jackovesk
3rd February 2015, 08:21
American sniper Garrett Reppenhagen speaks out about the “moral cost” he suffered at war
February 03, 2015 4:36PM
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/682821-5931954a-ab40-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
“If you want to understand the war, the film is like peering into a sniper scope.” - Garrett Reppenhagen. Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures Source: AP
AN American sniper wants the world to know that his war in Iraq was completely different from the one portrayed by Bradley Cooper.
Garrett Reppenhagen says the box office chronicle of the life of ‘America’s deadliest sniper’ unfairly paints Iraqis as “savages”. He said he wasn’t surprised when he read that one hot-blooded American tweeted “I want to go kill some f***ing ragheads” after watching the movie.
Reppenhagen made the comments in a first person piece he wrote for Salon, detailing how the war has taken a "moral” toll on his health and how American Sniper should be viewed as one man’s story, not America’s story.
http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/684511-6a3503cc-ab40-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
Chris Kyle is America’s deadliest sniper and the movie about his life has sparked a robust conversation about America’s reasons for going to war. Rick Homan Source: Supplied
“American Sniper has rallied crowds and broken box office records, but if you want to understand the war, the film is like peering into a sniper scope — it offers a very limited view,” Reppenhagen said.
“The movie tells the story of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, said to have 160 confirmed kills, which would make him the most lethal American military member in history. Kyle views the occupation of Iraq as necessary to stop terrorists from coming to the mainland and attacking the US; he sees the Iraqis as “savages” and attacks any critical thought about the overall mission and the military’s ability to accomplish it.”
Reppenhagen, who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, said America’s war was unjust and has left him scarred.
“As a sniper I was not usually the victim of a traumatic event, but the perpetrator of violence and death,” he said.
“My actions in combat would have been more acceptable to me if I could cloak myself in the belief that the whole mission was for a greater good. Instead, I watched as the purpose of the mission slowly unravelled.”
He said a number of soldiers in his unit held similarly misguided notions of a “noble cause” while fighting in Iraq but that changed when he realised Iraq was not hiding weapons of mass destruction.
“It’s tempting to believe so strongly in the “noble cause,” a belief that gets hardened by the fatigue of multiple tours and whatever is going on at home. But viewing the war only through (Chris Kyle’s) eyes gives us too narrow a frame.
“Unlike Kyle, who claimed his PTSD came from the inability to save more service members, most of the damage to my mental health was what I call “moral injury,” which is becoming a popular term in many veteran circles.”
Reppenhagen said he made close bonds with the Iraqi people and “never saw (them) as savages”.
“They were a friendly culture who believed in hospitality, and were sometimes positive to a fault,” he said.
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/682953-852794d8-ab3b-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
Garrett Reppenhagen wants Americans to “keep both eyes open”. Source: Supplied
“The people are proud of their history, education system and national identity. I have listened to children share old-soul wisdom, and I have watched adults laugh and play with the naiveté of schoolboys. I met some incredible Iraqis during and after my deployment, and it is shameful to know that the movie has furthered ignorance that might put them in danger.”
Speaking out against America’s “War on Terror” is nothing new for Reppenhagen, who addressed a Congressional briefing in 2006.
“Try to imagine you’re in a combat zone in Iraq, in constant danger from hidden roadside bombs, exposed to ambushes and sniper fire,” he said at the time.
“Imagine you witness your closest friend being torn apart by enemy fire. Imagine you discover the insurgent you killed turns out to be an innocent child. Imagine you lost your limbs, your eye sight, your friend, your sanity, your innocence for an unappreciative society and an unconcerned elected government.”
He said Chris Kyle’s version of events was not wrong, but that it proves no one experience is definitive.
“If you really want to be a patriotic American, keep both eyes open and maintain 360 degrees of awareness.”
The American public has been split since American Sniper premiered last month.
A prominent billboard in west Los Angeles was defaced with the word “murder” and a number of commentators said the film glorified war.
Slate reported American Sniper “convinces viewers that Chris Kyle is what heroism looks like: a great guy who shoots a lot of people and doesn’t think twice about it”.
http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/698016-3642ab28-ab40-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
Sniper Garrett Reppenhagen suffered from PTSD after returning from Iraq. Picture: Salon. Source: Supplied
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/american-sniper-garrett-reppenhagen-speaks-out-about-the-moral-cost-he-suffered-at-war/story-fnk853hr-1227206691479
PS - Finally the ((Real Story)) gets told...:yes4:
PSS - You can see ((Exactly Why)) the Military hits these Troops up with ((Experimental Vaccines)) virtually guaranteeing ((Each & Every One of the Troops)) comes home with their human psyche ((Shattered)) & PTSD...:faint:
February 03, 2015 4:36PM
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/682821-5931954a-ab40-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
“If you want to understand the war, the film is like peering into a sniper scope.” - Garrett Reppenhagen. Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures Source: AP
AN American sniper wants the world to know that his war in Iraq was completely different from the one portrayed by Bradley Cooper.
Garrett Reppenhagen says the box office chronicle of the life of ‘America’s deadliest sniper’ unfairly paints Iraqis as “savages”. He said he wasn’t surprised when he read that one hot-blooded American tweeted “I want to go kill some f***ing ragheads” after watching the movie.
Reppenhagen made the comments in a first person piece he wrote for Salon, detailing how the war has taken a "moral” toll on his health and how American Sniper should be viewed as one man’s story, not America’s story.
http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/684511-6a3503cc-ab40-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
Chris Kyle is America’s deadliest sniper and the movie about his life has sparked a robust conversation about America’s reasons for going to war. Rick Homan Source: Supplied
“American Sniper has rallied crowds and broken box office records, but if you want to understand the war, the film is like peering into a sniper scope — it offers a very limited view,” Reppenhagen said.
“The movie tells the story of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, said to have 160 confirmed kills, which would make him the most lethal American military member in history. Kyle views the occupation of Iraq as necessary to stop terrorists from coming to the mainland and attacking the US; he sees the Iraqis as “savages” and attacks any critical thought about the overall mission and the military’s ability to accomplish it.”
Reppenhagen, who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, said America’s war was unjust and has left him scarred.
“As a sniper I was not usually the victim of a traumatic event, but the perpetrator of violence and death,” he said.
“My actions in combat would have been more acceptable to me if I could cloak myself in the belief that the whole mission was for a greater good. Instead, I watched as the purpose of the mission slowly unravelled.”
He said a number of soldiers in his unit held similarly misguided notions of a “noble cause” while fighting in Iraq but that changed when he realised Iraq was not hiding weapons of mass destruction.
“It’s tempting to believe so strongly in the “noble cause,” a belief that gets hardened by the fatigue of multiple tours and whatever is going on at home. But viewing the war only through (Chris Kyle’s) eyes gives us too narrow a frame.
“Unlike Kyle, who claimed his PTSD came from the inability to save more service members, most of the damage to my mental health was what I call “moral injury,” which is becoming a popular term in many veteran circles.”
Reppenhagen said he made close bonds with the Iraqi people and “never saw (them) as savages”.
“They were a friendly culture who believed in hospitality, and were sometimes positive to a fault,” he said.
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/682953-852794d8-ab3b-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
Garrett Reppenhagen wants Americans to “keep both eyes open”. Source: Supplied
“The people are proud of their history, education system and national identity. I have listened to children share old-soul wisdom, and I have watched adults laugh and play with the naiveté of schoolboys. I met some incredible Iraqis during and after my deployment, and it is shameful to know that the movie has furthered ignorance that might put them in danger.”
Speaking out against America’s “War on Terror” is nothing new for Reppenhagen, who addressed a Congressional briefing in 2006.
“Try to imagine you’re in a combat zone in Iraq, in constant danger from hidden roadside bombs, exposed to ambushes and sniper fire,” he said at the time.
“Imagine you witness your closest friend being torn apart by enemy fire. Imagine you discover the insurgent you killed turns out to be an innocent child. Imagine you lost your limbs, your eye sight, your friend, your sanity, your innocence for an unappreciative society and an unconcerned elected government.”
He said Chris Kyle’s version of events was not wrong, but that it proves no one experience is definitive.
“If you really want to be a patriotic American, keep both eyes open and maintain 360 degrees of awareness.”
The American public has been split since American Sniper premiered last month.
A prominent billboard in west Los Angeles was defaced with the word “murder” and a number of commentators said the film glorified war.
Slate reported American Sniper “convinces viewers that Chris Kyle is what heroism looks like: a great guy who shoots a lot of people and doesn’t think twice about it”.
http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2015/02/03/1227206/698016-3642ab28-ab40-11e4-98ea-b0cbd556a12b.jpg
Sniper Garrett Reppenhagen suffered from PTSD after returning from Iraq. Picture: Salon. Source: Supplied
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/american-sniper-garrett-reppenhagen-speaks-out-about-the-moral-cost-he-suffered-at-war/story-fnk853hr-1227206691479
PS - Finally the ((Real Story)) gets told...:yes4:
PSS - You can see ((Exactly Why)) the Military hits these Troops up with ((Experimental Vaccines)) virtually guaranteeing ((Each & Every One of the Troops)) comes home with their human psyche ((Shattered)) & PTSD...:faint: