Soldiers of Conscience

Directed by Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan, this documentary investigates the issue of killing in war. The film follows several American soldiers who served in Iraq and then made the decision to become Conscientious Objectors. It also has interviews with members of the Army who defend the necessity of killing in war. The main soldiers who are profiled are two who decided to apply for CO status in Iraq, one who applies while on duty at home, and a fourth who went AWOL because he felt the war was unjust. Several of these soldiers faced prosecution and jail time because of their choices. A fifth soldier, who teaches at Westpoint, tries to provide other soldiers with a philosophical basis to justify the need to kill in war. All of the men who are profiled defend their positions articulately and clearly. The film was fairly balanced; no one came out as the villain during this documentary.

Soldiers of Conscience contains some graphic images of death, destruction, and the mistreatment of Iraqi men and women at the hands of American soldiers. These type of images are never seen in the mainstream media, and although sensational, I do not believe the filmmakers used these images for shock value. The point that many of the soldiers try to make, is that if we are going to ask our troops to kill for us, we should know exactly what kind of sacrifices we are asking them to make. The price of this war is a lot higher than most people dare to imagine.

This documentary gives Americans a much needed look at what is involved in war. There is always a lot of discussion about the physical sacrifices that American troops make for our country, but there is rarely talk about the moral sacrifices. These men were asked to take actions that were so far outside the realm of decency in the "real world" it is astonishing. There is clearly something fundamentally wrong with the way we condition our soldiers to kill like machines. It is dangerous to chip away at a person's humanity and then send them out with a gun and very few rules of conduct. What is worse is that when soldiers object to the brutality they are asked to commit, they are ridiculed, scrutinized, and often punished. Many serve jail time for refusing to kill a fellow human. Jail should be reserved for dangers to society, but I have to say, I fail to see the danger in these men.