26th Surfman Award: Winter Soldier & Scott Camil

Today at cinematheque I felt very fortunate and enriched to be in the audience for a rare showing of the previously banned 1972 documentary "Winter Soldier" and post film lecture by one of the films subjects Vietnam Veteran Scot Camil. The film covers the testimony given by members of the VVAW(Vietnam Veterans Against the War) describing in vivid and horrific detail the atrocities that they witnessed and participapted in, during their tours of duty. All too often the military's actions were accepted by the status quo as acceptable behaviour built right into the fabric of their SOP's (Standing Operating Procedures). The Vietnamese were dehumanized and therefore the horrific treatment of them by the GI's was accepted as normal, to an extent where any kindness shown to them was considered by "The Great Military Machine" as abnormal and unpatriotic to your fellow solidiers and country. The talk that Scot Camil gave after the film was emotional, honest and touching. I am so thankful that this man is around to speak up against war. He has experienced first hand what human beings are capable of when their government sends their sons and daughters to war. His stories should be hailed as cautionary tales against all future wars and insurrections, however, until we have governements in place that actually act for the good of their people instead of their own interests or the interests of their "fatcat" friends, than we are truly doomed as a species. You think we would have learned from our history and evolved beyond wars, but of course that is not the case. The war in Iraq is an all too familar road previously paved by our Vietnam Veterans. I implore the American Government to bring their soldiers home and find other ways beside war to deal with nations that they may have a conflict with. Maybe read "Everything I learned about life I learned in Kindergarten". i.e. "Hands are for helping not hurting"...something even a child knows, now if we can just get the American Government on board we would have a better World!