HBO Star Brings Attention To Wounded American Soldiers In “Alive Day Memories”
- Entertainment, News -
On September 9, HBO will air a documentary, “Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq,” where former Sopranos star James Gandolfini (also a co-producer) sits down with ten American soldiers who narrowly escaped death during their missions in Iraq. The piece is aimed at bringing a heightened awareness to the realities of war.
Often the White House tries to put a positive spin on less-than-positive reports from the combat zones in the Middle East. At this point, only President George W. Bush and his immediate cabinet members are optimistic of his latest “surge” attempt’s chances of success. Even fellow Republicans have pulled away from Dubyah’s position on the war, coming to grips with its gruesomeness and unpopularity among the Americans who foot their salaries.
New York Times op-ed columnist Bob Herbert writes a great piece (subscription-only) presenting quotes from “Alive Day Memories,” including one particular account more chilling than any I’d heard –
Bryan Anderson, a 25-year-old Army sergeant who was wounded in Iraq, was explaining, on camera — to James Gandolfini, of all people — what happened immediately after a roadside bomb blew up the Humvee that he was driving.
“I was like, ‘Oh, we got hit. We got hit.’ And then I had blood on my face and the flies were landing all over my face. So I wiped my face to get rid of the flies. And that is when I noticed that my fingertip was gone. So I was like, ‘Oh. O.K.’
“So that is when I started really assessing myself. I was like, ‘That’s not bad.’ And then I turned my hand over, and I noticed that this chunk of my hand was gone. So I was like, ‘O.K., still not bad. I can live with that.’
“And then when I went to wipe the flies on my face with my left hand, there was nothing there. So I was like, ‘Uh, that’s gone.’ And then I looked down and I saw that my legs were gone. And then they had kind of forced my head back down to the ground, hoping that I wouldn’t see.”
Between these stories about critically wounded soldiers and now, more recently, reports of the Army suicide rate reaching a 26-year high in 2007, it becomes easier to see why so many people are jumping on the anti-war bandwagon.
According to that same Associated Press report, 99 soldiers committed suicide last year. 1/4 of them did so while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. A sad reality to the ways of war, on both the foreign and domestic front.
Those who oppose the ongoing war in Iraq are not in any way opposing our great nation’s military. I am eternally grateful for the sacrifice soldiers and their families go through in supporting our country. Having worked as a civilian for the Army, helping soldiers transition into civilian life, I have seen the importance of doing our part as a nation in supporting those who often get forgotten or placed in the back of our minds as we roll through our daily lives.
Donate to the military whenever you get the chance. Speak to your Congresspersons about how you feel about the war, be it good or bad, but be mindful of the various perspectives involved. Watch the HBO documentary, “Alive Day Memories,” when it airs on Sept. 9, and keep our soldiers on your mind constantly.
