--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Westin celebrated the New Year by…" description: "\"“Westin celebrated the New Year by shooting off some hand flares. Orders were “no fireworks,” but you couldn’t expect several hundred thousand men in a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/mark-bowden-7188_new-year_westin-celebrated-the-new-year-by-shooti_136498.jpg" --- # Westin celebrated the New Year by shooting off some hand… ![“Westin celebrated the New Year by shooting off some hand flares. Orders were “no fireworks,” but you couldn’t expect several hundred thousand men in a war zone, armed to the teeth with explosive devices, to follow an order like that.” quote by Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/mark-bowden-7188_new-year_westin-celebrated-the-new-year-by-shooti_136498.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/mark-bowden-7188_new-year_westin-celebrated-the-new-year-by-shooti_136498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/mark-bowden-7188_new-year_westin-celebrated-the-new-year-by-shooti_136498.jpg) > ““Westin celebrated the New Year by shooting off some hand flares. Orders were “no fireworks,” but you couldn’t expect several hundred thousand men in a war zone, armed to the teeth with explosive devices, to follow an order like that.”” [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a war zone, soldiers ignore orders against fireworks, highlighting the tension between command and the chaotic reality of combat. **In simple terms:** Soldiers defy no‑fireworks orders, showing chaos in war. Key Takeaway Understand the limits of authority in extreme contexts. Themes war authority chaos Mood tense serious Type historical analytical When to use this quote - battlefield decisions - military training - policy enforcement Key Concepts military obedience combat reality risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - How do soldiers balance orders and survival? - What factors lead to rule-breaking in combat? A Different Perspective Disobedience can increase danger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [New year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-year/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War zone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-zone/) ## Related quotes > [I can do something for 30 days or 50 days. I can program myself, but I can't give my year for a shooting. 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Three and one-half million pounds of explosives are being used every day to blow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-bonds/in-southern-west-virginia-we-live-in-a-war-zone-three-and-one-half/) Judy Bonds > [The thing that strikes you most about being a soldier in a war zone and in action to the small extent that I was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/the-thing-that-strikes-you-most-about-being-a-soldier-in-a-war-zone/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“Some days, I’m still sixteen and burning bridges. I’ve seen a lot of war zones in these past few months, between the edges of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-s/some-days-i-m-still-sixteen-and-burning-bridges-i-ve-seen-a-lot-of/) d.a.s > [Conventional wisdom tells us we'll only be happier after a divorce if the marriage itself was a war zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/conventional-wisdom-tells-us-we-ll-only-be-happier-after-a-divorce-if/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Yes, you've been blessed with amazing grace, but you can't let your guard down because the world you live in is a spiritual war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yes-you-ve-been-blessed-with-amazing-grace-but-you-can-t-let-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The north of the Central African Republic is now a war zone, with rival armed bands burning villages, kidnapping children, robbing travelers and killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/the-north-of-the-central-african-republic-is-now-a-war-zone-with/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [It sounds strange to say it, but you can be in a war zone and have a lot of fun. Even though war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/it-sounds-strange-to-say-it-but-you-can-be-in-a-war-zone-and-have-a/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [“By 2003, I found myself in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that I was a one-star admiral leading troops in a war zone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-mcraven/by-2003-i-found-myself-in-combat-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-now-that-i/) [William H. McRaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-mcraven/) ## More by Mark Bowden > [“It was terribly risky, maybe even hopeless. But one or two properly armed, well-trained soldiers could hold off an undisciplined mob indefinitely. Shughart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/it-was-terribly-risky-maybe-even-hopeless-but-one-or-two-properly/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“Thomas Paine’s The Crisis—“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/thomas-paine-s-the-crisis-these-are-the-times-that-try-men-s-souls/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“Steele gave the unapologetic impression that he could break you with his bare hands if it weren’t for his strict devotion to Jesus and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/steele-gave-the-unapologetic-impression-that-he-could-break-you-with/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“In April 1967, Johnson had dispatched General Creighton Abrams to Vietnam as Westy’s deputy. Abrams, a famous tank commander in World War II, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/in-april-1967-johnson-had-dispatched-general-creighton-abrams-to/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“the Tet surprise was regarded by Westy as proof of Hanoi’s weakness. Nowhere in his understanding of the war was there room for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/the-tet-surprise-was-regarded-by-westy-as-proof-of-hanoi-s-weakness/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“Hanoi’s leaders were virtuoso songbirds of propaganda. They lived in a bubble. There were no voices of dissent in their society to check or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/hanoi-s-leaders-were-virtuoso-songbirds-of-propaganda-they-lived-in-a/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“The fifty-three-year-old former Eagle Scout from South Carolina didn’t drink, smoke, or swear; the most colorful expletive in his vocabulary was “dad gum.”7 He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/the-fifty-three-year-old-former-eagle-scout-from-south-carolina-didn/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“The smallest pleasure, like a mouthful of canned fruit or the chance to bathe in an ice-cold river, was a luxury, something to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/the-smallest-pleasure-like-a-mouthful-of-canned-fruit-or-the-chance/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“There were none of the card games marines usually played in downtimes. They were too tired to concentrate, and poker was serious business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/there-were-none-of-the-card-games-marines-usually-played-in-downtimes/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“Opposition to the war was becoming fashionable. Popular figures—intellectuals, athletes, musicians—stepped up to announce their opposition”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/opposition-to-the-war-was-becoming-fashionable-popular-figures/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“To me the way they were used, particularly the way their idealism and loyalty were exploited by leaders who themselves had lost faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/to-me-the-way-they-were-used-particularly-the-way-their-idealism-and/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“the domestic enemy’s inner sanctum, the National Press Club.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/the-domestic-enemy-s-inner-sanctum-the-national-press-club/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“Nearly everyone had a father or uncles who had fought in World War II or Korea, or both, and many had grandfathers who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/nearly-everyone-had-a-father-or-uncles-who-had-fought-in-world-war-ii/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“Beware of men with theories that explain everything. Trust those who approach the world with humility and cautious insight. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/beware-of-men-with-theories-that-explain-everything-trust-those-who/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [“The United States had complete control of the air over all of Vietnam, and could presumably deliver a decisive blow at will. The failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/the-united-states-had-complete-control-of-the-air-over-all-of-vietnam/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) [Explore all 94 Mark Bowden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) ## More New year quotes > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I cant wait to be with you, See your Smile, Look into into your eyes, Feel your sweet touch, Hear your perfect words, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newlove/i-cant-wait-to-be-with-you-see-your-smile-look-into-into-your-eyes/) [Newlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newlove/) > [A new heart for a New Year, always!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/a-new-heart-for-a-new-year-always/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [“We were still twirling around the tiny parking lot when the neighbors screamed 'Happy New Year'. Unfortunately we weren't sober enough to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlin-scott/we-were-still-twirling-around-the-tiny-parking-lot-when-the-neighbors/) [Kaitlin Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlin-scott/) > [Since I was 15, I have not spent a Christmas or a New Year with my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-alderweireld/since-i-was-15-i-have-not-spent-a-christmas-or-a-new-year-with-my/) [Toby Alderweireld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-alderweireld/) > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [My parents and my sister always leave me over New Year, so I'm always on my own in London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-dimoldenberg/my-parents-and-my-sister-always-leave-me-over-new-year-so-i-m-always/) [Amelia Dimoldenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-dimoldenberg/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [Happy Holidays. Wishing you a beautiful holiday season and a new year of peace and happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-holidays-wishing-you-a-beautiful-holiday-season-and-a-new-year/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hope the world ends in 2012 so I can't be held accountable for my New Year's resolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-the-world-ends-in-2012-so-i-can-t-be-held-accountable-for-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [New year is the time to start living and time to stop worrying, it is the time to start loving and time to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/new-year-is-the-time-to-start-living-and-time-to-stop-worrying-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There will be always something old in the New Year!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-will-be-always-something-old-in-the-new-year/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Cheers to the new year. May it be a memorable one. Happy New Year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cheers-to-the-new-year-may-it-be-a-memorable-one-happy-new-year/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,212 New year quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-year/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Westin celebrated the New Year by shooting off some hand flares. 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