--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once I was in the Blink-182, going to…" description: "\"Once I was in the Blink-182, going to Iraq was really touching. It was kind of emo for me, going and meeting soldiers who were, like, 19 and hadn't eve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a7/mark-hoppus-3737_blink_once-i-was-in-the-blink-182-going-to-ira_810453.jpg" --- # Once I was in the Blink-182, going to Iraq was really… ![“Once I was in the Blink-182, going to Iraq was really touching. It was kind of emo for me, going and meeting soldiers who were, like, 19 and hadn't even met their kids... Or dealing with depression. Just being with those soldiers and traveling with them in helicopters and people with M-16s. It was…” quote by Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a7/mark-hoppus-3737_blink_once-i-was-in-the-blink-182-going-to-ira_810453.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a7/mark-hoppus-3737_blink_once-i-was-in-the-blink-182-going-to-ira_810453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a7/mark-hoppus-3737_blink_once-i-was-in-the-blink-182-going-to-ira_810453.jpg) > “Once I was in the Blink-182, going to Iraq was really touching. It was kind of emo for me, going and meeting soldiers who were, like, 19 and hadn't even met their kids... Or dealing with depression. Just being with those soldiers and traveling with them in helicopters and people with M-16s. It was an eye-opener.” [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes his emotional reaction to meeting young soldiers in Iraq, noting the stark contrast between youthful innocence and war realities, which deepened his empathy and awareness. **In simple terms:** Seeing young soldiers in war made him feel emotional and aware. Key Takeaway Recognize the humanity in those affected by conflict. Themes empathy war youth mental health perspective Mood reflective somber Type personal narrative testimonial When to use this quote - military deployment - mental health advocacy - journalism Key Concepts soldier experiences combat zones psychological impact Questions to Reflect On - How does personal exposure change your view on conflict? - What can be done to support young soldiers' mental health? A Different Perspective The experience may not fully capture systemic issues of war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emo/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Touching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching/) ## Related quotes > [True happiness for me is playing a concert in Blink-182, and then hanging out with my friends and my wife and son, and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/true-happiness-for-me-is-playing-a-concert-in-blink-182-and-then/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [Ideally, each week, I'd like to have rad, intelligent, creative, funny guests with different takes on the world of music. I will ask them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/ideally-each-week-i-d-like-to-have-rad-intelligent-creative-funny/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [My dad and grandpa were in the army and as a country singer you're constantly playing at military bases all across the country and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dierks-bentley/my-dad-and-grandpa-were-in-the-army-and-as-a-country-singer-you-re/) [Dierks Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dierks-bentley/) > [It's American Alternative radio stations that bug me. We're considered Alternative, but don't expect us to be played next to Blink 182 and Offspring.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/it-s-american-alternative-radio-stations-that-bug-me-we-re-considered/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [If we play to first time Blink 182 listeners, it's good they are listening to us and not the Backstreet Boys. Old Fans or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-barker/if-we-play-to-first-time-blink-182-listeners-it-s-good-they-are/) [Travis Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-barker/) > [For me personally, Blink-182 has been a big influence. Just seeing them way back in the day play little shows and start from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-bokan/for-me-personally-blink-182-has-been-a-big-influence-just-seeing-them/) [Beau Bokan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-bokan/) > [I love everything from country to alternative to Blink-182 and '90s music to Dave Matthews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-boldman/i-love-everything-from-country-to-alternative-to-blink-182-and-90s/) [Spencer Boldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-boldman/) > [The day Blink-182 announced their hiatus, I felt as if a part of me died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gaskarth/the-day-blink-182-announced-their-hiatus-i-felt-as-if-a-part-of-me/) [Alex Gaskarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gaskarth/) > [I saw Frances Bean at a Blink 182 show. And she was with a guy who looked just like Kurt Cobain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-tuff/i-saw-frances-bean-at-a-blink-182-show-and-she-was-with-a-guy-who/) [King Tuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-tuff/) > [I listen to all kinds of music. The Calling, Blink 182, Bruce Springsteen, I mean, it's everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-lundqvist/i-listen-to-all-kinds-of-music-the-calling-blink-182-bruce/) [Henrik Lundqvist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-lundqvist/) > [I think that breaking into the mainstream - it was just the right cycle of music for us in Blink-182. People were kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-think-that-breaking-into-the-mainstream-it-was-just-the-right-cycle/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [“Blame the promoter, not me. Damn you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/blame-the-promoter-not-me-damn-you/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [“the past is only the future with the lights on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/the-past-is-only-the-future-with-the-lights-on/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [“Oh my God, is it really the womens'? Sorry...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/oh-my-god-is-it-really-the-womens-sorry/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [A real punk is punk on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/a-real-punk-is-punk-on-the-inside/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) ## More by Mark Hoppus > [Ideas are really what interest me in producing a band, if I can bring something productive to the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/ideas-are-really-what-interest-me-in-producing-a-band-if-i-can-bring/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [All the really pretty girls get pregnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/all-the-really-pretty-girls-get-pregnant/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [There's also this weirdness to California, this darkness, it's a place where people come to follow their dreams and sometimes don't make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/there-s-also-this-weirdness-to-california-this-darkness-it-s-a-place/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [I would probably say, 'Don't worry so much about stuff as you grow up.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-would-probably-say-don-t-worry-so-much-about-stuff-as-you-grow-up/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [The process of introducing people to new music is amazing. It's a gift. One of the best parts of any day is when someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/the-process-of-introducing-people-to-new-music-is-amazing-it-s-a-gift/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [I still feel like we're the underdogs, but I feel like people respect us now. People might not like our band or love our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-still-feel-like-we-re-the-underdogs-but-i-feel-like-people-respect/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [I don't have a problem being on 'MTV,' and I don't have a problem being on the radio. I actually like it. So there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-don-t-have-a-problem-being-on-mtv-and-i-don-t-have-a-problem-being/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [Make yourself do something stupid so when you really do something stupid you won't feel so bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/make-yourself-do-something-stupid-so-when-you-really-do-something/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [It really expresses a man in pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/it-really-expresses-a-man-in-pain/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [I feel like anyone can be a kid forever as long as you have that mindset and attitude towards the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-feel-like-anyone-can-be-a-kid-forever-as-long-as-you-have-that/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [I dated the same girl all through high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-dated-the-same-girl-all-through-high-school/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [Now everything is available at the push of a button, and that thrill of the search is gone. With vinyl albums and special edition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/now-everything-is-available-at-the-push-of-a-button-and-that-thrill/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [I think age is just a stupid number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-think-age-is-just-a-stupid-number/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [“Oh my God, is it really the womens'? Sorry...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/oh-my-god-is-it-really-the-womens-sorry/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) > [When I was growing up skateboarding, a bunch of friends and I went to this thrift store and as we were leaving I jumped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/when-i-was-growing-up-skateboarding-a-bunch-of-friends-and-i-went-to/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) [Explore all 123 Mark Hoppus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) ## More Blink quotes > [I thought that the world was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings. My actions, the cricket's saw, the star's blink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/i-thought-that-the-world-was-a-vast-system-of-signs-a-conversation/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [...nothing wonderful lasted forever. Joy was as fleeting as a shooting star that crossed the evening sky, ready to blink out at any moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-wonderful-lasted-forever-joy-was-as-fleeting-as-a-shooting/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Nothing is ever truly set by fate. In one blink, everything changes. Even though it should be a clear, sunny day, the softest whisper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/nothing-is-ever-truly-set-by-fate-in-one-blink-everything-changes/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Gauguin flew into a frenzy! He held my head under the X-ray machine for ten straight minutes and for several hours after I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/gauguin-flew-into-a-frenzy-he-held-my-head-under-the-x-ray-machine/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I had achieved the most important things in my life when I married Joan and had the sons. Given the choice between Joan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-had-achieved-the-most-important-things-in-my-life-when-i-married/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [It's American Alternative radio stations that bug me. We're considered Alternative, but don't expect us to be played next to Blink 182 and Offspring.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/it-s-american-alternative-radio-stations-that-bug-me-we-re-considered/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [One thing that I think never goes out of style is just purity. Niceness and purity. And the Muppets have never lost that. Kermit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-segel/one-thing-that-i-think-never-goes-out-of-style-is-just-purity/) [Jason Segel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-segel/) > [“The stars blink like a hairnet that was dropped / on a seat and now it is lying in the alley behind / the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/the-stars-blink-like-a-hairnet-that-was-dropped-on-a-seat-and-now-it/) [Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/) > [Every cliche about kids is true; they grow up so quickly, you blink and they're gone, and you have to spend the time with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/every-cliche-about-kids-is-true-they-grow-up-so-quickly-you-blink-and/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Why women don't blink during foreplay... not enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/why-women-don-t-blink-during-foreplay-not-enough-time/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [When I write about "realizations," I am describing a state in which a practitioner has wisdom of who she or he is, and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-targ/when-i-write-about-realizations-i-am-describing-a-state-in-which-a/) Russell Targ > [You know, the smallest thing can change a life. In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance - and when you least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-know-the-smallest-thing-can-change-a-life-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Blink and you miss a sprint. The 10,000 meters is lap after lap of waiting. Theatrically, the mile is just the right length: beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/blink-and-you-miss-a-sprint-the-10-000-meters-is-lap-after-lap-of/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [“Every moment—every blink—is composed of a series of discrete moving parts, and every one of those parts offers an opportunity for intervention, for reform,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/every-moment-every-blink-is-composed-of-a-series-of-discrete-moving/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Every time I so much as blink you get an erection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/every-time-i-so-much-as-blink-you-get-an-erection/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) Browse all 396 Blink quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once I was in the Blink-182, going to Iraq was really touching. 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