Land of the Coerced, and the Home of the Slave

Just when you thought the list of awful things about the Iraq war was complete, there’s another line item to add. The movie Operation Dreamland is a documentary of the lives of soldiers in Fallujah. The link above will take you the trailers page; at the bottom, watch the “Recruiting” video, which roiled me enough to make this post. A pair of commanding officers mock and demean their soldiers, who have already served their country, in an effort to get them to stay on for another tour of duty. The presentation includes a slideshow, where one slide called “What are my options?” shows a footer reading “Retaining the Army of One,” showing that this process is a concerted effort by the military to prevent the loss of their fighting force. I can appreciate the position the American military is in, but I wish they wouldn’t shame their surviving soldiers with statments like. “You can’t go home and live with momma; she’s not gonna put up with you anymore.”

I think most mommas would be damned proud and relieved to have their sons come home to them.