THE GOOD SOLDIER documentary

“The Good Soldier” follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier.

A film that could not be more timely, “The Good Soldier” poses the question: What is it that makes a good soldier?

The answer: The ability to kill other human beings.

“The Good Soldier” reveals how soldiers simultaneously grapple with their duty and their own humanity.

The veterans tell of their alien surroundings, their connection to their comrades, and the ghastliness of their reality. Some were wounded, some lost their buddies, some lost their sanity as they tried to quench their intense thirst for revenge by killing the enemy and, consequently, killing civilians. Some buried the enormity of their actions and did not speak of them --- knowing only that they were following orders their commanders had required to conduct the war.

Each man, in his own time, discovers the courage to confront his past actions and begin his healing. Even though they are still haunted by their time in combat, their ability to face themselves in their waking life and achieve self- reconciliation, is the mark of true valor.