Stop-Loss

I was just watching Bill O'Reilly and he had a little segment on movies involving the Iraq War, bringing to our attention the movie Stop-Loss, and how its bombed in theaters stateside.

I watched as it seemed like people were describing this movie as not Anti-War but Pro-Soldier. I haven't seen the movie myself and I admit I have no intention of seeing it. But I've had no desire to see it since I heard of it. Because its about whining and complaining. And I'll go further as to why I think most people, and a lot of soldiers are turned off by this.

This is a volunteer military. We have not enacted the draft. When you sign the dotted line, you are signing a contract that states that you are getting pay and benefits and sometimes a whole lot of money for your service. You are getting something for something. And the military is expecting you to hold onto your end of the bargain.

What a lot of people don't seem to understand is the eight year contract that EVERYONE who joins the military signs. Meaning you are still in the military after your initial two or four year contract is up. They can still call on you and ship you overseas if they have need of you.

When you hear soldiers coming back from Iraq bitching and complaining of being stop-lossed, calling it a backdoor draft, I call bull. Nobody forced you to sign the contract, you did it because you were expecting something in return. Granted, some people's experiences in the military are not the greatest either. You may have had a bad experience, poor leadership, which has killed more then one career that I know of (and nearly killed my own) but you still have an obligation, as the military does provide plenty of opportunity and benefits if you take advantage of them.

So I look at this movie Stop-Loss and it is no surprise to me that it bombed. Telling me a story about a soldier who served faithfully, then gets back and gets stop-lossed and gets mad about it, shows to me that you are showing a soldier who is not living by the army values of Loyalty, Duty, Selfless Service or Honor. This isn't going to fly in the military community, unless its other dirtbags that are whining too.

Thanks but no thanks. Show me a story of a soldier who deserves my admiration and respect. Tell me a story of a soldier's soldier. They used to make movies all the time. Why can't we have a Saving Private Ryan of the Iraq War?

This movie is not Anti-War, well maybe not. I'm not one to judge, I haven't seen it so I can't judge it on that regard. But it is not showing the better side of the American solider. No thanks, I'll save my money.