Review: The Ground Truth

The Ground Truth
Director: Patricia Foulkrod
Director of Photography: Reuben Aaronson
Editor: Rob Hall

Last week I saw this film at a free screening at The Loft. Most of the audience was over 50 but there were some younger people mixed into the crowd. I had sent out a lot of emails and etc regarding the film screening to over 100 Muslims but my roommate and I were the only Muslims there : (

The film was very well done. It consists of interviews of soldiers who are now veterans from the current Iraq war, footage from basic training, Iraq, and interviews with friends and family of Veterans. The film criticizes the military's manipulative recruiting methods, incompetent health and psychiatric resources, and overall treatment of Vets with Posttraumamatic Stress Disorder.

Many of the Vets in the documentary have been seriously injured in the war, have had amputated limbs, and all have been very psychologically damaged by their experiences in war. The film noted that suicide rates in the US military are very high and Vets have a high risk of committing suicide when they return home. One family in the film found their Iraq Veteran son hanging from their basement ceiling with a garden hose around his neck. Many of those interviewed say they come back from war with a part of them dead inside, never to return.

The Veterans also mentioned that the military's actions in this current war are irresponsible and illegal. Accounts of unarmed innocent civilians being run over by trucks or gunned down were plenty. The method of training these soldiers "to be killers" was mentioned as one reason for indiscriminate killings of civilians. Since the current war in Iraq has what the Vets called "an invisible enemy" it also makes it even harder for soldiers to make decisions.

The film as a whole really highlighted the experience of the soldier during this war but also tackled other issues associated with the current war on Iraq.

The film comes out on DVD very soon so buy it because it is definitely worth it to support this film.