The Unreal War

Ten years ago, U.S. troops were sent into Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Since then Hollywood has made movies about war and soldier’s experiences in war, but are these movies showing what war really is? Do they show how soldiers are actually affected by war? No, they change what war really is and only show a soldier’s condition after war. This will make them money and make the movies more emotionally appealing to the audience.

These movies do not show what war is really like. They are set to the “after-war” condition, when the soldier has returned home and is trying to reintegrate back into their civilian life. The movies start when they are welcomed home with open arms by loved ones and seen as heroes. This is what the audience wants to see, it is what makes them leave the movie with a good feeling but also sympathy towards the soldier. According to Alyssa Rosenberg, “the movie Stop-Loss is about a soldier, who has come home from war, but his contract is reupped and he has to go back overseas. This movie takes place in the “after-war” condition of the soldier and doesn’t show footage of war events and experiences of the soldier.” This movie appealed emotionally to the audience. The audience felt sympathy for the soldier, they believed that he should not have to return and go through the horrible experiences of war again.

 Movies like The Hurt Locker and Black Hawk Down take place in the field, in the middle of battle and come the closest to showing what life is like in the field, but are these movies true? They are not entirely true, but are based off real life events. However, Hollywood still changed stories or added attractions to the movies to make them more appealing to the audience. For example, in the movie Black Hawk Down there was a scene when a group of soldiers took out a group of Somali soldiers under the cover of the night in a stealth like way, and then blew up the weapon-mounted vehicle. This appeals to the audience because it was a cool way to take the enemy out without being detected and end it with an explosion. Another example of the changes that Hollywood makes is in The Hurt Locker when William James defies protocols and orders on his bomb-defusing missions. In the military, no one is allowed to break protocols and orders no matter how high their ranking.
 

How do veterans feel about changes in war movies based off real wars or battles? Doing this angers the veterans that have experienced these battles and conditions first hand. In my interview with veteran Larry Beverly, he stated, “The movies are entertaining and may have some truth, but they do not show what really happens and do not capture the true feelings of the soldiers. They only show what they think will capture the eyes of their audience, the dangerous explosions and action packed fighting. Veterans put their lives on the line to fight for their country and war movies make it appealing and enjoyable. This is what makes me as a veteran angry about war movies.” I agree with him that war movies should exploit the truths about war, how the soldiers really feel, and show their experiences first hand.

If Hollywood is going to continue to make war movies, they need to make them true by gathering more information on what really goes on in war. Some movies do come close to portraying some truth about the war, but Hollywood leaves out a lot of essential information. War movies can be entertaining but also need to be truthful, to show what a soldier really goes through for their country, not to give a sense of false support and sympathy to our troops. Veterans may feel disrespected but that is not Hollywood’s intention. They do not mean to make veterans feel disrespected they are just doing what will make them money.

Children In War

In the battle of Mogadishu every civilian that was loyal to General Aidid and his cause fought for him. Men, women, and even children were all a part of the Somali militia. No one would ever expect a women let alone a child to pick up a gun and fire back at them. Could you bring yourself to kill a child in this situation? In the movie Black Hawk Down, SGT. Urich travels through a family’s home and slips out the back window to avoid a mob. When he slipped out the window, he startled the little boy soldier and the boy shot his father by accident. SGT. Urich did not kill the child; he could not bring himself to do it. Should he have killed the child or did he make the right choice? Personally, I think that he should have shot the child.

It is my belief that no child should ever be exposed to wars and battles like those held in Mogadishu. Instead, they should be playing, laughing, having fun, and not fighting in a battle.  I think children are just entirely too young to be put in a battle. This was wrong for the militia to do but, I understand why it was done. These children followed their parents who supported General Aidid’s cause and so they fought alongside their parents. Did they know that the decision they were making was right? Maybe, maybe not, but they made the decision based off what they believed to be right. They did not know any better, and decided based off what they were taught.

As for me, if I came faced with a situation like this I would have to take the child’s life, although I would regret it for the rest of my life. However, as soon as that child picked up the weapon they became my enemy. I am not going to lie, I would have to wrestle with that decision for a moment but when push comes to shove, its either my life or theirs. I know it would be an extremely hard and long process to forgive yourself after committing such an act but you have to go on living. I interviewed my world history teacher Dawn Diver who is a former soldier. She stated that, “A child came to the base with a bomb strapped to himself. I chose to kill the child because it was either the child or everyone in the base.” To this day, she still thinks about that child and the choice she made.   

I know many people would not be able to pull the trigger in a situation like this. They just would not have it in them to take a child’s life no matter the circumstances. They couldn’t live with the guilt, regret, and pain of the aftermath.