Why does Hollywood hate our troops?

How many deserters do you actually hear about on the news? Not very many. Unfortunately, the thousands of stories about heroism and courage that could be told about our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are not in the interest of many Hollywood filmmakers, and so a real disservice is being done to these troops. These films only perpetuate negative stereotypes about soldiers and the military. At a time when support for the war in Afghanistan is dividing this country, I simply don’t understand why Hollywood insists on portraying our soldiers in such a negative light. If Vietnam taught us anything, it was hate the war, love the warrior.

Last Memorial Day in Arizona, my parents and the actor Gary Sinise hosted the screening of a documentary called Brothers at War, produced and directed by Jake Rademacher, who has two brothers serving in Iraq. In the film, Rademacher travels to Iraq as a civilian, chronicling the experience as he attempts to understand the motivation and experiences of his brothers at war. It is an honest portrayal of a man struggling to understand exactly why his siblings are motivated to serve and fight in a war overseas. Had my parents not hosted this film, I’m sure I wouldn’t have seen it, because movies like this don’t get the kind of funding or distribution that anti-military films get. I urge everyone to see Brothers at War to understand what it’s truly like to serve (and be the loved one of someone serving) in a war.