Earlier this week, the Today show ran a remarkable story about a Marine serving in Iraq:
The accompanying video is worth watching for a couple of reasons. One, it helps to remind us of the astonishing courage and strength that our armed forces possess. Sgt. Gibson is the first, full-leg amputee to re-up for a tour of combat. No obligation on his part; he wanted to. Two, it makes a nice antidote to the seemingly-relentless parade of fictional movies and documentaries that make our troops look like nothing but bitter fools who were tricked into combat. Take Tomas Young, the 25 year-old paralyzed by gunfire days after arriving in Iraq. His story, told in the new documentary Body of War, co-directed by Phil Donahue, is certainly tragic. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be told. But isn’t there room on the big screen for a movie about Sgt. Gibson, or any other soldier who believes in what they’re fighting for? Donahue and the rest would tell you that their anti-war stories must be told because the media is ignoring them. This is an odd thing to say since only anti-war movies have been released since Operation Desert Storm. All those Iraq-themed movies of 2007 tanked, so you’d think some director might take a new approach: American Soldier as Hero; Terrorist as Bad Guy. But that would take guts. How odd.
