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Movies influence views of veterans

By Elizabeth Leffall
The Collegian

Thanks to our beloved film industry, many Americans have conflicting perceptions of United States veterans stemming all the way back to the Vietnam War.

A new movie, Jarhead, coming out in November, tells the story of a soldier’s experience during the First Gulf War. After reading several reviews, the movie seems to provide a very skeptical look at the different labels placed on veterans. Which one are you familar with, the good vet or the bad one?

Case in Point

Good vet perceptions were introduced to America during the Vietnam era through the movie The Live Set.

Released during a time when the majority of American society was becoming anti-war, veterans were portrayed as well-adjusted individuals and had little trouble adjusting to civilian life.

In the book, The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam, author Jerry Lembcke likens the movie to a symbol of post World War II when Americans viewed servicemen as simply obeying orders, “finding and destroying.”

Case in Point

On the flip side, bad vet labels began popping up in movies in the early 1970s through the release of Motor Psycho and Coming Home.

In Coming Home Americans saw, for the first time, a veteran threatening to kill himself because of his inability to cope with life after war.

These movies not only introduced the bad vet theme but portrayed soldiers as violent and ‘shell-shocked’ as a result of psychological trauma.

Other American movies that have encouraged such extreme views of veterans include: Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now and Farenheit 911.

Neither the bad or good vet label is very realistic because no one is made up of extremes alone.


	October 24, 2005 California State University, Fresno