Ten Documentaries For Veterans Day

Body of War tells the heart wrenching story of how 22-year-old Tomas Young enlisted to serve his country and became a victim of the Iraq War. Young's experiences, as presented by the capable and concerned Phil Donahue, show that young American soldiers are the real victims of the Iraq War. Tomas Young could be anyone's son, brother, father. The film is a powerful reminder that we benefit from resolving conflicts without going to war. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

Disarm., an in-depth study and status report about efforts to remove landmines still buried in fields and forests around the globe, is a reminder that the effects of war persist even after accords have been reached. Soldiers and citizens are killed and maimed daily by landmines, and this film strongly advocates that the manufacture, trade, stockpiling and deployment of all landmines be banned. In the film, we meet victims and the valiant nonviolent crusaders who are leading the fight to make the world safe from these heinous weapons. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

FTA, which documents performances by “Free Theater Associates,” a theatrical cabaret group featuring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and other actors, during the Vietnam War, is an anti-war film that went missing shortly after its premiere in 1972. Now restored and available to the public, the film is an important record showing the strength of opposition to the Vietnam War from military personnel and from the American public. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

Somewhere in the Mohave Desert, American soldiers train at fake Iraqi towns maintained by the Army. It's here that they practice battle tactics and learn to deal with Iraqi people before deployment to Iraq. The towns look real enough, with accurate street plans and architecture. And, they're inhabited by a full cast of Arabic-speaking actors playing mayor, rebel, Sunni, Shiite, terrorist, loyalist, wife, mother, teenage boys and girls, grocer and all the other characters who'd live in a real Iraqi town. Does this prepare our troops for war? Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

The Good Soldier is a powerful documentary in which filmmakers Lexi Lovell and Michael Uys present a cadre of highly decorated soldiers who'd fought valiantly in America's wars -- World War II, Vietnam, the Gulf War and Iraq -- and, in doing so, came to the conclusion that warfare is neither a righteous nor effective way to resolve differences of opinion, ideology and/or national interests. Opens theatrically in New York on Veterans Day, November 11, 2009.

Lioness, by filmmakers Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers, profiles a group of courageous women soldiers who were deployed to Iraq as support personnel--mechanics, cooks, and clerks--but found themselves in actual combat situations. Known as Team Lioness, they are the first generation of American women to return home as combat veterans, and their debriefing in this film is heart wrenching and enlightening. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

Soldiers of Conscience profiles eight American soldiers, four of whom believe that killing is wrong and refuse to kill, and four of whom believe that killing in times and under the conditions of warfare is necessary and acceptable. This well-balanced documentary shows that most combat personnel grapple with the morality of killing, and that whether they decide to kill or refuse to do so, the issue has lasting effects on their lives, outlooks and future behavior. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

How do soldiers react to tensions of duty? At Abu Ghraib, military interrogators took snapshots of their harsh techniques, but when photos of shackled, naked men forced into humiliating, terrifying positions became public, they faced criminal indictments, incarceration and dishonorable discharges. Errol Morris discovers their bad behavior was typical and known to officers--who went unpunished. It's hard to accept the harsh actions of the soldiers. The film shows how conditions of war lead to dehumanization, so that even victors become victims. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

In Waltz With Bashir, documentary filmmaker Ari Folman investigates the meaning of his own troubling dreams and memories generated by his wartime experiences while fighting with the Israeli army in Lebanon. The film, produced entirely in animation which gives it a disturbingly surrealistic and dreamlike quality, pushes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking, making it a profoundly compelling and creative representation of the horrors of war and their long-lasting effects on the human psyche. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).

Winter Soldier brings to life one of the most troubled periods in recent U.S. history -- the Vietnam Era. While war continued to rage overseas, 125 Vietnam veterans from all branches of the military gathered in a Howard Johnson's motel in Detroit on January 31, 1971, to speak out about the atrocities they had committed and witnessed while on active duty. This is the record of their testimony. Available on DVD (Compare Prices).