SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE

SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE - 2007

RATED - Not recommended for under 13. Graphic images of war and violence and adult language.

RATINGS - 12 IMDB (8.5/10). Not listed on Amazon & Netflix as of this date.

AWARDS - BEST DOCUMENTARY at the Rhode Island Film Festival, the Foyle Film Festival and the Salem Film Festival. Other nominations. Shown on PBS - Point of View (POV).

STORY - This documentary tells the story of four Iraqi war veterans who became conscientious objectors (CO)and their individual paths to that decision. All four are very thoughtful and very articulate in telling their stories. They are all different with the common link being the inhuman treatment they had all witnessed in Iraq toward civilians and enemy soldiers. Two of the soldiers were enemy interrogators, one at Abu Ghraib. The film begins with a study done by the U.S. Army after WWII in which it was discovered, on average, only 25% of soldiers fired their weapons at the enemy during combat, even when their own lives were in jeopardy. In effect, in the heat of battle, 75% of the soldiers became CO's. The military set about to change this, realizing that if the decision to shoot to kill had to pass through a soldier's conscience, the vast majority would choose not to. They started training soldiers to kill instinctively, making it a reflex action, rather than a conscious decision. They were successful in raising those numbers to 85-90% during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. The Army cooperated in making this film and their point of view is also given and no attempt is made to manipulate the viewer even though the story is really about the soldiers' journeys. In fact, there are difficult questions to answer regarding conflict. A West Point professor asks, 'how would Jesus have portrayed the Good Samaritan if he had come upon the victim while he was being attacked'. Would he have joined in and helped defend against the attacker? There are actual scenes from the military at training camps where soldiers are being 'trained' to kill. This film opens the door for potentially many great discussions about the nature of the military and what it does to young men and women who are trained to kill and then must 'turn that instinct off' when they come back home. Are CO's really cowards hiding behind a convenient philosophy? What really is the purpose of the military? Is our military today reflective of that purpose or have we gone way beyond that as President Eisenhower warned in his farewell speech? Watch it and join the discussion. It is a discussion that needs to happen. The pictures of civilians and enemy soldiers who are killed or wounded are quite graphic and not appropriate for young children. All four of the soldiers have written books and are linked in the CT Review below. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 12/6/2008.

LINKS - CT REVIEW, FILM WEBSITE, IMDB, PBS-POV