QotD
"War is beautiful if you don't get killed. But because you know it's going to kill, it's no longer beautiful."
~ Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist whose enslavement and eventual escape from the murderous Khmer Rouge in 1979 became the subject of the award-winning film The Killing Fields.
He died at a New Jersey hospital this morning of pancreatic cancer at the age of 65. (thx march_hare_girl)
I was very excited to see this film, and I was not disappointed. This is not just another film about the war in Iraq. It does not advocate desertion. Most importantly, it's not anti-war - it's pro-soldier.
It shows a slice of the feelings that real soldiers who are "stop-lossed" must experience upon receiving the news, and the choices they are forced to contemplate. If you've been looking forward to getting out and getting on with your life, I can't imagine the shock - and anger - that someone experiences when they're told that the military has made this decision for them. If someone decides to re-enlist, that's one thing, but I still don't think it's right to re-enlist veterans against their will, particularly after the service they've already give.
Most of you probably don't know that I have an uncle and a cousin (both on my dad's side) in Iraq right now. While I am not particularly close to my dad's side of the family, I would be very angry if one or both of them returned home, hoping to return to a life resembling something "normal", only to be sent back whether they want to go or not. I'd be even more angry if they were killed on that tour, when they had originally wanted to leave the military and make a life for themselves. I think that's one of the biggest blows a military family could experience - knowing that the person would still be alive if the military had just let them go like they were supposed to. Again, we're not close, but I'd probably support my relatives in whatever course of action they chose - whether it be to go back, or do what they needed to do to fight against it - though from what I know, lawsuits against the military haven't been very successful in this area. :(
Another area the movie hits, albeit minimally, is giving a glimpse of the long lasting effects of combat on veterans who try to reintegrate themselves into life on the home front - disfigurement, substance abuse, PTSD, marital conflict, and bursts of rage. I remember sitting in the theater thinking about how returning servicemen - particularly those who have been very badly injured - would be in dire need of counseling services once they are back stateside, and that there's probably a shortage of clinicians in much the same way that there's a shortage of new recruits. Ironically, I got a postcard in the mail from an agency in Columbus yesterday about working with military families (for which I was licensed to do, but would be very interested to become involved in at some point).
There's no heavy handed political message here. Everything about the movie is completely believable and relies on the human element to move the story forward. The writer/director shows the audience that when someone must choose between duty to their country and to themselves, there is no easy answer.
~ Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist whose enslavement and eventual escape from the murderous Khmer Rouge in 1979 became the subject of the award-winning film The Killing Fields.
He died at a New Jersey hospital this morning of pancreatic cancer at the age of 65. (thx march_hare_girl)
I was very excited to see this film, and I was not disappointed. This is not just another film about the war in Iraq. It does not advocate desertion. Most importantly, it's not anti-war - it's pro-soldier.
It shows a slice of the feelings that real soldiers who are "stop-lossed" must experience upon receiving the news, and the choices they are forced to contemplate. If you've been looking forward to getting out and getting on with your life, I can't imagine the shock - and anger - that someone experiences when they're told that the military has made this decision for them. If someone decides to re-enlist, that's one thing, but I still don't think it's right to re-enlist veterans against their will, particularly after the service they've already give.
Most of you probably don't know that I have an uncle and a cousin (both on my dad's side) in Iraq right now. While I am not particularly close to my dad's side of the family, I would be very angry if one or both of them returned home, hoping to return to a life resembling something "normal", only to be sent back whether they want to go or not. I'd be even more angry if they were killed on that tour, when they had originally wanted to leave the military and make a life for themselves. I think that's one of the biggest blows a military family could experience - knowing that the person would still be alive if the military had just let them go like they were supposed to. Again, we're not close, but I'd probably support my relatives in whatever course of action they chose - whether it be to go back, or do what they needed to do to fight against it - though from what I know, lawsuits against the military haven't been very successful in this area. :(
Another area the movie hits, albeit minimally, is giving a glimpse of the long lasting effects of combat on veterans who try to reintegrate themselves into life on the home front - disfigurement, substance abuse, PTSD, marital conflict, and bursts of rage. I remember sitting in the theater thinking about how returning servicemen - particularly those who have been very badly injured - would be in dire need of counseling services once they are back stateside, and that there's probably a shortage of clinicians in much the same way that there's a shortage of new recruits. Ironically, I got a postcard in the mail from an agency in Columbus yesterday about working with military families (for which I was licensed to do, but would be very interested to become involved in at some point).
There's no heavy handed political message here. Everything about the movie is completely believable and relies on the human element to move the story forward. The writer/director shows the audience that when someone must choose between duty to their country and to themselves, there is no easy answer.