The Passionnate Eye: Off to War Documentary

[MdB]

Off to War documentary is airin Monday March 7 at 9pm on CBC-TV repeating Wednesday March 9 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld.

Here's the desription (http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/offtowar.html):
Off to War follows the lives  of U.S. National Guardsmen who find themselves being deployed  into the battlefields of Iraq, even though many have huge  misgivings about the war and their ability to fight. The film focuses on the 239th Engineer Company, which is made  up of 57 citizen soldiers from the small town of Clarksville, Arkansas, who never expected to be forced to leave their  jobs and families. The film also reveals the heavy emotional  strain on the families and friends who are left behind. In  a township of just under 7,000, the departure of the 239th brings war and its terrors into every home in the community.

Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, filmmakers and brothers Craig and Brent Renaud followed these â Å“part-time soldiersâ ? from their first notification of deployment to Iraq in October, 2003, to the first casualties on the ground and beyond. These part-time soldiers, who are members of the National Guard and Army Reserve, and who typically drill just a weekend a month and two weeks in the summer, now make up about 40 per cent of the U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. They are often assigned some of the most dangerous missions, including convoy duty and guarding facilities.

For more than a year, Off to War cameras followed men like Ronald Jackson, a turkey farmer; Joe Betts, a Baptist minister; and David Short, a police officer who thought taking the life of another human being while in the line of duty in 2001 would have prepared him for the front and the death of two of his comrades. The men's families fear for the safety of their husbands, brothers and fathers, who work ordinary jobs back home and who now face an unidentified enemy fighting with improvised weapons and no rules. â Å“Everything they told us in our training, you can throw out the window,â ? says Sergeant Betts. â Å“There is no security here.â ?

Within 24-hours of arrival in Baghdad, the 239th experiences its first fatal casualty. And the lives of the soldiers and their families back home are changed forever.

Off to War is directed by Craig and Brent Renaud; executive producer is Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jon Alpert.

 

[John Nayduk]

I have to wonder if, being a CBC production, it focused on those who didn't want to go.   How many people in that unit wanted to dotheir part for the country?   My biggest question, for them AND us is, what the H##L did you think you joined?   Don't join if you aren't willing to go, bottom line, you're in the Army.

 

[turretmonster]

"Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, filmmakers and brothers Craig and Brent Renaud followed these â Å“part-time soldiersâ ? from their first......."

Don't think it was a CBC production, rather one CBC purchased.

I thought it was a good production that showed just how deployment effects the folks back home as well as these National Guardsmen.

TM

 

[LF(CMO)]

I have to wonder if, being a CBC production, it focused on those who didn't want to go.  How many people in that unit wanted to dotheir part for the country?  My biggest question, for them AND us is, what the H##L did you think you joined?  Don't join if you aren't willing to go, bottom line, you're in the Army.

I was almost certain that if good 'ole CBC was involved that theme was going to be negative.  My Dad was NG and was called up for WW II.  He was in for 5 years; three of which were in the South Pacific.  It was the greatest event of his life.  I'm sure for most of the 'Guard' called up for this one that will be true as well.

My Dad's old unit was activated about 3 months ago. Checking the comments in the local newspaper the above was the prevailing attitude; " this is what we joined for, let's get the job done".

A couple of points of interest.  The ages ranged from 19 to 58 and there was a predominance of French-Canadian surnmes being a Quebec border community.

 

[Cloud Cover]

FWIW, CBC Radio "The Current" had a pretty good radio documentary on yesterday morning as well. It was another one they "purchased", and most defintely did not produce.  It dealt with the issue of PTSD arising from the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The documentary was not, IMHO, Bush bashing or anything of the sort. it just told the stories of how men and women are dealing with the stress of war, and what needs to be done to assist them. The show briefly dealt with some sort of medication which can apparently ease the onset of traumatic "flashbacks".

Apparently, there is some growing concern in the US about the number of returning veterans who are shutting themselves in - they don't want to be around other people, sometimes for weeks at a time. I am wondering if there are increasing instances of temporary AWOL charges being laid against soldiers who have returned from Iraq - good soldiers who just take off for a few weeks just to get the hell away from everybody and everything so they can sort their personal thoughts out.     

 

[Shec]

I have to wonder if, being a CBC production, it focused on those who didn't want to go.   How many people in that unit wanted to dotheir part for the country?   My biggest question, for them AND us is, what the H##L did you think you joined?   Don't join if you aren't willing to go, bottom line, you're in the Army.

Exactly.  Two scenes stuck in my mind, a sergeant starting to cry at the prospect of being deployed and the private who thought that service did not demand anything more strenuous than attending weekend parties.    Notwithstandng the usual griping, that sort of snivelling and whining from draftees I can understand but when it comes from those who joined up voluntarily I can only conclude that they are either incredibly naive or incredibly stupid.  

 

[48Highlander]

I shudder to think what sort of documentary they could produce if they decided to follow around some of the shitpumps from my unit....

 

[Fishbone Jones]

IMHO, the CBC's job, as mandated by the mandarins in Ottawa, is to show the US coalition in the worst possible light. It helps confirm/ deflect their reasons for not participating.

 

[vangemeren]

I don't think I ever say a military documentary that had the general feeling of "huah, lets go over and kick some ass" when they were going to the warzone after the initial battle.

 

[Baloo]

I thought it was a good documentary, gave both sides of the argument, those for and those against. Sure, it showed the men who wanted to come home or were totally against going, but it also showed the Private who wanted to be there, to be with his father, and those who thought they understood the reasons for going to war. In the end, they were only National Guardsmen, and cannot be necessarily be expected to be all gung-ho and pro-Iraq war. This was not a CBC made film to show how badly the war was, or why it was wrong.

I was shocked however, at the scene where they are on the range. From what I gathered, it seemed like they had never even fired before that time?

 

[S McKee]

I only saw the last half of the program..I thought it was pretty sad, basically taking Arkansas hillbillies and shipping them halfway around the world. What I found most disturbing was seeing those soldiers bolt "armour" on to their trucks.... and we think that we have equipment problems

 

[pbi]

Comments that I gathered from US types (both Active Army and ARNG) while I was in Afghanistan, as well as the reaction from some ARNG pers back at the time of the first Gulf War, suggest to me that there were a significant number of people in the ARNG (at least, until very recently...) who had joined for the wrong reasons, and really didn't understand what being in the ARNG meant. Well-now they know.

I think it is important to keep two things in mind. First, as far as I know, most ARNG soldiers go willingly and do their jobs the best that they can. Film makers trying to make a point will look for footage that supports their point, right?

Second, let us be very, very careful before we pick up any stones: IMHO we are living in a bit of a glass house ourselves. As numerous threads on this site have discussed, we also have numbers of people in the CF (both Reg and Res) who have little real idea why they are in, lack professionalism, and make no secret that they regard their service as a "job" (I include the "30 percenters" over on the Union thread...). How much better would these people be than these ARNG soldiers?

Let us not be too smug.

Cheers

 

[John Nayduk]

I have to agree with pbi.  Film makers will always include their bias in their films. 
During the first Gulf War, when many of us ere lining up outside the CO's door to volunteer to go if it came to it, we had one officer who made no bones of telling everyone that he would stick an ice pick in his ear rather than go.  It's because of him that I remind my guys what they are in and that they better not treat this like some kind of hobby.

 

[Bomber]

I watched most of that documentary, it was pretty impressive.  I showed a very different view that is so often portraid by Wolf Blitzer or Micheal Moore.  It reminded me of something you would see in Meaford shacks or something.  the guys had long hours and messy rooms.  They lived in the "Trailer Park" a big clump of ATCO trailers.  It showed them going to the range, had about the same accuracy as any other unit that would shoot 2 or 3 times per year.  It also showed their displeasure with their governments decision to commit them to a war without the proper equipment.  The guys on that video reminded me a lot of what I see in our army.  They were assigned to do a convoy into "Taji" from Kuwait that started in the late afternoon and ended in the late morning the next day, the biggest problem was that most of their "Vietnam era" trucks were dying on the road.  At the end of the convoy it looked like every running vehicle had another vehicle in tow with a trailer on there for good measure.  The troops were very unimpressed with this as they understood that if there was any type of ambush along the way and a tow snapped, the driver of the truck would probably get left behind.  It showed the bolting garbage on to use as armour, and filling vehicles almost to capacity with sandbags.  There were some more professional members of the unit that were scared out of their wits about going into a war with the undisciplined yokels that some of them obviously were.  This was a really good documentary, ad showed more of what it is like day to day, not just burning bodies, Moore Style, or surgical strikes and Iraqi's welcoming Democracy, Blitzer style.

 

[camochick]

For those who missed it, they are showing the documentary again tonight at 8pm Alberta time on cbc newsworld. 

 

[jswift872]

I will be sure to tune in...that's at 11 pm atlantic time right?

 

[camochick]

Yeah but they might show it earlier in the atlantic provinces(home sweet home), i would check your local listings hehe >

 

[Spr.Earl]

I watched it,it's takes place on just over a year of training and about two months in Country.
Just thank your God you live in Canada.

The heart wrenching part was the family side of it,the son and father when Dad comes home after being wounded in the camp in his ISO and the Wife looking after the farm on her own and trying to meet the bill's.

Just over 40% of the Forces in Iraq are Guard and Reserves!!!

Yup we are lucky here.

 

[John Nayduk]

While it is heart wrenching to see the families going through a rough time but it is no different in the regular force.  Maybe they forgot that they joined the army, reserve or Nation Guard, the word Army should have tipped them off. 
Here in Canada there are many reservists on tours and have been since the early 90s (25% to 50% in some cases).  We go through the same parting sorrows. 
Here is some advice that I posted on the LFRR site that might be worth reading for those who joined and are not clear on the concept.  It's geared to the reserves but could apply to the regulars as well. 

Joining up? Here's some advice:


1) The army is not here to guarantee anybody summer employment in the location of your choice. You go where the army needs you. Remember, you're in the â Å“Serviceâ ?. That doesn't mean service to you; it's service to the country.

2) Someday, you are going to get shot at by someone who doesn't care who you are, what sex, religion, ethnic background you are, how much education you have or if their actions will hurt your feelings.

3) Someday, you may have to kill someone in the course of your duties.

4) You will have to take orders from someone who has more rank or authority than you do. Most likely, they have that rank or authority because they have earned it by taking more training or have more experience than you.

5) You will have to pull your own weight. In this part of Canadian society, you are judged by your performance, nothing else. It does not matter who you know, where your family is from or how much money they have.

6) You never quit. Whether on course or operations, you keep going because other people are counting on you and their life, as well as yours, may depend on it. If you are having a hard time with the training, it's up to you to get yourself into shape, not the army.

7) You are responsible for your actions.

8) This is not a social club. There is nothing wrong with having friends and a good time but when it's time to do the job, you do it.

9) Sometimes, despite all of the safety procedures, some people get hurt during training or operations. If it happens while you're there, use the first aid training you received and help out.

10) The more experience you get from courses, exercises, reading and asking questions may save your life or the life of someone else. Get all the experience you can.

11) You will need to lean to trust the people you are working with. Be honest in everything you do. If you make a mistake, for whatever reason, own up to it.

12) If you don't know what you're talking about, keep your mouth shut unless you're asking questions. But be smart enough to try to figure out the solutions to the problems first.

13) Taking courses is great but don't be afraid to use the lessons you are taught, go on tour. The army needs you.

14) During the course of training and operations, you can expect to be uncomfortable. There will be many times when you'll be hungry, wet, cold, hot, dry, sweaty, dirty, stinky, thirsty, and be surrounded by people who are in the same condition. Work through it.

15) You'll have to do the job regardless of the weather. There is no time off for bad weather.

16) During the course of your time in the military, you will be put into dangerous situations. Your training will carry you through.

17) You may be a member of an old and distinguished regiment who have had many heroes in the ranks. Your regiment may have many battle honours. What matters is what you do from today forward. No adversary gives a damn and the deeds of the past will not win a war today.

18) If you think you have it bad, remember those soldiers who fought for our country in the Great War, World War 2 and the Korean War. Read some of our military history and talk to some veterans.

19) We have a small army and if you stay in long enough, you'll meet almost everyone in it. How do you want people to remember you? Always be professional.

20) Don't stand when you can sit, don't sit when you can lie down and don't just lie there if you can get some sleep. After the work is finished, that is.

21) Wear your uniform with pride.

22) Be proud of whatever rank you have, you earned it. If you don't like the rank you have, do something about it. Take the courses and get the experience necessary for promotion.

23) This will not be easy but it will be rewarding. You'll take from this experience what you want. If your time in the army won't be fondly remembered, it's your fault, not the army's. You're offered the same thing as every other recruit that walks through the door. What you do with it is up to you.

24) You won't like everyone you meet and not everyone will like you. Get over it and get the job done.

25) Courses are never as bad as the real thing. If you can't take the hardship of courses, maybe the army isn't for you.

26) Remember, you work for the people of Canada. If there is a need for troops in Canada for a disaster or some other emergency, volunteer. That's what you're here for.

27) Take criticism as it is intended, not personally. Whoever is talking to you is trying to help you to become better then you are currently.

28) Listen to the advice of those soldiers that have been around a while. They should be smart enough to know that making the team stronger is the only smart thing to do.

I certainly don't mean any disrespect to anyone here but come on, their country is at war and they are in the army.

 

[MdB]

This shoud be put in some Recruiting FAQs. Just a note for the moderator.