"Body of War"... only one?

...how about 4,037 bodies of soldiers selflessly given to the 'efforts' towards a more democratic and free Iraq, since the Iraq war began on March 19, 2003 (antiwar.com). Last night I had the privilege of seeing the new award-winning documentary, 'Body of War' in the Embarcadero Center theater in San Francisco. This film documents the physical and emotional effects of war, following 26-year old Tomas Young who is a wounded Iraq veteran. Days after the attacks of 9/11/01 Tomas enlisted in the army, gun-ho about protecting his country and revenging the 'evil-doers,' as President Bush so patriotically nicknamed the terrorists.

This young Kansas City resident was deployed to Iraq and within only five days was shot directly below the collarbone into his spine while riding in an unarmed humvee. He became paralyzed instantaneously from the chest down. He is not a candidate for stem cell research and suffers from many medical conditions. One of my favorite quotes from the film came from the scene when Tomas was lecturing to a church and told the audience upfront he becomes faint and light-headed very often: 'I tend to say uhh and stutter often, too. I tend to sound presidential.'

This incredible and moving film follows Tomas around the country speaking out against the war and talking to veterans and those families who have lost loved ones to the Iraq War. He is also followed around on a day-to-day basis capturing the struggles he faces, from trying to get into a car with his wheelchair to using a catheter so his urine does not crystallize in his bladder, or from not being able to have an erection to not being able to regulate his body temperature or even cough.

'Body of War' is almost a revolutionary means of illustrating what this war actually entails, considering most of the war coverage is ridiculously sanitized. Seeing this film definitely reinforced my desire to become a journalist and report what actually happens, not what the Bush Administration and Republicans would want the American people to see. Phil Donahue, former talk-show host, directed the film and made it a point to say in the Q&A which followed the premier, 'Body of War' must be seen by every student in school. As American citizens we owe it to the active soldiers to view this film and understand what they struggle with post-duty.

Tomas Young is a young, innocent man who was manipulated by President Bush, and because of Bush's quick and naive thinking, his life has been altered in ways no mid-western boy should have experienced. His younger brother is also currently stop-lossed in Iraq.
'Body of War' opens Friday, April 18, 2008 at Clay Theater in San Francisco and the Shattuck theater in Berkeley. Please make it a point to view this beautifully-made and heartaching film, and check out the sites listed below. Stay informed and stay active.


http://www.bodyofwar.com/
http://www.ivaw.org/
http://icasualties.org/oif/


The photograph below was featured in the film. Katherine Cathey refused to leave her husband's casket, 2nd Lt. James J Cathey, and asked if she could sleep just one more night next to her husband. The Marines made a bed for her and stood watch while she played songs that reminded her of 'Cat' and slept one last time next to him.