Body of War

Phil Donahue narrates this very early accounting of how misguided the Iraq War was for our soldiers. This is an exploration of the mind body and spirit, and how they are impacted by politicians actions and words.

The main character in the movie is Thomas Young. Thomas is  an Iraq War veteran who is tragically paralyzed from a bullet to the spine during a battle in in Iraq. What happens next is the emotional journey a paralyzed war veteran must endure in order to regain their life. We watch Thomas as he goes on a physical and emotional journey.  He has to learn to adapt to his new body. Along the way,  he begins to question his decision to go to war in Iraq.

The transformation we witness is how a soldier becomes an anti-war activist. Thomas is a hero. Not the Hollywood hero we so often see in films. Thomas is an activist, question why we went to war unequipped to handle the conflict in Iraq. Political infighting would impact many lives over in Iraq. The film essentially has two story lines. It allows us to see Thomas evolving into a powerful anti-war activist. His passions happen as he struggles adapting to his new body. It allows us insight into what we can not see or feel because of our disconnect to the war.

The second background of the war is the infighting that went on in Congress. Legislators were struggling with the war. Demonstrating the complexities of our going over there that is lost in translation. Overall, Body of War came out during a time when our country began to question the complexities of he response to 9-11. Did we have to go into Iraq? What was the human cost of this foreign policy decision? One that we will regret for a generation.




This is story of one soldier, that signed up for Afghanistan, and was injured in Iraq. He is paralyzed and returns home to marry his bride that waited for him. The film and emotional and delves into the humanity, or lack of involved in war. This is an excellent film. It is currently being shown on sundance and digital cable owners can watch it for free on demand.