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Soldier Says "Young and Impressionable" Soldiers Just Returned from Iraq Deployments Are "Being Made to Feel Ashamed" of Their Service

The National Center for Public Policy Research has posted online an e-mail received from a soldier, Spc. Joe Roche of the 1st Armored Division, who says Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 is "making the rounds" among soldiers at U.S. military bases overseas and is "shocking and crushing soldiers, making them feel ashamed" of their service in Iraq. The letter has been published online by The National Center without abridgment. The full text can be found here. Some excerpts: "Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11, is making the rounds here at U.S. bases in Kuwait. Some soldiers have received it already and are passing is around. The impact is devastating. Here we are, soldiers of the 1st Armored Division, just days from finally returning home after over a year serving in Iraq, and Moore's film is shocking and crushing soldiers, making them feel ashamed. Moore has abused the First Amendment and is hurting us worse than the enemy has. There are the young and impressionable soldiers, like those who joined the Army right out of high school. They aren't familiar w/ the college-type political debate environment, and they haven't been schooled in the full range of issues involved. They are vulnerable to being hurt by a vicious film like Moore's." "Specialist Janecek, who is feeling depressed because a close family member is nearing the end of her life, just saw the film today. I saw him in the DFAC. He is devastated. 'I feel shitty, ashamed, like this was all a lie.' Not only is he looking at going straight to a funeral when he returns home, but now whatever pride he felt for serving here has been crushed by Moore's film. Specialist Everett earlier after seeing the film: 'You'll be mad at shit for ever having come here.' And there are others. Mostly the comments are absolute shock at the close connections Moore makes between the Bush family and the Bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia. 'Bush looks really really REALLY corrupt in this film. I just don't know what to think anymore,' is a common comment to hear. Some of these soldiers are darn right ashamed tonight to be American soldiers, to have been apart of this whole mission in Iraq, and are angry over all that Moore has presented in his film." "Right now, just days away from what should be a proud and happy return from 15 months of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, your U.S. soldiers are coming back ashamed and hurt because of Moore's work." "I sometimes want to be mad at my fellow soldiers for being susceptible to Moore's distortions, but I can't really blame them. These are good Americans, who have volunteered to serve our country. Nothing says they all have to be experts in Middle Eastern issues and history and politics to serve. That would be silly. ...But this is, of course, the vulnerability that Moore has exploited." "I wonder how damaging and shocking a Moore project would have been in the 1940s making such a video of Franklin Roosevelt."

Spc. Joe Roche serves with the 16th Engineering Battalion of the 1st Armored Division. He and his unit were deployed in Iraq for 15 months. An archive of his e-mails can be accessed at www.nationalcenter.org/RochePage.html online.

The National Center for Public Policy Research is a non-partisan, conservative/free-market think-tank established in 1982 and located on Capitol Hill. It can be visited at http://www.nationalcenter.org online.

This should be fun

if i had just gotten back from Iraq i'd just go kick that fat basterd in the nutts (guy who made the movie... cant remember his name at this moment)

his name's Michael Moore... its like every 20th word in the article...

I'll tell them what to think, they can think that Moore lies or highly exaggrates about 80% of the so-called facts in his films. I don't get why they'd show this film on military bases anyways.

Chances are it's circulating on DVD. The propensity of DVD players on bases over there is very high, either the handheld kind, laptop enabled DVD's or in lounges. English language TV isn't the easiest thing to come by nor is stringing up cable or satellite dishes for most soldiers.

If I had ever come across a movie like this making the rounds through my unit I would have confiscated it and destroyed it. If the "owner" wanted restitution I would have paid him $20 and been done with it. Sorry to say free speech proponents but that "right" doesn't exist in the military and my saftey and the saftey of soldiers is as dependent on morale as it is on the armor on tanks or sabot rounds they fire.

Originally Posted by Duo_Maxwell I don't get why they'd show this film on military bases anyways.

You and me both.

...non-partisan, conservative...=oxymoron

Originally Posted by PittsburghAfterDark Chances are it's circulating on DVD. The propensity of DVD players on bases over there is very high, either the handheld kind, laptop enabled DVD's or in lounges. English language TV isn't the easiest thing to come by nor is stringing up cable or satellite dishes for most soldiers. If I had ever come across a movie like this making the rounds through my unit I would have confiscated it and destroyed it. If the "owner" wanted restitution I would have paid him $20 and been done with it. Sorry to say free speech proponents but that "right" doesn't exist in the military and my saftey and the saftey of soldiers is as dependent on morale as it is on the armor on tanks or sabot rounds they fire.

Well seeing how it's not out on DVD it would be an illegal copy of some kind meaning you probably sieze it easily with no problems.

You're still campaigning here?

Why would someone rich enough to want to vote for Bush be posting on a site for cheapasses?

Somehow, I'd think that the possibility of being killed might have a more significant impact.

In the meantime, I'll simply point out that the National Center for Public Policy Research is a conservative think-tank. Anything they publish is as suspect of political bias as Michael Moore is.

myke.
...my first post here. Hi. :x

It's not necessarily illegal. There are movies that are sent to U.S. troops long before they're on pay TV or on DVD as the easiest way to get movies to the military.

The U.S. Navy, submarine crews in particular, go to sea with the absolute latest in films.

moore is laughing all the way to the bank with this movie.

Boo Hoo.

They should be ashamed of what they are doing in Iraq. Even if it isn't their fault and they are just obeying orders.

Allow me to also point out another grievance of mine.

The publishing group is the National Center for Public Policy Research.

There is a keyword in there: Research.

Let me say it again: Research.

This article is an e-mail from one soldier.

A sample size of one does not translate into good (or even laudable) research. Case in point, randomly ask one person if they prefer to vote for Bush, Kerry, or Nader at this point. With one answer, you aren't likely to get a response that represents the current American mindset, are you?

This is poor, irresponsible journalism (regardless of any political affiliation). It is the treatment of one person's experience as representative of all others.

myke.
...enjoying NFL 2K5, but realized far too late that I know very little about football.

well considering parts of the movie were about soldiers having low morale and not knowing why they were there, and being angry, the atmosphere already existed. The soldiers are split just like us civilians are.
F911 isn't hurting the military. It might possibly be enhancing feelings that both sides have about what it going on. And it might be healthy for them to get it out and get fired up about SOMETHING.
Implying that this movie is endangering lives is just ludicrous. I'm not buying it.
And yes they illegally download stuff over there all of the time. Some of them are getting busted for it too. Now they are supposedly keeping a tighter watch on what they are accessing. I say let them download whatever they want. If they can sacrifice their lives, I'm sure Movie/CD industries can sacrifice a few bucks.
And despite what anyone says, the soldiers that disagree with the war don't feel like we aren't supporting them. We are all supporting them no matter what we believe. They just feel like their lives are being wasted for no reason. Don't blame a film maker for that.

That is all I have to say on this subject.

Im with Zforce...they should be ashamed as to what they are doing...We have no right to be there and anyone willing to go deserves to die...just like they are killing thousands of innocent people...There is no excuse for what we are doing...And I really dont want to hear your political shit Pitsburg...

And I really dont want to hear your political shit Pitsburg

Here's a simple solution then. Don't read my posts on the political board .

I was just saying...I have my opinion...and im really tired of this "Evil Doers" attitude...Iraq did nothing to us...Afgahnistan (sp) is where Alquida (sp) is located...not Iraq...we have no right to kill all those people

Okay, so we're supposed to feel bad because people in the Military are hearing about the information in this movie? Perhaps we *should* be feeling bad, for suggesting that these people should be kept from receiving this side of the story. Regardless of if you believe it to be true or not, restricting the viewpoint from them doesn't coincide with the concepts of "freedom", "liberty", or "free will."

So soldiers are losing morale because of it? Perhaps they have a reason to do so. Someone further up in the post said that if they were returning from Iraq they'd kick Michael Moore in the nuts. Why? Give me a good reason why a soldier should be *angry* about what was said. Should they be angry because someone is stating an opinion perhaps? Or would you suggest that they should be angry because what he said goes against what they've been told, and they shouldn't want to hear things contrary to what they've been told? Why? I can't even begin to see why you would be *angry* about it. You could disagree with it, but the emotion of anger doesn't even make sense in this equation.

Or perhaps you're suggesting that people should threaten him physically to stop him from voicing his opinions: if so, then the deceased brothers-in-arms of the very soldier who does that would be dishonored by his action. Don't our soldiers fight to preserve the rights of free speech and the freedom of information? Don't they? I sense a lingering, underlying contradiction in what has been said above. If someone actually believes what has been said above, then I feel very sorry for them.