D-day is a day that will live in infamy forever. My grandpa, a paratrooper forthe totst airborne division, jumped on D-day. He missed his landing zone because of bad iump coordinates, and as a result, his knees were shot, so he had to hide in the bushes forthree days livingwith the pain. Though he survived, he had to live with the consequences of his injuries. Two years ago, I joined the reserves, and l, too, served our country. When lwas in lraq, I experienced a different type of war from my grandpa's because of technology. Some major differences between my experience and my grandpa's include protective body armor, better self-cooked meals, and more accurate map readings. z lhe body armor I wore was much more sophisticated than what my grandpa had. The only klnd of protection my grandpa had available was a K-pot, a twentypound solid steel helmet. He used to fold up his hand towel and put it inside so it was a little more comfortable for him to wear all day. That was the extent of his body armor. I was more protected than my grandpa. In a combat zone, I wore a Kevlar helmetthat had its own padding. I also had a flackvestthat had twothirtypound plates, one in the front and one forthe back. The plates were made out of a porcelain composite and were able to stop an AK-47 round at point blank range; at least that was what they told me. l, for one, did not want to try it out. The army equipped soldiers according to their military operational specialties (MOS). For example, the ranger units were outfitted with tactical pads for shins, knees, forearms, and elbows worn at their own discretion. A lot of protective equipment issued was more of a hindrance than anything else, but because I believed it would save my life, I wore it. 3 War gives a whole new meaning to eating on the run. Both my grandfather and I experienced this. My grandpa would have to carry cans of food called Creations. In order to cook his food, he would have to first clean out his helmet, fill it with water, and put in his C-ration can. Then he had to make a small fire or use a Sterno stove to boil the water and heat the can. Not only did this take a lot of time, but butthe cans of food also were heavy and, while he was cooking, his head was unprotected. I had it easier than Grandpa. When on the battlefield, I was constantly on the move so that I had to cook my own food under any circumstances wherever was. I had meals ready to eat (MREs), which are packets of pre-cooked food that I could eat cold if I had to. But all I had to do to heat them up was put my food packet into the heater packet, and then just add water, and in about five minutes, was ready to eat. MREs came in zr different flavors and came with a variety of extras such as M&M's, cheese and crackers, pretzels, and powder.

Which pattern of development was used? Was it block or point by point?

Was it an effective piece? You are expected to use assess the following aspects of the piece to determine this:

• Introductory paragraph (Was there an effective hook with transitions?)
• Thesis statement (Does it include a topic and notes similarities or differences to be discussed in the body paragraphs)
• Does it each body paragraph focus on the main issues indicated in the thesis statement?
• Did the writer make use of appropriate compare and contrast transitions in the piece?
• Does each paragraph begin with a well constructed topic sentence?
• Are body paragraphs well developed? Do the supporting details or sentences support and elaborate the ideas stated in each topic sentence?
• Is there an effective conclusion? Did the writer present the thesis and main points in a creative manner?