Crawford's Lies

Lies and the Importance of the Use of Language
Lies by John Crawford was written in 2005 and is a short story which is part of a larger book titled The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier 's Account of the War in Iraq. Crawford penned the book after his own deployment to Iraq with his Florida National Guard Unit in 2003 during the early stages of the Iraqi war. Crawford was born in Palatka, Florida and comes from a long line of military men. He likens himself to Lieutenant Dan in the movie Forrest Gump. He stated in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, “I think there 's been a Crawford fighting in every major war America has ever been involved in," he said. "I 'm sort of like the character Lt. Dan in 'Forrest Gump
He writes like he is speaking directly to a comrade who is sitting in front of him. This type of language allows him to connect with his audience on a more personal level and convey his story in a manner that sounds like he is speaking amongst friends. Crawford’s use of different types of proses gives him the ability reach different types of audiences while still being credible to all of them. With there being so many stories about wars and the effects of war on the soldiers Crawford has a unique ability to connect with readers and tell his story on a personal level without being standoffish. His particular writing style, which combines casual tones with realistic language, gives his readers an overall personable engaging experience. While many war stories are written in a language that makes it hard for people who have not served in the military to understand but Crawford has the ability to make it much easier for laymen to understand and enjoy the stories of wartime chaos. While the use of language, in general, has a way of captivating readers and allowing them insight into the point of view of another person it also offers personal understanding of other’s situations and