The Winter Solider

Dee · September 21, 2006

I showed this film/docu tonight at an anti-war event in Manchester. I hadn't seen it before. It's piece based on the testimony of soldiers who did tours in Vietnam. John Kerry was in it briefly.

Some of the testimonies were shocking. Absolutely shocking. That war was so dirty. And the thing that upset me most, more than the shocking images and graphic details of rapes, beatings, brutality and torture is that we as a society have not learned from our past experiences. The same is happening in Iraq. Soldiers are being sent into a war situation being completely brainwashed to kill. A participant tonight spoke of her shock at talking to some of the boys home from duty in Iraq wanting to get back out there to 'kill some Pakis'. She was disgusted by the lack of eduction and sensibilities this boy showed - you can imagine him dealing with Iraqi families.

We also had a speaker from the Miltary families against the war - (who've set up a peace camp in Albert Sq). Her story was moving. Her son is in Iraq - and he speaks of the British soldiers being known as 'borrowers' or mooching things like toothpaste and other supplies of the yanks because they just don't have them. They also don't have the proper equipment. Her point was that she knows her son has to do his job and his duty but his life is being threatened in the name of an illegal war. And that point above all, the families cannot accept. They also can't accept their sons and daughters being put on the front line and in combat with sub-standard equipment, poor comms links etc.

It was a depressing night all around - with the realisation that even if we bring 1 million on to the streets like we did in London, and all over the world, what's going to change? I know you need mind-frame and the belief that people can change things if they get out there and stand up and say 'not in my name' - but in this current climate - the realisation is that it's further away from changing things than ever before. With Bush and Blair going against the UN - what can you do??

depressing thought or what?

Snookie · September 22, 2006

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