BODY OF WAR

If you are looking for a warm and fuzzy after Christmas post you are most definitely in the wrong place. Today's post will be raw, real and lies very close to my heart. This subject, however controversial and uncomfortable, must be talked about and discussed.

Tonight I was fortunate to be able to watch an amazing documentary (from my local library) that I've been wanting to watch for some time. It is called Body Of War. It is an amazing film by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue that chronicles the life of Thomas Young, a disabled (paralyzed) Iraqi vet.

Here is a little info on the film:

Body of War is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true face of war today. Meet Tomas Young, 25 years old, paralyzed from a bullet to his spine - wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week.

Body of War is Tomas' coming home story as he evolves into a new person, coming to terms with his disability and finding his own unique and passionate voice against the war. The film is produced and directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, and features two original songs by Eddie Vedder. Body of War is a naked and honest portrayal of what it's like inside the body, heart and soul of this extraordinary and heroic young man.

Body of War unfolds on two parallel tracks. On the one hand, we see Tomas evolving into a powerful voice against the war as he struggles to deal with the complexities of a paralyzed body. And on the other, we see the historic debate unfolding in the Congress about going to war in Iraq.

The film opens as Tomas and his fiance Brie prepare for their wedding. However, because of his disability, we see how the simple everyday activities for Tomas are involved and challenging. War is personal and the film takes us into the skin and bones of what it means to have no control over basic bodily functions. In many remarkable scenes, we directly experience how vulnerable and open Tomas is as he interacts with his wife, family, and friends

.

This is an incredible, raw, heart wrenching look into the life of a disabled Iraqi vet. Regardless of your political views, this is a documentary that every American, I feel, must watch. It's uncomfortable at times, terribly sad at others, and portrays a very honest look into the life of Thomas Young.

I feel sometimes like this war, is just an afterthought anymore. Something that isn't really reported on, discussed or talked about. Pictures of the dead and wounded never shown god forbid. Casualties rarely reported. War, almost hidden. Talked over, reported rarely and almost never thought about. I'm not sure if that's because it's an uncomfortable subject, or because it's depressing, but the casualties and cost of this terrible war must be discussed and brought to light.

As of today, the casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom according to icasualties.org are as follows.

U.S. Fatalities: 4,371 UK fatalities: 179 Other: 139 TOTAL FATALITIES: 4,689

Iraqi ISF Fatalities: 9,347 Iraqi Civilian Fatalities: 46,783

US Wounded: 31,557

Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan Fatalities: 1,554

These numbers are absolutely astounding. Horrible even. It makes me sick to think about this terrible war still going on. When will it ever end? I was very hopeful that things would start to change with our new president concerning the war, unfortunately that hasn't been the case. If we can't stop the war, the very least we can do is educate ourselves on the terrible misfortunes it has caused, and learn from this huge mistake so that we can be assured it never happens again.

This is my hope this holiday season.