My wife and I saw a remarkable movie recently. “Brothers at War” chronicles Jake Rademacher filming operations in Iraq as seen through the eyes of his brothers and other soldiers and Marines.
Gary Sinise was the executive producer and attended the premiere of the movie here. Rademacher was granted a remarkable level of access in order to make this film.
A person who reads my column recommended that I see the movie, and I am very glad that my crazy life eventually allowed me to do that.
Jake’s brothers, Capt. Issac Rademacher and Sgt. Joseph Rademacher, have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan more than once, so they are fully aware of the situation they will face as they look toward future deployments. Their comments reveal the war’s impact through the eyes of young veterans. Their family members’ thoughts place that service in perspective from the people who remain back home.
Regardless of your feelings about the war in Iraq, you should see this movie. The film provides an honest appraisal of the environment in which our young men and women deployed to Iraq find themselves.
I enjoyed it because soldiers remain soldiers. They talk about the same things today that soldiers talked about when I was on active duty. The same dark humor breaks the monotony of waiting for something to happen while simultaneously wanting the excitement and not wanting to be killed.
Soldiers want to prove their abilities as soldiers, but they also want to go home and be with their families. Many have a hard time explaining why they volunteer and continue to volunteer.
They’re clearly upset when a friend is hurt or killed and want to afford their enemies an opportunity to experience those same feelings.
You can see many of these same reactions in the Iraqi soldiers in the film. The most violent combat footage shows American Marine Corps advisers with Iraqi soldiers who are learning how to fight.
You can see the hesitancy in the Iraqis’ faces as they carry out a patrol knowing that they may be in combat soon. You can see the frustration in the American advisers’ faces as their untested Iraqi soldiers display that hesitation. You also see the pride the Americans feel when the Iraqi soldiers fight back when they are attacked.
And the Iraqis do not run away. They hold their ground even though they take casualties. The message is that the training is working. That’s crucial for us to be able to leave Iraq and for Iraq to survive as a nation and fledgling democracy.
I recommend that you see this movie. While I have not seen it listed as playing locally any longer, I hope it will come out on DVD. It’s important for us to understand the things we are calling upon our young people to do.
The movie certainly does not define every soldier’s experience, and the movie is not the same as a personal visit.
Nonetheless, this movie provides insight regarding the impact of the war on soldiers and families as well as a glimpse of the war through the eyes of American and Iraqi soldiers who are fighting for a new Iraqi democracy.
John M. House is a retired Army colonel who lives in Midland, Ga. His e-mail is housearmylife@aol.com.
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