combat fantasies of resting heart rates while rocket-propelled grenades whiz by, and of flinty glares while emptying a magazine into the enemy. But after ten years of constant war, of thousands of amputees and flag-draped coffins, of hundreds of grief-stricken communities, did nobody involved in this commercial raise a hand and say, "You know, this is probably a little crass. Maybe we could just show footage from the game."
Grady continues on to compare the "stupidity" of the Modern Warfare 3 commercial to the actual act of bravery from Sergeant Timothy Gilboe. Sergeant Gilboe's platoon was attacked by insurgents in Afghanistan.
Keep the stupidity of the Modern Warfare 3 commercial in mind as you consider what Timothy Gilboe did next. He didn't have time to pick up his weapon as an insurgent set upon him. According to the Army News Service:
Gilboe reached out and grabbed the barrel of the enemy's AK-47 and pulled it toward his chest, which was covered by an armor plate. He said the last thing that ran through his mind before the enemy pulled the trigger was "This is gonna hurt a lot."
Gilboe was knocked to the ground, wounded by shrapnel and trauma. He got up and fought and beat down the insurgent in hand-to-hand combat until a comrade could shoot the enemy dead. And Gilboe wasn't finished. He then directed a security perimeter, provided first aid to the wounded, and helped in the medical evacuation—all before he allowed anyone to treat his injuries.
Here's how the Modern Warfare 3 commercial ends. Two smug, A-list clowns strut toward the camera, rifles hanging over their shoulders, explosions consuming the city of New York, and then the words: "THERE'S A SOLDIER IN ALL OF US."
No, there's not.
Gilboe reached out and grabbed the barrel of the enemy's AK-47 and pulled it toward his chest, which was covered by an armor plate. He said the last thing that ran through his mind before the enemy pulled the trigger was "This is gonna hurt a lot."
Gilboe was knocked to the ground, wounded by shrapnel and trauma. He got up and fought and beat down the insurgent in hand-to-hand combat until a comrade could shoot the enemy dead. And Gilboe wasn't finished. He then directed a security perimeter, provided first aid to the wounded, and helped in the medical evacuation—all before he allowed anyone to treat his injuries.
Here's how the Modern Warfare 3 commercial ends. Two smug, A-list clowns strut toward the camera, rifles hanging over their shoulders, explosions consuming the city of New York, and then the words: "THERE'S A SOLDIER IN ALL OF US."
No, there's not.
While I appreciate all of the work and sacrifices the armed forces do for us all, it needs to be said that Modern Warfare 3 is a game and advertising sole purpose is to entice potential customers into buying your product. Suffice it to say, Modern Warfare 3 caters to a crowd that values flash over legitimate substance and is a game series that has never aimed to be realistic in almost any aspect.
Even if you dislike the series, you can't help but admit that the advertisement is humorous and, truth be told, captures the insane over-the-top experience players get when playing a typical Call of Duty title. That is unless you are one D. B. Grady.
The ad in question, in case you've forgotten.
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