President-elect Donald Trump should see the new Mel Gibson movie Hacksaw Ridge before he picks his Secretary of State and crafts a foreign policy that could lead to another war.
Hacksaw Ridge tells the story of Desmond Doss the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II. The film deals with the topics of faith, honor, and the horrors of war.
Actor Andrew Garfield plays Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist who wants to serve his country as a medic but refuses to carry a weapon because he believes in non-violence.
The film is gory, filled with action scenes depicting the horrors of war. Unlike other Hollywood blockbusters though, Hacksaw Ridge has been praised for its realistic approach and positive portrayal by veterans groups.
“To their surprise, most people felt that it was a realistic depiction of combat — one of the most accurate ever — and, by and large, they appreciated the way it portrayed PTSD,” said Dan Clare, the director of communications for the Disabled American Veterans to The New York Times. “Bottom line, unlike most Hollywood movies, this one felt like it represented us.”
Trump should see this movie before he appoints his Secretaries of State and Defense.
The President-elect ran against a hawkish foreign policy and has repeated in several interviews since the election that he wants to stay away from interventionism and nation-building, and take care of our veterans.
Yet, several people vying for the job of Secretary of State — including John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney — are notable hawks who would use the military engagement around the world.
The President-elect also spent countless campaign stops promising to make our wounded veterans a priority, but that’s all for nothing if the Secretary of State pushes Trump into more wars and creates thousands of new wounded vets for a different administration to care for.
“They call this war ‘a cloud over the land’ but they made the weather and then they stand in the rain and say ‘Shit, it’s raining’!” said the character of Ruby in the Civil War book Cold Mountain.
That has been true of how past administrations have treated veterans — sent them off to fight, and then campaigned on how horrible their conditions were when they returned.
Both voters who cast their ballot for a change and active duty personnel who put their lives on the line deserve more than a status quo hawk. Trump should see Hacksaw Ridge of the consequences of his new foreign policy doctrine.
