This Is War: Memories of Iraq (2007)

• 76%
• 2007
• Documentary
• War
• Gary Mortensen
• Rebekka Mae Bruns
• Ryan Howell
• Vince Jacques

The story of what it means to be in combat in Iraq through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. This documentary follows nine National Guard soldiers from Oregon who ended up in some of the heaviest fighting of the war. Most of the photographs and footage were taken from the cameras of the soldiers themselves giving the viewer rare access to the front lines in places such as Fallujah, Najaf and the desolate IED infested roads outside of Baghdad. Joking while a sniper shoots at them or griping about "higher command's" decision- making processes, these soldiers come across as distinctly American. Of the nine soldiers covered in the documentary, two are severely injured in combat and several more are wounded in action. Through it all they retain their bond to each other. Powerful and hard hitting, this film puts the war into a context that watching the evening news simply can't do. It's honest, brutal, funny and always engaging. This is War.