Operation Homecoming

Operation Homecoming is a film that blends together a collection of writings from Iraq War veterans, set to pictures of the war or semi-animated shorts, with interviews of the writers as well as veteran/writers of other wars, including Tobias Wolff, Paul Fussell, and Tim O'Brien. It sprang from a NEA project that sought to use writing as a sort of therapy for returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I found it a pretty mixed bag. Three of the shorts were excellent. Colby Buzzell's Men in Black, a remix of his famous blog post about a firefight in Mosul, makes you feel the terror and adrenaline, followed by the letdown, of combat. Road Work by Army Staff Sergeant Jack Lewis is a crushing story of the death of an innocent Iraqi are a road checkpoint, where the Iraqi's father's grief is counterpointed by Lewis' own memory of the accidental death of his own child (an expanded version of what is in the film can be read here, and is definitely worth your time). Taking Chance by USMC LtCol Mike Strobl was a superb story of a Marine officer accompanying the body of LCpl Chance Phelps, killed in Iraq in 2005, home for burial. This story can be read here, and frankly it made me proud to be American. Dubois did their boy good.

The film emphasizes the pure savagery of war and its negative effects on both soldiers and civilians. There's not much positive to be found here. If you're a war supporter, you're going to dislike this film, and if you're against it you won't find much that you haven't likely read already. My feelings tend more towards the latter, but there's plenty of good stuff of this type you can already find online. It's not worth the trek to Film Forum to see.

You can listen to some of the stories that are condensed in the film here.

Battle for Baghdad

Anne Garrels is one of the best journalists working in Iraq today. Her most recent stories about the beginning troop surge in Iraq have been terrific --- engrossing frontline dispatches about sectarian violence and American troops caught in the middle. Make sure to actually listen to them, rather than just reading the summaries.

Joint U.S. Iraqi Security Outposts Set Up in Baghdad

Routine Traffic Stop in Iraq Frees Kidnapped Man

Neighbors Wait for a Chance to Co-Exist in Baghdad

A few things that Garrels makes clear: Sunni Baghdad is under assault from Shia militias in a huge way, law and order in Baghdad has broken down almost completely, and American soldiers are pretty much the only hope that your average Sunni Iraqi civilian has nowadays. Which, given the small numbers even after the planned "surge", is not much hope at all.

So maybe not Cowboys-Bills ...

But close enough for government work. I couldn't watch the entire game because I had to get up for work, but the Colts had the situation well in hand by the third quarter. Just like against the Ravens (a similar team to the Bears but far superior on both sides of the ball), the Colts used the threat of Peyton Manning and the deep pass to set up a consistent stretch running game that strangled the Bears with the slow inevitability of a python. Sexy Rexy just accelerated the process with his fourth-quarter meltdown.

By the way, why was Prince singing a Foo Fighters song? Gotta say, though, he tore it up. Best Super Bowl halftime show I've ever actually watched. Not bad for a guy pushing 50.

Peyton may be a Republican ...

But he's still (probably) going to win the Super Bowl. Sorry, Mike Tomasky.

Unfortunately I think the Colts are going to take this one by a huge margin. Hell, I'm talking a Cowboys-Bills margin. Tomasky slams Manning for being nothing more than Dave Krieg behind a great line, but I have to disagree with him in a big way. Manning would be superb behind almost any NFL line. I don't think he even has much "pocket mobility" --- witness the Steelers/Colts game in last year's playoffs to see what happens when a fast, active defense gets through and confuses Manning in coverage. But he does have an amazingly quick release, receivers like Harrison, Dallas Clark, and Reggie Wayne, and a fast back in Joseph Addai combined with an offensive coordinator's mind and good decision-making skills in the pocket. All these combine to make him the least sacked QB of the last five years or so, and probably the best.

Also see: Football Outsiders on the Colts O-line. Their verdict --- other than Tarik Glenn, nothing much there. I have to agree, after watching Saturday get stood up repeatedly in the last game.

Recent Purchases

No wonder the bonus disappeared so fast ...


Alta tactical knee pads. Get your mind out of the gutter, you.

Bates 50501 lightweight jungles, to replace a pair destroyed earlier. Not as comfortable as Bates ICBs, but a lot better to run in.





Specter Gear SOP 3-point sling. Tough and durable, though I haven't actually put it on a weapon yet. We'll see how the forward latch works --- a bit different from what I'm used to.

Agreed

Government Center in Ramadi, Anbar Province, Iraq - 30 January, 2007

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