Once again Fort Campbell had the chance to do something that would have provided a lot of help to soldiers and their families and chose not to. Military brass say they are "befuddled" at the high suicide rate, skyrocketing domestic violence rates and other problems with soldiers and their families but the military does nothing to help soldiers and their families deal with the reality of combat and the stresses that multiple tours put on soldiers and their families.
The Afghan war documentary Restrepo, an amazing film that was shot over the course of 15 months in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan following one Army platoon, won the Best Documentary prize at Cannes and is winning awards left and right on the film festival circuit. More importantly, this documentary is bringing the reality of the war home with no political agenda, no Left or Right bias, and no pronouncements about the efficacy of war. It is, quite simply, a diary of the day to day experiences of the men and women who are fighting in Afghanistan every day. It is a groundbreaking film that everyone should see.
More importantly, for soldiers and their families, it is a tool that can spark discussion, insight, and understanding. Knowing what their soldiers are going through can help spouses begin to understand how to support and help their soldiers. Having someone else tell the story of reality of war can help soldiers who could not talk about their experiences begin to break their silence, and it can help them know that they are not alone. Watching their fellow soldiers go through the same experiences and emotions that they are going through can literally save lives when soldiers who have no outlet and can't reach out truly understand that what they are going through is normal and choose not to commit suicide. This film can change military families lives, and the way they relate to each other.
National Geographic, who owns the film, set up a special screening of the film at Fort Campbell, on the KY/TN border. Fort Campbell is in the midst of a massive deployment, with more than 10,000 soldiers from the post deployed in the last few months or deploying in the upcoming months. For many of them this is just another in a long string of 2, 3, 4, 5 or more deployments. Fort Campbell, home of the infamous and storied 101st Airborne, also has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. The rates of alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and divorce are skyrocketing. The brass of course claim no relation between the multiple deployments and the sky high suicide rate and other problems. At one point last year there was an average of two suicide attempts per day at Fort Campbell. Every day.
A film like Restrepo could have done a lot to help soldiers and their families. It could open lines of communication by encouraging soldiers to talk to their spouses about their own experiences. It could have given spouses valuable insights into why their soldiers act the way they do when they come home, and how to help them. Seeing what their soldiers have gone through could have helped spouses whose soldiers cannot talk about their war experiences know what their soldiers experienced every day while they were deployed. But at Fort Campbell, none of that matters.
The film was not publicized, and was shown only to a handful of platoon sergeants and military higher ups. It was shown in a tiny classroom instead of in one of the on post theaters and no enlisted soldiers or their families were allowed to see it. Instead, officers to see a private screening of the highly sought after film without even attempting to use this valuable tool to help the soldiers and their families who so desperately need it. The film will be in wide release in July, but currently the only theater scheduled to show it in July is three hours from here. And, by then many of the soldiers here will be back in Afghanistan.
Here at Fort Campbell there is a lot of lip service paid to the dedication of the soldiers and the sacrifices of their families, but it's all just empty rhetoric. Fort Campbell had a chance to REALLY help soldiers and their families, and they choose to do nothing. Their commitment to soldiers includes calling injured soldiers "worthless shitbags" and creating "hit lists" before deployment to get rid of guys they don't want to deploy with. Anyone with a previous injury is fair game, and they will be attacked, bullied, and humiliated mercilessly. Wounded combat vets are treated like trash, med boarded out whenever possible, usually without even a quarter of the benefits they are entitled to.
The Army drills these soldiers over and over and over to trust their units, trust their friends, trust their command, depend on each other instead of any outsiders which make this treatment of soldiers all the more devastating. When the people you depend on for your physical and emotional support are the ones telling you how worthless you are it does serious damage. And then the brass say they are "befuddled" by the high suicide rate and other problems...
Commitment to soldiers FAIL Fort Campbell. National Geographic gave you a brilliant tool that could have done a lot to help soldiers who are struggling, and their families. The film, combined with some counseling and mental health information, could have been used to help families get ready for the stresses of deployment. It could have helped strengthen marriages now, so that when those marriages are put to the test after the soldiers come home they will stay intact. You had the chance to provide real help to your soldiers and their families and you did nothing. Again.