The stories the soldiers have to tell are eye-opening and wrenching to hear; collectively it's a searing peek into the toll of war both during and after.
The stories the soldiers have to tell are eye-opening and wrenching to hear; collectively it's a searing peek into the toll of war both during and after.
Filmmaker Patricia Foulkrod produced and directed this documentary, designed to shed light on a little examined side of war -- the soldiers who do the fighting. The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War focuses on the men and women who fought in the War in Iraq, but found themselves largely ignored in the media coverage of the conflict and in their treatment by the military bureaucracy when they came back from the front lines. In extensive interviews with veterans of the Iraq war, these men and
women talk about the hardships of war, the danger of serving in a country where the people you defend often consider you the enemy, the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder, the gap between media coverage of the war and the grim realities soldiers see on the battlefield, and the often callous treatment extended to soldiers by military authorities and the Veterans Administration. The Ground Truth was planned with a March 2005 release in mind, in hopes of having the film in theaters in time for the second anniversary of the beginning of the war. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
"The success of The Ground Truth lies in the courageously open and honest interviewees, but it works because of Rob Hall's editing, which not only compiles for us a perfectly evidential collection of footage but does so at a pace that doesn't dilly-dally
The veteran's problems are something which should be done something about and soon, but a theatrical release of a propaganda film is not going to do anything for their cause.
The illuminating documentary, "The Ground Truth", reminded me of what a ROTC cadet told me during the First Gulf War - that if you enlist in the armed forces, you may be called on to kill at some point. Let's have no illusions. It is true but only up to a point. A good deal of the veterans returning from Iraq who
are interviewed for this documentary(Basically, not the kinds of people that are heard from everyday. Thankfully, no pundits are included. Just a couple of experts.) are National Guard and were not expecting to be stationed there, least of all to be placed in a position to kill civilians. Did the masterminds of this catastrophe have any idea what they were sending these brave soldiers into? Some of whom return missing limbs; others are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) because of their experiences and for which they do not receive adequate treatment.
No quotes approved yet for The Ground Truth. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'The Ground Truth'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
