HBO’s Wartorn 1861-2010

Yesterday. HBO sent me a DVD of their upcoming documentary “Wartorn 1861-2010“, an hour long look at Post Traumatic Stress and it’s relationship to soldier suicides with a few examples from history. They asked me to review the documentary based on a thirty-second trailer and some photos. I said I wouldn’t do that because you know as well as I know how Hollywood sets out landmines for us when it comes to the “crazy vet” image. So they over-nighted it to me – I’m giving them points for being persistent.

I’ve watched the documentary three times now and I think that’s about how many times someone needs to watch it in order to understand the documentary. You’ll see what you want to see in the film – if you want to blame the military culture, it’s there. If you want to blame war in general, there are plenty of reasons. If you want to blame the Department of Veterans’ Affairs there’s always something. If you want to blame the victims, some of the people they interview will give you cause.

If you’re queasy, there are scenes which chase you out of the room peppered throughout the film. I’m not really sure why they bothered to put those pictures in, because it doesn’t add much to the story they’re trying to tell. Other than that, it was as well made as a documentary on this subject could have been produced.

The documentary began with recounting letters of a young soldier, Angelo Crapsey, and his optimism at his enlistment in 1861 until he committed suicide in 1864 while hunting after his forced discharge. Then they jump back and forth in history through the wars since the Civil War and how soldiers of different eras dealt with PTS. Walter Reed Chief of Psychiatry, Col John Bradley, admits that very few don’t “carry something with them”.

The line that struck me hardest was from World War I veteran, Herbert Hayden who wrote “my friends, my country, spoke a different language. Back, yet not back at all.” After I heard that line in the movie, I went back and watched the entire thing twice more. And that’s what I took from the whole thing – it’s not the
military’s fault, or the VA or the veterans’ themselves. It’s those people who send us into the world’s shit holes and then expect us to be the same people we were when we left.

I recommend this program, I think it’s important that these types of documentaries get widespread attention. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that the people who really need to see it, won’t, which will only perpetuate the problem. I guess they’re all expecting Walter Reed to invent a switch so they can turn us off and on when they need us.

But I encourage everyone to see Wartorn and recommend it to the folks who you think need to see it. And if I can throw my two cents in to this review, the best chance that veterans with problems have to sustain themselves is other combat veterans who’ve carried on in the aftermath of their experiences. It’s not the experience of war that causes this epidemic of suicides, it’s the coming home part.

But watch “Wartorn” tomorrow night at 9:00 (that’s 2100 hours for some of you) Eastern time. I’ll be watching it for the fourth time with you. Bring a friend.

Category: Veteran Health Care