The war in Iraq can be, and is, seen through various different perspectives. There are four sources in particular that will be discussed to demonstrate this point. Dexter Filkins’ poem, “Lost Soldiers,” Ashley Gilbertson’s “The Shrine Down the Hall” photo essay, Deborah Scranton’s “The War Tapes” and Charles Ferguson’s “No End in Sight” are all different, yet similar perspectives on the war in Iraq. Through looking at these different representations of the events that are taking place in Iraq, one can see how these events can affect us emotionally.
“Lost Soldiers,” by Dexter Filkins delivers a contrasting view about the war in Iraq. Filkins’ main message is that the soldiers involved in the war are “just kids.” He contradicts the traditional view of stepping “into the barracks thinking big, burly and deep-voiced,” by revealing that, “what you get are chubby faces and halfhearted mustaches and voices still cracking.” To emphasize his message, Filkins mentions that, “Sept. 11 was junior high, fifth grade even, a half a lifetime ago.” Through Filkins’ technique of stating the facts in a somewhat blunt matter, the reader is able to identify exactly the type of soldiers that are being sent to fight in the war. The personification in the piece also causes the story to come alive. “Death rides along. In the back seat, in the Humvee, on the bouncing road, in the dark,” reminding all that death is a high possibility for these “men,” and that it will be their shadow for their time in Iraq. Personally, I find the final paragraph to be the most moving emotionally. It mentions, “what the family will do when the terrible news finally arrives, how they will resist it and wrestle with it and suffer from it, and how they will cope and how they will remember.” Finishing the piece on that note registers with me how hard it is for the family and friends of soldiers to deal with their loved ones’ going off to war. This helps the reader to see the reality of the situation from the perspective of people actually involved in the war. I find this method very powerful.
In Ashley Gilbertson’s, “The Shrine Down the Hall,” we are shown photographs of some of the bedrooms that America’s young war dead left behind. This perspective is different because it allows for the reader to imagine the person who left it behind. It brings one closer to the loss that the soldiers’ loved ones have to bear by demonstrating an inescapable reality. Part of the reason these photographs are so effective is because a bedroom is a very private room for a person. It is where we sleep, when we are in a state of our uttermost innocence. Seeing the bedrooms of the soldiers who died in the war allows for the onlooker to connect with these people on some level and to begin to understand them. Through seeing what these soldiers had on their shelves, walls and beds, the reader can begin to create a picture of what those individuals were like outside the warzone. Breaking this barrier between the warzone and home life is hard for most people. A common theme in the various rooms is that they all generally have some sort of patronage to the United States on display. Whether it is in the form of a flag or a banner, there is usually a symbol of their country hanging or resting in their rooms. This displays to us the true reason why these soldiers went to Iraq in the first place; these people wanted to serve for their country. Emotionally this photo essay affects me because it reveals the unvarnished truth of the home situation of the soldiers which in turn invites me to hold a higher respect for the people who dedicated their lives to serving their country in war.
Deborah Scranton is a remarkable person who has created a brutally honest representation of the events in Iraq. Scranton’s documentary, “War Tapes,” views the war in Iraq from the inside out rather than the outside, which we are usually accustomed to seeing. Cameras are put into the hands of the soldiers fighting in the war, and the resulting data was transferred back to Scranton. Even through the few clips that were shown in her presentation, the image of the war is portrayed quite vividly. In one scene after a car bomb goes off, a soldier takes the camera and shows what is left after the explosion. He narrates the scene and points out where scattered skin and blood is all over the ground. From the clips that were shown, most of the film seems to address this type of effects of the war. Unlike other documentaries, this film shows what is happening from the perspective of the soldiers who are actually fighting in the war. We are shown their views on matters and how the war has really affected them. One point that was addressed was the killing of innocent civilians, and the soldiers’ thoughts on that. This documentary reveals the deaths of innocent children, including those who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although it is rare to hear about this aspect of the war, soldiers confess how this can happen and also how they are tragically affected by incidents such as the killing of innocent bystanders. This piece affected me emotionally because it revealed parts of the war that are never spoken of. Deborah Scranton commented on her video saying, “kindness and compassion like Pink's squad did spending their entire day, at great risk to themselves of secondary attacks, outside the gate at Taji after a double VBIED struggling and saving Iraqi civilian lives, which more often than not, ever gets reported or noticed.” These actions, which are also shown in the video, again provide a greater perspective on the events in Iraq.
The final perspective about US occupation in Iraq can be seen through Charles Ferguson’s, “No End in Sight” documentary. This documentary gives the inside information on the wretched state that Iraq is currently in and how it came to be. It uncovers the actions of people put in charge by the US government, and how these actions were the cause of many problems that developed in Iraq. Various staggering statistics are shared in this film. One is how only 60 days were spent planning the invasion into Iraq. Another is how “ORHA” only started to work at the Pentagon 50 days before the invasion. After the invasion into Baghdad, no one knew what was next. There was lawlessness, chaos and the Americans were not doing anything. There was no progress. When the US government was informed of the extreme looting (people even stealing parts of factories) in Iraq, there were specific orders for US troops to not get involved. They were “not there to establish marshal law.” Although the US said that they would protect certain areas in Iraq such as the National Library, no such protection was given. All of their texts and archives were burnt and/or ruined. The Oil Ministry was the only major facility protected by the US. There was also an argument concerning how many troops were required Originally it was said that only less than 100, 000 troops were needed. After much debate, 160 000 were finally sent. When ORHA entered Iraq for post-war reconstruction, they discovered that an entire division (16, 000 troops) had been cancelled. Post-war Iraq is chaotic as there is no working police force. Saddam had released all of the prisoners from the prison onto the street and Americans were not seen as “police” in the streets of Baghdad. The people put in charge of managing US involvement in post-war Iraq such as Paul Bremer have never served in the war, spoke no Arabic, have never been to Iraq nor do they have had any post-war experience. Three ideas that Bremer put into practice were excluding the Iraqis to participate in formal decision making, debathification and disbanding the Iraqi military. These three ideas, more specifically the last one, proved fatal in assisting in the recovery process in post-war Iraq.
In conclusion, the war in Iraq can be, and is, seen through various different perspectives. Through looking at these different representations of the events that are taking place in Iraq, one can determine how these events can affect us emotionally.
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