The Zong

Last night, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a San Francisco screening for a stirring documentary entitled “Soldiers of Conscience.” As a freeloader amongst true activists, I found myself humbled and moved by the film, and thought I’d offer a small plug here for a few of my friends, and presumably my mother, to read.

The documentary approaches a subject that most of us privileged civilians will remain comfortably distant from for the duration of our lives: the conflict that a soldier faces when he or she is asked to end the life of another human being. It is safe to say that this conflict is as old as civilization itself, and it lies at the very core of public debate surrounding any war, yet very little real discussion about it exists within that debate. The filmmakers have isolated a candid, eloquent and truly provocative discussion amongst soldiers from all sides of the story, and what comes through is a war documentary that transcends the noisy bluster of political rhetoric and gives a clear, uncensored voice to the young men and women who are charged with protecting our nation.

What is most striking about the film is its balance. The graphic and disturbing images of wartime are cast quite distinctly along with the dialogue of soldiers who serve without question and those who, by various methods, have chosen to reject the idea of war completely as Conscientious Objectors. All have seen the horrors of war, and their stories are as close to the “conditions on the ground” as anything you’ll see in the mainstream media. Regardless of their point of view, each soldier is inseparable from their own humanity, and whether through religion, philosophy or military doctrine, all of them face numerous demons that separate them from any political agenda. Those who might decide beforehand that this film is probably anti-war propaganda made to the sounds of liberal hand-wringing should be made aware that the U.S. military is currently considering showing the film at West Point, a testament to the fairness of the film considering the subject matter and the stories of the day.

Even a bleeding-heart, would be draft-dodger like yours truly can hardly deny that war is sometimes a necessary if not blunt instrument of international order. The preservation of what greatness America can still claim owes much to our ability to defend ourselves and others from unbridled aggression, and that weight rests largely upon the shoulders of soldiers with guns and consciences. For me, this fact brings that much more focus upon the misdirection and criminally negligent military doctrine of the current Commander-in-Chief, who continues to wage a losing battle, on the wrong front, at an arm’s length. One wonders if his mind can begin to comprehend the conflict faced by the soldiers in this film and at his disposal, each one of them human.

Thanks to Jen Bradwell and Todd Boekelheide (who composed a magnificent score for the film) for helping me sneak in through the side door during the cocktail hour.

- M.G.