I just finished watching a documentary I picked up from the Iraq Veterans Against War at the SOA demo a few days ago, a film called 'The Ground Truth'. First things first: I've gotta warn you, this documentary contains some very graphic footage from Iraq. There's footage of dead and wounded, and there's one rather powerful (or disturbing) clip of an Iraqi getting ready to fire a Rocket Propelled Grenade when he's cut down by gunfire. You can almost feel the moment the life leaves him in your gut as you watch the clip (It made me think 'Holy shit... Did I...just...watch that?'). So... If your not ready for that, you may want to pass on this. But, if you can get past that, I'd say that the insights in this film make it worth watching.

The film starts off by highlighting the processes used by the US Military to take a recruit from the mindset of a civilian, into the mindset of a soldier during basic training through interviews mostly with veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the main obstacles this training aims to overcome is the physiological barriers that make humans resist killing other humans. This seems to be done through sleep depravation and heavy physical exertion (because 'everyone is on the same level when their exhausted'), constant exposure to overwhelming demands and authority, chanting and cadence, and then drilling into their heads that the enemy is the enemy and its kill or be killed. some of the interviewees talk about the targets used during weapons training being referred to as "Osamas", "Talibans" or "Hajies" and the use of "man sized targets" to desensitise trainees to the impact of taking a life in combat and to minimise the resistance to pull the trigger.

The Film then moves onto Iraq and Afghanistan, and the recollections the Veterans on their experiences there. One of the vets recount how when they first got to Iraq and he asked his fellow soldiers why the US was there, the answer would usually be 'Because of 9/11', either for revenge or for prevention of a similar event. The film also takes time to examine how the difficulty in differentiating the 'enemy' from the general population lead to an acceptance of, or indifference to civilian casualties by some troops, and the difficulties that a resistance to that acceptance or indifference could produce in the minds of troops who found themselves around, or actually causing those casualties. Many come to the realisation that they cannot morally justify their presence or actions, but are trapped within the military and within Iraq. The film also starts to talk about how casualty figures gloss over the realties of the injuries sustained by soldiers. for the most part, when people here "6 soldiers injured", they assume that that means the soldiers will spend a few weeks or months in hospital, and then get on with their lives. in reality, many of these injured are injured for life, with something like a limb blown off, a shattered spine, or blindness... Here, the film starts to examine those who are wounded mentally. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) becomes a major theme of the film. This starts the transition to the next part of the film.

As the soldiers come home, they start to realise that even though they aren't injured by bullets or shrapnel, something is wrong. Other's realise that even though the critical part of their physical recovery from injuries sustained is over, they are experiencing many mental health issues. The Vets talk about trouble with relationships, anger management issues, recurring dreams, intrusive thoughts, etc, etc, etc. I think all the Veterans interviewed found the U.S. Military's ability and willingness to help them deal with their mental health and physical health issues to be far from adequate. Some found themselves entangled in a web of red-tape, others found themselves shunned for asking for help. At this point, I felt that any anti-war subtext to the film really took a back seat to calls for a need for the Veteran's Administration and the US military to do more for veterans who are dealing with lingering injuries or PTSD and other mental health issues... but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I think that the main purpose of the documentary was to illuminate the lasting affects of military service and combat on the minds of soldiers. One expert in the movie points out that the training recruits go through changes how the mind work, to hardwire survival in combat into the soldier's brain. The problem is, the military hasn't made much of an effort to find a way to undo those changes when a soldier's service is finished. I came away from watching this thinking that the message being conveyed is that: These soldiers are willing to fight and risk their lives for their country. In return they ask that they be taken care of if they need help when they return, not be put into harms way unless it's absolutely necessary and that the war in Iraq (and Afghanistan) wasn't and isn't worth the risk and consequences that they have endured.

If your looking for related films and documentaries, I'd recommend the following:
Gunner's palace
Occupation Dreamland
Why We Fight
Baghdad ER
several episodes of PBS Front-lines

I'm also keeping an eye out for the following:
BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge
Soldiers Pay
Blood of my Brother
The War Tapes
When I Came Home

http://thegroundtruth.net/

-30-
Mike.
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