Passionate Eye on CBC-Build Me Up,Break Me Down

[Enzo]

"Build me up, break me down" was the name of the program. A CBC sponsored look at the American infantry, following 3 individuals through the system, etc... I missed the first 30 mins. I'm going to hold off on my personal opinion, did anyone else watch this, if so, what are your thoughts?

 

[GrahamD]

I saw the last 30 minutes or so, where the main focus was on the one guy who refered to himself as "a mushroom".

In my opinion, it seemed to me that they forgot to build him up after they broke him down.

He seemed to belive he was little more than a pylon, who did chores when he told. He had no understanding of his role as a representative of his country, or even why his country was fighting a war.
He was fighting depression and alcoholism (developed while serving) and had some suicidal tendancies. He claimed that after reaching out for support from within the military that he found he could not get sufficient help for these inflictions.

I felt it was sad.

I was also extremely put off by he and his buddies lashing each other with that cord hard enough to leave huge welts, and as one mentioned scarring.
Feats of strength and feats endurance have a place in the military amoung soldiers, but that was self destuctive behavior at its finest. Getting drunk and mutilating yourself seems like a cry for help more than a good way to blow off steam.

Anyway, we have to keep in mind that the US army is vast and the documentary only reflects the tiniest fragment of their service personel.
While its very sad to me what that guy was going though, I don‘t believe that he represents the majority of American soldiers.
Hopefully though, if there is a lack of support for people in his position within the Armed Forces in the USA, then maybe the film will draw some attention to the problem, and they can begin to make the appropriate changes.

 

[Marti]

I saw this when it aired a few months ago, The first half hour shows how enthusiastic two of the resruits are when they sign up. The one who reffers to himself as a mushroom was a stock broker on wall street and very keen on joining after Sep 11. A second was a hispanic guy from Brooklyn, also very enthusiastic about joining up. It shows him going on leave from basic over Christmas with high morale, but he eventually went AWOL for a few months and I think he was released shortly after he turned himslef in. In an interview, filmed after the war in Iraq broke out, he was very emotinal about having left his budies behind, but at the same time addament about leaving because felt he was treated like a slave. Both of these two talk about heroics and honour as reasons for joining. The third recruit was the female you see leaving for Iraq at the end. her reason for joining up was mostly to ‘find herself‘. During the early clips from her boot camp she is shown experiencing a lot of difficulty, but later on pulls it together, and as it turns out is the only one of the three who is content with life in the army.

It makes a pretty good point of how people percieve the army before enlisting and how that compares to reality. I think it did a good job of showing what happens to recuits who enter the system with delusions about the army or theselves and how some of the people who thrive in the army are the ones you least expect. Of course, these are the two extrememties, I think most people have a much steadier experience. All in all, I liked the documentary.

 

[Marauder]

It‘s from the Commie Broadcasting Corp, ya know, the TV wing of Pravda and the Liberal party. Would you expect them to show Americans and any Army other than the Red Army in a positive light?
Consider the source is all I‘m saying.

 

[Infanteer]

No kidding...

"Hey, I got a good idea, lets pick the three biggest turds in boot camp, and use them to portray an image of the US Army."

 

[Exvitae]

I watched it last night, too... I didn‘t think there was any real thesis to the whole documentary.

I thought the whipping was REALLY disturbing.

mm

 

[scm77]

I believe it is "The Passionate Eye" that has a show about iraq, one year after. It‘s on tonight (saturday) at 10:00 est. On cbc newsworld.

It‘s apparently an un-censored look at the war in Iraq. Told by journalists. The promo said "the footage you didn‘t see". Since it‘s a Canadian program I‘m guessing it will be about US soldiers murdering babies and dropping moabs on puppy dogs etc. But it should still be pretty good.

 

[corporal-cam]

I saw it, but I‘m not a big fan of the passionate eye. I also found the whipping disturbing, but I live a sheltered life so maybe that‘s just me? On a lightly different note, does anyone know when the next truth duty valour is on? It‘s a much better show, but mixed up air time ggrrrr.

 

[scm77]

That whipping was ****ed up.

The war in Iraq program I mention in my last post, was one of the best I‘ve ever seen and it‘s only part way through.

There was one scene in northern iraq where a bunch of journalists and kurdish forces were hit by an american missile. After it hit the guy holding the camera looked at the lense and a big drop of blood splattered on the lense. He then started filming the aftermath. You could see a bunch of dead kurds and trashed cars. There was all kinds of yelling and screaming, all the there is blood running all over the camera lense.

It was one of the most powerful shots I have ever seen. Pretty ****ed up.

 

[Sh0rtbUs]

Originally posted by corporal-cam:
[qb] On a lightly different note, does anyone know when the next truth duty valour is on? It‘s a much better show, but mixed up air time ggrrrr. [/qb]

I gave up a while ago. I kept trying to catch it, and when i did make the timing..it was either replaced with some dumb bullfighting compitition or was a repeat that i already saw.

 

[scm77]

I think it‘s on on sundays. I don‘t get OLN, but I saw it in the TV guide.

 

[koalorka]

I think these guys know more about the US Army than any of you couch commandos. Here is the real image:

http://www.sftt.org/

 

[Infanteer]

SFTT is Hackworth‘s organization. Generally viewed by the US military community in the same light as we view Scott Taylor, so you can take it for what its worth.

Unfortunate, because Hackworth has an extremely distinguished combat record and his first book was excellent.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Originally posted by Infanteer:
[qb] SFTT is Hackworth‘s organization. Generally viewed by the US military community in the same light as we view Scott Taylor, so you can take it for what its worth.

Unfortunate, because Hackworth has an extremely distinguished combat record and his first book was excellent. [/qb]

Ah but always sift the wheat from the chaff and there by you may get some truth.