‘Perfect Valor’ Premieres at the GI Film Festival
by David BossieWe’ve all noticed that coverage of the war in Iraq has dropped off over the last year or so. Ever since it became an incontrovertible truth that the Bush Surge worked, The New York Times and MSNBC seem to have decided that there wasn’t much worth covering anymore. Clearly, editors sitting in glass towers in New York City believe that “stories” like Korans being flushed down a toilet sell far more magazines than non-fiction accounts of hope and change in Iraq stemming from the hard work of our armed forces. Now that things are going better in Iraq and controversies are more difficult to create, it doesn’t merit the “coverage” it once did.
This phenomenon, while unfortunate, is not the most egregious failure of the mainstream media in covering the war in Iraq. Focused as they were for the last five years on finding (or inventing from whole cloth) reasons to blast President Bush for anything that happened in Iraq, the reporters tasked with covering the conflict missed some of the most incredible acts of courage and sacrifice that have ever been performed. Four soldiers, sailors, and marines have posthumously been awarded the Medal of Honor for acts of courage performed in Iraq, but few of us could name one of them.
Sadly, the trend in Hollywood has mirrored the mainstream media. In a sad contrast to the epic films from fifty years ago showing the heroic GI vanquishing the evil Nazi, those in control of Hollywood today seem to revel when Americans face setbacks and dismiss any sign of progress. Major studio film projects have been almost uniformly shrill in their anti-war message, reflecting the usual Hollywood liberal fallacy that their views are representative of what the rest of the country believes.
The failure of such thinly-veiled polemics like Lions for Lambs and Rendition belies the fact that, while Hollywood liberals are convinced that they speak for the rest of us, most Americans cannot stomach their brand of defeatism. While I never expected either of those films to succeed, it wasn’t until I made a trip out to Los Angeles early last year that I realized what needed to be done and what we, as conservative filmmakers, could do.
Last spring, I was in Los Angeles where I had the privilege of seeing a trailer for a documentary entitled Brothers At War. Brothers At War was written and directed by Jake Rademacher, a filmmaker who followed two of his brothers as they deployed to Iraq. He embedded with four different combat units to give the audience a perspective on the war that doesn’t come through in the mainstream media. Subsequently, Brothers At War would win the Best Documentary award at the 2008 GI Film Festival.
After screening the Brothers At War trailer, I was struck with the idea that I needed to make a war film. It occurred to me that for all the ink that has been spilled about the causes and conduct of the war in Iraq, up until that point there had not been a documentary film that really captured the essence of what it is like to be a combat soldier in Iraq. A film had not yet been made to show something that your average Hollywood liberal doesn’t understand: while there is plenty of disagreement over the war itself, it is close to impossible to find an American citizen who is not proud of the men and women in the military and their service to this country.
I realized that there were thousands of stories of honor, sacrifice, and courage from the war in Iraq that were just waiting to be captured on film for the country to see. Clearly, Hollywood wasn’t leaping at the opportunity and so it fell to us, we few conservative filmmakers, to seek out these soldiers to make sure that their sacrifices are remembered.
Almost exactly one year after I first saw that trailer for Brothers At War last spring, I am proud to say that Citizens United Productions’ latest documentary, Perfect Valor, will make its world debut at the 2009 GI Film Festival. Perfect Valor tells the stories of soldiers and marines who fought in the 2004 battle for the city of Fallujah. This is not a pro-war or anti-war film. Instead, it is our attempt to honor the men and women who serve though giving audiences a small glimpse of what it was like to fight house to house and street to street in the most dangerous city in the world.
Narrated by actor, radio host and former Senator Fred Thompson, Perfect Valor introduces the audience to a Navy Cross recipient recognized for extraordinary gallantry under fire during the assault on Fallujah. A true American hero still haunted by his experience in Iraq. We listen to the family of a fallen Marine as they tell the story of their sacrifice. We hear the harrowing tale of a battalion surgeon who risked his own life to move an aid station forward, into the middle of the fight – a decision that saved thirty lives.
Hearing first-hand accounts of these incredible acts from the people who were there in Fallujah is an intense experience, and it is all too easy to forget that each of their comrades has a similar story to tell. While I’m not holding my breath for all of Hollywood to come around and realize that there is more of an audience for films that rightly glorify the sacrifices and heroism of American troops rather than harshly political tantrums by left-wing actors and directors, we do have some hope. HBO’s recent original production, Taking Chance, is one of those stories and by no coincidence was HBO’s best rated original production in five years.
I encourage conservatives to take a moment to visit the GI Film Festival and look at the amazing work being done by filmmakers around the country to capture the incredible stories that the men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have to tell. The mainstream media and Hollywood have abdicated their responsibility to tell these stories, so it is put to us as patriotic Americans to seek them out. There is no better place than the GI Film Festival, where Perfect Valor will be just one of hundreds of films that deserve to be seen. The men and women featured in these works have fought and died for our sake. Now it is our duty to remember their sacrifice.
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25 Comments
Does it have scenes of somebody, anybody, blowing up J. Garafolo? I'd pay double to see that. Sorry, I'm on a mission today. Can't help myself. Please continue with the real discussion here.
Thank you- Semper Fi
I heartily recommend that anybody interested in the subject read "Moment of Truth in Iraq" by Michael Yon. The shameless partisan nature of the mainstream media can get you down, but if you search you can see what's really going on.
I for one am willing to wager that the movies that come out of the GI festival will start to out pace mainstream Hollywood movies in sales.
Americans have been starved for decades for our, America is the good guy, John Wayne movie hero's.
The stories have already been written and fact is more interesting than fiction. These stories have been written by the the true John Wayne's among us.
I can't wait to see some of these films.
God Bless the Men and Women of the US Armed Forces.
Michael Yon is the hands-down best war correspondent in my lifetime. We need to talk him up at every opportunity.
I applaud anything that challenges the shallow Leftist stereotypes of our armed forces. Too often we're bombarded with two negative and unfair images: soldiers as either evil, thuggish brutes, or either as poor, helpless and stupid victims of the military-industrial complex. Amazingly, the second is actually meant as a positive portrayal.
This last weekend, I was at a writing retreat. I wrote, and later read from, my latest project, a military SF novel which has some parallels to our modern conflicts. I was pleasantly surprised to have gotten praise, even from the liberals.
Agreed. If you want to be informed about Iraq, read "Moment of Truth in Iraq".
All of these GI Film Festival movies look great. Could you please have a second festival on the West Coast? Maybe in the Orange County/San Diego area? (That's the part of the state that appreciates the military.)
Are you suggesting that the San Francisco Bay Area doesn't appreciate the military? Wait a minute, that was a stupid question. Never mind. Actually, we have a very successful Fleet Week here every year. But that may have more to do with chasing sailors than appreciating the military. The Blue Angels are really exciting, except when they fly about three feet above my roof on their approach back to the crowd down by the water.
What's so wrong about a pro-war film. It's easy, just depict the Muslims fighting us in a truthful, accurate light. Their behavior is despicable and no rational person would ever side with them over us.
David,
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell these stories of true American heroes.
For those who want to thank our Troops directly and visibly, plan on attending this event in DC on June 13…
http://protroopevents.com/
Oh rah. Thank you.
"This is not a pro-war or anti-war film." Actually, I would love to see a "pro war" film. And I am always curious when I hear the phrase "pro war" because I am actually not really sure what that is! I don't think that any one is PRO war, inasmuch as it seems to me that no body actually LIKES or WANTS war. But, I see nothing wrong with believing in the Cause itself. There is no country on this Earth besides the US that has shed the blood of its own citizens' for the sake of another country's welfare. Where the Left gets all of its vitriol and ammunition against war is in pointing out the aspects of self interest in any war we fight. They seem to believe that the ONLY time war is justified, at least in the case of the US, is when we are acting in response to a direct attack, with the added caveats of it being by another aggressor state, and then only if we did not "deserve it." So for the Left, we must wait for our innocent civilians to be murdered first. Although that doesn't explain their newfound support for World War II, but that is probably just because they have made so much out of Hitler that they have no choice but to retroactively support that war. Of course, if we go to War, there HAS to be at least some self interest involved. That only makes sense, but apparently not to those on the left. As in any thing, there are always many factors involved in choices as weighty as going to war, and if the cause is in our interests, but serves to protect and foster freedom in other parts of the globe, it doesn't just make it RIGHT but it makes it NOBLE.
Every single country that America has gone to war for in it's history has flourished and benefitted by American intervention. Were it not for the cloak of our protection, Western civilization as we know it simply would not exist. The Left loves to emulate Europe and it's progressivism and big government. None of which could exist today without the blood of Americans soaked in it's soil. South Korea is a vibrant, capitalistic, democratic country while its neighbors to the north live in tyranny and toil. All made possible by American intervention 50 years ago, and our continued troop presence on its borderland. In contrast to South Korea, when the Left won its "victory" against War and we abandoned Vietnam, we see very clearly the results of when America is made to fail in War. I wonder if some of those living in South Vietnam in their dingy hovels eating subsistence rice envy their wealthy compatriots in South Korea? Europe hardly spends a dime on defense, and it's leaders self righteously denounce American "imperialism" all while our troops are garrisoned in Germany. Their own high standards of living and increased Leftist "progressivism" all made possible by our sacrifices in WWII. Japan is a High tech industrial power house, all without having a real Military of their own, this with an aggressive communist world power only a short distance off their coast (and with an axe to grind after the millions of innocents and acts of barbarism by Imperial Japan following their invasion of China). Every single vibrant first world country in the world is only that way because of the United States. In every one of those cases, the US had "self interest" as a motivator, yet our cause was noble and the results are indisputable. I would add, that when w
So, I would love to see a "pro war" movie, if it means as it does to me: War as righteous and noble.
Jim,
Then you are going to love Perfect Valor. It shows how American forces helped eliminate the insidious threat of domestic and foreign terrorism from the people of Anbar Province.
The battle for Fallujah was also written about in a book entitled House to House by SSG David Bellavia. Word is he was recommended for the Medal of Honor but so far no word on that. His crime may be that he actually survived and it seems in this conflict the biggest criteria for being awarded the MOH is having to be killed.
Hope this movie (and the rest at the G.I. Film Festival) get a wide release or that we can at least see them on DVD sooner or later.
Scott,
You can place an order today for Perfect Valor. Simply visit http://www.perfectvalor.com
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 04/21/2009 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
@LawhawkSF Next time the Blue Angels disrupt the quiet of your lovely San Francisco home, pause and reflect on the generations of military members to whom the roar of close air support has come as the answer to a desperate prayer. You'll hear the sound with different ears if you're capable of such insight.
Our fighting men and women don't ask that you fight, or that you die, but their sacrifice deserves that you live in such a way that you are worth fighting and dying for.
"Are you suggesting that the San Francisco Bay Area doesn't appreciate the military?"
Taken as a whole, yes.
By wide release I mean international, the site seems to be US only. Plus I'd be looking for a PAL DVD version.
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I m so excited about the launch of this beautiful heartwarming evocative documentary and I m not just saying that because I'm blessed and honored to be able to call Richard S. Lowry a friend.
Richard is a Military Historian, and author of one of my favorite books "Marines in the Garden of Eden" http://www.marinesinthegardenofeden.com/
Thank You to the ENTIRE team at Citizens United Production for sharing the stories of our brave men and women who serve with honor and dignity, and congratulations on your debut at The GI Film Festival which I 've had the pleasure of attending in the past.
This seems like a very cool festival and I'm wondering if there will be one here on the West Coast in the future? I hope so. I did see Seal Team 6 at a fest in LA and it was AMAZING. For a small indy film, with the exception of obviously not having huge dollars for special effects, it looked like a major studio produced film. For real….they turned away probably 100 people at the door and they'll probably do the same in DC. I highly recommend it and I'd love to these documentaries as well. Good luck to all the film honoring our troops.
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