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June 23, 2006
Grunts
Early in the Iraq war, the country struggled with a crucial question: Could a citizen oppose the war and support the troops? Last night at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, I saw the answer right before my eyes.
The occasion was the New Hampshire premiere of The War Tapes, the movie shot by soldiers from a New Hampshire unit and directed via the internet. Afterward, I moderated a panel discussion with Director Deborah Scranton, Executive Producer Chuck Lacy, Maj. Greg Heilshorn and the three stars of the movie, Mike Moriarty, Steve Pink and Zack Bazzi.
I say stars, but the three men were also grunts – infantrymen. From Humvee escorts to profane needling to s--- detail, the movie the three men helped to shoot had no role for glory. Cynicism, humor, resignation, danger, brutality – yes – but no glory. Their unit, Charlie Company, 3rd of the 172nd Mountain Infantry Division, had a job to do, and the men did it and survived and came home changed.
When the lights came up after the movie last night, I sat on the stage surveying the crowd. I knew many people there. If someone had polled the crowd, I’ll bet at least 60 percent would have said they either opposed the Iraq war from the beginning or had serious reservations about it. But only one thing flowed from the crowd to the soldiers onstage: appreciation. And it flowed from the soldiers back to the crowd as well. They appreciated being appreciated.
The first question from the audience came from a woman who wanted to know how to help her 20-year-old son through the aftermath of his tour in Iraq. Give him time and space, the soldiers counseled. The next questioner was a Vietnam veteran haunted by the parallels between their war and his. These young Iraq war veterans said they could not understand how a country’s citizenry could blame the soldiers of the Vietnam generation for the unpopular war in which they fought.
This exchange struck a chord with me. There is a point in the film when the men touch down at Maguire Air Force Base in New Jersey. They have made it home. Soon they are on buses passing the blue sign welcoming them to New Hampshire (a cheer from the Cap Center audience). A throng of relatives and friends has gathered to greet them. Thirty-five years ago, I returned to McGuire from two years overseas. Once I had been bused to the Philadelphia airport, my fellow Americans greeted me with cold stares and disgusted looks. I couldn’t wait to get out of my uniform.
What I saw last night was that the public can separate the policy from the men who volunteer to carry it out. Yes, the audience had just seen a compelling documentary in which Moriarty, Pink and Bazzi bared their souls. But the warmth the audience projected was meant not only for them personally but also for all the men and women who put on the uniform.
One moment I’ll not forget from this event came at the very end. In fact, it came after the end – after I had closed the questioning and the audience and the soldiers had applauded each other. A beefy man with close-cropped hair came to one of the microphones, and the crowd hushed. I thought: Uh-oh. The man identified himself as a Marine and explained that Marines don’t necessarily follow the same rules as everyone else. Then the man said he had only one message for the soldiers on stage, and he popped to attention and drew his right hand to his brow in a salute.
Posted by Mike Pride at June 23, 2006 09:19 AM
Comments
Finally, someone seems to understand; many people either don't or simply refuse to understand.
George W. Bush is not the United States of America, nor is the flag. The Constitution is the United States of America. And for all to see, should they choose to, it clearly states within its wording that we each have not only the right to an opinion, but also the right to a split opinion.
Allen J. Duffis
Editor
The Conservative Independent
Posted by: Allen J. Duffis at June 24, 2006 07:43 AM
I'm curious if you have any opinion on the recent controversy over the newspaper reports detailing a secret but legal government program which scans bank records. Were the various newspapers right to report on this program? Did you agree with Bill Keller's letter to his readers? Or is it only newsworthy if a secret program is illegal?
Posted by: Jonah Lehrer at June 27, 2006 11:26 AM