Soldiers of Conscience - Journeyman | Tuppashare Tuppershare Tupper Share Tupashare Tupa
*THIS VIDEO IS NOT AVAILABLE U.S. CUSTOMERS* To kill or not to kill? Soldiers of Conscience is a powerful and balanced look at the choice a soldier makes when he finally must pull the trigger. In fact it’s clear all soldiers wrestle with the morality of killing in war. It’s a split-second decision in the heat of combat that can never be forgotten or undone. A rare documentary; full of action and clever at the same time! Recently broadcast to acclaim on PBS.
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Soldiers of ConsciencePublisher: Journeyman
Length: 52mins
Location: Iraq
Copyright: ©Luna Productions
Published: 3 Dec, 2008
Last Updated: 15 Dec, 2009
Ref: 4245
Length: 52mins
Location: Iraq
Copyright: ©Luna Productions
Published: 3 Dec, 2008
Last Updated: 15 Dec, 2009
Ref: 4245
***THIS VIDEO IS NOT AVAILABLE U.S. CUSTOMERS***To kill or not to kill? Soldiers of Conscience is a powerful and balanced look at the choice a soldier makes when he finally must pull the trigger. In fact it’s clear all soldiers wrestle with the morality of killing in war. It’s a split-second decision in the heat of combat that can never be forgotten or undone. A rare documentary; full of action and clever at the same time! Recently broadcast to acclaim on PBS.
After World War II, a US Army study revealed that three quarters of combat soldiers given the chance to fire on the enemy failed to do so. Despite training, ‘the average individual has such an inner resistance toward killing a fellow man that he will not take a life if it is possible not to.’
The military developed Reflexive Fire Training as a technique to overcome this inhibition. It helped raise firing rates in combat but it made the soldier's insensitive to their actions. ‘When you train them reflexively, they learn to make those decisions much more quickly. They're not thinking through the great moral decision of killing another human being.’
The film follows eight US soldiers, four who were willing to kill, and four who become conscientious objectors after their "crystallization of conscience". Mejia was the first combat veteran to come back from Iraq and publicly refuse to return. "Nothing ever prepares you for what that does to you as a human being… to kill an innocent person". For Benderman, witnessing war’s impact on civilians triggered a ‘deep-down, soul-searching reflection’. Casteel's turnaround came when he worked as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib. Delgado saw only fellow men, not enemies. ‘It's the nature of war to set the other apart, because you can't kill someone who's like yourself.
But others defend killing in war as a moral imperative: ‘No one likes to kill — no healthy person.... It may be nasty, it may be unpleasant, but the alternative is worse.’ Soldiers like Major Kilner use strong arguments to justify killing in war. ‘You can't say that you believe in human dignity and human rights if you're not willing to defend them’. All express a keen sense of duty. ‘War is necessary sometimes because it's been brought upon peace-loving people by people who are not willing to let another society live in peace’.
‘When you're out there in the middle of combat, sometimes it's kill or be killed,’ says Sgt. Washington, who also admits, ‘When you get into the first battle and you actually wound or kill someone, it starts messing with your head ... it's just like shaking up a pop bottle with your thumb over it’.
Conscientious objectors or not, all soldiers featured in this film are respectfully portrayed and strikingly eloquent about their dilemma. In the field, the decision to kill becomes a devastatingly personal one, no matter how clear the balance of right and wrong. As the international stage resounds ever louder with the terrible impact of man’s killing devices it’s certainly a timely documentary.
“This thought-provoking P.O.V. doc examines why some some soldiers become conscientious objectors and how they are subsequently treated by the military authorities. Grade: A –”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Soldiers of Conscience explores the moral dilemmas of eight U.S. soldiers who struggle daily
with the question of whether killing is ever justified.”
— The Washington Post
"A thoughtful, challenging, and remarkably wide-ranging examination of the nature of war
and its alternatives."
— John Hartl, Seattle Times
“The documentary series [P.O.V.] checks in another eye-opening portrait.”
— Amber Ray, Metro New York
“Soldiers of Conscience is about wars, those that men fight against one another and those they fight against their deepest human impulses. … [A] thoughtful and disquieting film…”
— Glenn Garvin, The Miami Herald
After World War II, a US Army study revealed that three quarters of combat soldiers given the chance to fire on the enemy failed to do so. Despite training, ‘the average individual has such an inner resistance toward killing a fellow man that he will not take a life if it is possible not to.’
The military developed Reflexive Fire Training as a technique to overcome this inhibition. It helped raise firing rates in combat but it made the soldier's insensitive to their actions. ‘When you train them reflexively, they learn to make those decisions much more quickly. They're not thinking through the great moral decision of killing another human being.’
The film follows eight US soldiers, four who were willing to kill, and four who become conscientious objectors after their "crystallization of conscience". Mejia was the first combat veteran to come back from Iraq and publicly refuse to return. "Nothing ever prepares you for what that does to you as a human being… to kill an innocent person". For Benderman, witnessing war’s impact on civilians triggered a ‘deep-down, soul-searching reflection’. Casteel's turnaround came when he worked as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib. Delgado saw only fellow men, not enemies. ‘It's the nature of war to set the other apart, because you can't kill someone who's like yourself.
But others defend killing in war as a moral imperative: ‘No one likes to kill — no healthy person.... It may be nasty, it may be unpleasant, but the alternative is worse.’ Soldiers like Major Kilner use strong arguments to justify killing in war. ‘You can't say that you believe in human dignity and human rights if you're not willing to defend them’. All express a keen sense of duty. ‘War is necessary sometimes because it's been brought upon peace-loving people by people who are not willing to let another society live in peace’.
‘When you're out there in the middle of combat, sometimes it's kill or be killed,’ says Sgt. Washington, who also admits, ‘When you get into the first battle and you actually wound or kill someone, it starts messing with your head ... it's just like shaking up a pop bottle with your thumb over it’.
Conscientious objectors or not, all soldiers featured in this film are respectfully portrayed and strikingly eloquent about their dilemma. In the field, the decision to kill becomes a devastatingly personal one, no matter how clear the balance of right and wrong. As the international stage resounds ever louder with the terrible impact of man’s killing devices it’s certainly a timely documentary.
“This thought-provoking P.O.V. doc examines why some some soldiers become conscientious objectors and how they are subsequently treated by the military authorities. Grade: A –”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Soldiers of Conscience explores the moral dilemmas of eight U.S. soldiers who struggle daily
with the question of whether killing is ever justified.”
— The Washington Post
"A thoughtful, challenging, and remarkably wide-ranging examination of the nature of war
and its alternatives."
— John Hartl, Seattle Times
“The documentary series [P.O.V.] checks in another eye-opening portrait.”
— Amber Ray, Metro New York
“Soldiers of Conscience is about wars, those that men fight against one another and those they fight against their deepest human impulses. … [A] thoughtful and disquieting film…”
— Glenn Garvin, The Miami Herald
Comments
wtf....we have to pay to watch this?? well fuck you sir
Posted: Feb 06 2009, 23:59Report AbuseWhy isn't this film available to U.S. customers?
Posted: Feb 21 2009, 05:54Report AbuseFuck you i am not paying and wonder why youtube is so big and whats the name of this site!!
Posted: Apr 23 2009, 01:13Report AbuseWhat person or organization decided this should not be available to U.S. customers?
Posted: May 29 2009, 22:34Report AbuseThis is exactly the type of information our citizens need to see, in order to understand how wrong continuing armed conflict is, with no clear goal or objective that the United States Citizen can support!
Anyone who complains about paying has no idea has the economic understanding of a kindergartner.
Posted: Jun 16 2009, 03:39Report AbuseFeaturing the first few minutes of this video on an AMERICAN website which tells you to visit THIS site to finish the video only for you to find out it's not available to AMERICANS is absolute bullshit.
Posted: Jul 23 2009, 08:59Report AbuseWhat is the point of asking for money if the target audience isn't allowed to watch it? /Fail.
I hope someone pirated this shit and uploaded it to file sharing networks.
A decent doc. Worth a watch.
Posted: Nov 20 2009, 01:58Report AbuseA bit on the idealistic unrealistic side when it comes to the subject of peace, but otherwise pretty good. In the country I live those people would probably, if any, gotten maximum a few months.
I also found it strange that I could not view the trailer for this on Journeyman youtube page, because of restrictions based on countries I guess, but here it seems it can not be seen by people in the US. Thats censorship in my eyes.
To the guys moaning about paying: it's £1 to watch the work of writers, editers, crew who have gone to a great deal of trouble and occasionally danger to make these documentaries. You don't expect freebies at your local DVD rental store, why would you get them here? It clearly can't mean that much to you if you won't part with a £1, you're being ridiculous!
Posted: Dec 06 2009, 21:27Report AbuseComment removed by poster.
Posted: Dec 26 2009, 07:15Report AbuseI got a one week subscription mainly to watch this and Mario & Nini. It makes no sense that this would not be available to US customers, of all people... until I saw that PBS aired and carries the rights to it. Unfortunately, PBS is not scheduled to air "Soldiers of Conscience" anytime in the next two weeks (at least in the DC area), and it is not streaming at their online website either.
Posted: Dec 26 2009, 07:17Report AbuseSeems absolutely wasteful.
Although I really want to see this, I don't feel my subscription money was misspent. I've watched tens of hours (likely more than 100) watching Journeyman videos on YouTube for free. I presume (and I hope that I'm right), that Journeyman is a great way for freelance and independent filmmakers to generate working income and film financing, and get exposure for their talent and their subjects. I waste $10 on bad chinese food for lunch frequently -- I owe at least this much to Journeyman for what they've freely shared with me.