War movies made during World War II supported the Allied effort, because everyone knew it was a war that had to be won. Then came Viet Nam, and apart from John Wayne’s “The Green Berets“, cinematic efforts thereafter dwelt chiefly upon how twisted the war was, or how it had barbarous the soldiers sent to fight it had been, or how devastated their post-war lives had become.
Much for the worse, these movies helped to shape cultural attitudes for a generation.
In fact, it was with some surprise that I saw “Once Were Soldiers“(2002) and “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) – movies that neither glorified war nor pornographized it, but which allowed us to see the essential decency of good men doing the best they could for each other in a hideously trying environment. Enough time must have past for Hollywood to try something new and show servicemen in a favorable human light.
All changed, changed utterly: A terrible banality is born:
(Before) you even get to the Iraqi people, higher values and morals and all that, how about the experience of thousands of American soldiers who have gone willingly into combat, fighting, dying and ultimately prevailing side by side. Hardly seems like support to be constantly portraying them as psychological basket cases, thoughtless killers, incompetents. How about the incredible drama of self-sacrifice by young men like Ross McGinnis, described by his father as a real-life Bart Simpson who made something of himself, and then gave it away for his friends? Want a great cinematic speech? Robert Kaplan brought this one back from First Fallujah:
“It was sometimes hard to imagine anyone more serious and intense than Captain Jason Smith. Yet there was a courtly quality about him too. I thought of a Confederate officer. Through his Iraqi interpreter Smith told the man, ‘Sir, we are truly sorry that we had to ask your family to leave the building. You can all go back in now. We will compensate you for the inconvenience. We are United States Marines, a different breed than you are used to. We do not take kindly to people shooting at us. If you have any information about the Ali Babas, please share it with us. If you know any of the Ali Babas personally, please tell them to attack us as quickly as possible, so that we may kill them and start repairing sewers, electricity, and other services in your city.’”
Read the whole thing, whyncha.
Most excellent writing….
We Were Soldiers… not Once… =)
Crittenden makes some excellent points.
Been on the waiting list for a copy of Filkin’s “The Forever War” at the library. Looking forward to reading it. From what I gather it’s an excellent view into both the Iraq and Afghan wars.
Anyone out there read it yet?
Brian
It’s well written with lots of interesting vignettes but he doesn’t put much context in and most of the stories are undated which makes them difficult to tie to other accounts of their place and time.
At some point, perhaps a year or two ago, we were discussing what binds men in war. Did they fight for an ideal, an idea, did they fight for each other or did they just fight to survive in circumstances they were placed in?
Reading this made me ponder, I’m awfully glad I’ve never had to fight like these men.
And I’m deeply ashamed to have not known them or heard their tales while they were fighting for me and mine. Or been able to thank them for the burden they’ve lifted from me.
My God, where do we get such men?
– Max
MaxD, They fight together and for each other to prevail, as a unit, in their mission and to thereafter ultimately survive the circumstances that they were placed in…ideals and ideas are what likely got them there in the first instance. Best
PS, The Green Berets movie, however well intentioned, it is an embarrasing piece of Sh*t… from 06 Duke Wayne leading a combat operation actually wearing a Green Beret no less( the most unconfortable headgear devised by man) to the final scene with the Dukester observing the sun as it sets over the South China Sea…kind of says it all for me.
Snake/
‘Course the sun was setting in the wrong direction! Movie came out at the time I was at DaNang; we all thought it a total hoot and hilarious at the time. Pathetic, really. A total embarrassment of a movie. A sad end to an illustrious career.