First-person Shooter
The Iraq war through the warrior’s eyes
By Richie Victorino rvictorino@hippopress.com

It all began with a late-night epiphany.

While lying in bed, filmmaker Deborah Scranton, who was just offered the opportunity to be embedded with the New Hampshire National Guard in Iraq, had an idea.

“What if I gave them the cameras?” she asked herself.

And thus The War Tapes came to be. The documentary follows the three soldiers — Mike Moriarty, Steve Pink and Zach Brazzi — from deployment, to their year-long stay in Iraq, to their return home. Rather than filming what she saw, Scranton gave the soldiers the opportunity to show us all what it’s like to be an American soldier fighting in Iraq. Each soldier was able to communicate with Scranton through e-mails and instant messaging but in the end, what’s seen and heard in The War Tapes, comes straight from the soldiers themselves. The film won the Best Documentary Feature award at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, and is being screened at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord on June 22, and at Regal Cinemas 9 in Manchester on June 23. Scranton, and the soldiers who filmed their lives for one year in Iraq, spoke with the Hippo.

Specialist Mike Moriarty

Looking back, with the correspondence, the instant messaging, having to talk about events that happened, was that helpful for you?
Absolutely. It was something to cling onto. First of all, the technical side of it gave me something to do. Talking to the camera and knowing that somebody at home was not only going to hear what I was talking about, but they were going to see what I was talking about, it made me feel like it was going to get recognized and noticed. Not for my sake, but for the sake of all the soldiers who were experiencing this.

Were there any situations, or things you said or did, that made you wonder to yourself what people will think of all this back home?
No, because I knew that people would understand, even if something crazy came out of my mouth, I guess I figured people would understand.

When Deborah Scranton came to you, proposing this idea, why was it that you were able to trust her?
The military in general is very stand-offish when it comes to the media. And we’re trained to avoid the media and be very brief with them. I was kind of against this at first. I immediately went in and started interrogating her – ‘What is your real intention here?’ I asked her what she even knew about the National Guard and the unit and she came back with a lot of details. She presented us with her last project [Stories from Silence, Witness to War], which was probably the single most credible thing she could have shown us.

After seeing the film, do you think trusting her was the right thing to do? Did she live up to what you thought her intentions were?
Yes, she did for the most part. There were some details in the film that get to me … There were some things like … one scene where [George] Bush is in the news saying ‘bringing democracy to Iraq’ and in the very next shot is a tanker on fire. So, there was stuff like that that kinda got to me. But that being said, you also have me saying things like ‘This war’s not for oil. If it were for oil we wouldn’t be paying 3 bucks a gallon.’ I filmed more than anyone else in the unit. I sent in over 230 80-minute tapes. That being said, I was going to be the most sensitive one about the film. I addressed my concerns and they considered my concerns and made some changes. Overall I’m satisfied.

Did your opinion about the mission, and its purpose change at all from before you went to Iraq to when you left?
My feelings of why we went there haven’t changed at all. Yeah, it would’ve been great if we did find weapons of mass destruction. But people tend to lock onto that one aspect. The purpose of us going there was bigger than weapons of mass destruction: humanitarian crisis, [Saddamm Hussein] supported terrorism. Whether he had anything to do with Al Qaeda, who knows. But the guy has got two big pictures of the towers burning behind his desk. Chances are he doesn’t like the United States all that much. My opinion is he definitely had weapons of mass destruction; they got rid of them. If we genuinely believe that they had weapons of mass destruction, then we did the right thing.

Do you think the media does, in fact, slant the news in Iraq?
I think it can, but I learned a lot by this experience. I think that the media gives a lot of negative feedback about Iraq, but I also think there is a lot of negative feedback about Iraq.

Do you think proportionately there are more negatives than positives?
No.

Give me some of the positives.
On a daily basis you’d be thanked and waved to by many Iraqis. They wanted to learn about us. If you asked them, why are there so many insurgents, they would say that most of the insurgents are not from Iraq. And those who are from Iraq are unhappy … that things aren’t happening as quickly as they want them to. They’re just uncomfortable people, and uncomfortable people are irritated people. If you have a family that’s starving, and you’re told there’s a convoy of trucks coming by with food in it, if you shoot the truck you’ll get everything that’s in that truck, Never mind if you agree with the United States or not. That’s a survival issue. If you ask those people, ‘Do you want us to leave?’ almost of all of them would say no.

Does it hurt you or piss you off at all when you hear people talk about the war so negatively?
Well, first, I have a negative side of it as well. I support that we’re there. We are making successes. When we got there the Iraqi police were shooting at us. When we left they were shooting side-by-side with us. My complaint is that the level of intensity on our part is too low; I support that we’re there but I don’t support how long it’s taking. It’s a great thing that we can have this debate. It bothers me when people say ‘I don’t support the mission but I support the troops.’ It doesn’t bother me that they feel that way but a soldier doesn’t take that the way you think they do. When people call this whole thing a failure, you’re telling that guy who’s over there right now, who does have access to TV, you’re calling that soldier a failure. I’m risking my life and you’re calling what I’m doing a failure. That’s a terrible feeling.

How has being a soldier changed you?
With a situation like that, you realize how unbelievable this country is. When you’re flying over New Jersey and you want to cry because of how beautiful it is, you know you’ve been somewhere rough for the past year. You get appreciation for every single thing in life.

If your children wanted to enlist, what would your reaction be?
I would support it. If they had to go to war, I would join the millions of other parents that worry every single day. You almost have to be in denial, just like we had to be in denial over there, saying ‘I’m not gonna get killed today.’ That’s the only reason why you stand up, and fight back, because you say ‘I’m gonna do this. Until I do get killed, I’m gonna do this mission.’ The same thing would go with if my kids went to war.

Sergeant Steve Pink

When Deborah came to you guys proposing that you use video cameras to record your experience, why did you trust her?
Who said that I trusted her? I didn’t at all. I didn’t know what her intentions were or what she thought she was doing at all when she came down to Fort Dix to introduce us to her project. But I knew that I wanted a camera. And then it took some time, and some communication back and forth for me to decide that her intentions were genuine and that she was going to do the right thing with our footage.

So what is the right thing?
It was making sure she didn’t put her political views into our footage. We had 1,000 hours of footage and anyone who’s done any editing knows they hold the reins. I have a big mistrust with media in general.

Have your views on Iraq changed at all from when you first got there to after you left?
Sure my views have changed a little bit, of course, setting foot on the ground and seeing what’s actually going on. My views have changed a little bit but I also think that it’s a struggling country that needs development right now.

Knowing what you know now, and feeling how you do now, would you still enter Iraq in the same way, that this is my job and this is what I have to do?
Well yeah, let me tell you something real quick. As a soldier you’re under contract, just like as if you had a job; you have a job to do. Your opinions aren’t really a concern while you’re doing the job.

Does the media truly slant the news in Iraq?
Depends on what you watch. They’re doing their best and they’re doing a tough job. I think there are all sorts of genres in journalism itself, on what kind of news you want to report. For instance, I think if anyone was embedded with us, if anyone else other than the soldiers were shooting the footage they would’ve got different footage and there would have been a different theme behind it.

The film gets into your trip back home and the adjustments it took. How difficult has it been to immerse yourself back into … civilian life?
Initially it was difficult, yes.

Do people treat you differently when they learn that you’re a soldier who served in war?
Not necessarily. It all depends on who you talk to. But I think as far as respect goes, our country learned a lot by humiliating the veterans of Vietnam. They made a huge mistake in doing that. They were lucky enough to learn that they shouldn’t do that anymore. I’ve got nothing but respect for civilians here, even if they’re against the war.

When people talk about this war, with all the conflict surrounding it, is it hurtful? Does it piss you off?
I think if someone’s got a valid argument with any bit of intellect to say in a debate that’s worth debating then absolutely voice your opinion. I think if someone wants to just rant and complain and cry, then I don’t want to f-ing hear it for a second. It just makes sense; whatever end you’re coming from, have something to back up what you’re saying.

How has being a soldier changed you, either for the better or for the worse?
Well, I guess I’ve got life experiences, seeing some gruesome things in life that a majority of humans don’t see. I can’t say it’s changed me for the better at all but at the same rate I have more respect for certain things. We have the advantage of having certain things in this country. I think we notice those things and take a lot less for granted.

Sergeant Zack Bazzi

When Deborah first came to you guys and she proposed this idea, why were you able to trust her?
She showed up a couple of weeks before deployment. At that point it was just something interesting. I wasn’t thinking it’d be a big-time documentary. She promised that in the end the project would not be slanted one way or the other. It seemed like a cool thing to get involved in … so I grabbed a camera and signed up. At first I didn’t film that much, at most like once a week, but as I got to know her and we spoke though IM and so on, I began to trust her and toward the end I was filming about twice a week.

Was filming ever a hindrance for you?
No. It was just a matter of turning on the on button, so in many ways it was no different than turning on the air conditioning on my humvee. I didn’t lose focus because of it. As a sergeant in charge of soldiers’ lives it would be immoral of me to do something that would interfere with my focus.

Did the film turn out the way you thought it would?
Yeah. Of course if you sit there and analyze it scene by scene you might see things you don’t like. But generally speaking, big picture, it was fair and honest and balanced. It didn’t over idealize us … but it didn’t demonize us.

Have your views of Iraq changed before you went there versus after you left?
As a soldier you must always do your mission. It’s not up to you to cherry-pick your missions, it’s not a buffet. I love the job, and ultimately it’s not a political job. We wage war; we don’t declare it. As a soldier you can only hope that the powers that be have the wisdom to send you to a war, that’s not necessarily righteous, I don’t think there is such a thing – war is the failure of diplomacy – but you only hope that they send you to a war that’s in our best interest.

What is it about being a soldier that attracts you?
It fits me. I like adventure. I like to travel. I like to do things that are challenging, rough, rugged and risky, and the Army provides me all these things. But it also helps you to deal with risks. There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity and the Army teaches you to be brave, not stupid.

What’s it take to put yourself in such a dangerous situation?
You have to think it through like a math equation. Yes there’s a chance I’ll die, but I can’t let that interfere with my daily duties. Fear spreads and it’s not going to help. And ultimately you have to say, if it’s my time, then it’s my time.

How difficult is it to return back to civilian life after combat?
To me it wasn’t a problem. I got back, I traveled across Europe for three months and decompressed. Some people might take a little more to assimilate. Some people have a few things they have to deal with emotionally and psychologically, we all do. My unit served in the Sunni Triangle. We had a lot of violence and combat. Different people transition at a different rate.

How has being a soldier changed you?
After eight years, I’m a lot more mature and confident. I’m comfortable in my own skin. You get to know yourself. Probably the most important thing is my thought process. The Army teaches you to always think rationally and I apply that to all aspects in my life.

Do you think it would benefit everyone to serve their country?
I think being a soldier is one of the most honorable things you can do for your country and for yourself. But we shouldn’t have to force someone to do it. It’s an honor and if you don’t want to do it then fine, don’t do it. I personally think a warrior is better than a civilian. That being said, I think if all citizens in our country served in one way or another, it would make them better citizens. If we had to go to another war they’d think about it more seriously. For example, right now we’re at war, and people are getting tax cuts instead of tax hikes. There’s nothing at stake for them, which does nothing but make this disconnect. If everyone did some sort of civil service, not necessarily the military, they’d get a real feeling for what being a citizen of this country is all about.

Director Deborah Scranton

How did The War Tapes come to be?
Based on my previous film, Stories From Silence, Witness to War, which is on the World War II veterans from my town … the New Hampshire National Guard called me with an offer to embed as a filmmaker to tell their story. That night, when I went to sleep, I literally sat up with the idea of what if I gave them the cameras and worked with them over the Internet to tell their story. I think what most people are interested in in a documentary … is the authenticity of the experience, and I really wanted to crawl inside the experience of war.

Filmmakers are notorious for being control freaks. Was it difficult to give up the cameras?
I guess the way I looked at it was, it was a very conscious decision to never allow myself, or anyone from the production team, to go to Iraq. Because if any one of us went it would have immediately diminished what the soldiers were creating. It would become about us. When I went down to Fort Dix and I hopped out in front of 180 guys and told them about my vision I made them a promise. I said that we would tell their story wherever it took us; through their own eyes and their own words.

Why do you think the soldiers were able to trust you, and your vision?
I think in any documentary film, a lot of it is based on trust and relationship. The film isn’t about the Internet but it couldn’t have been made without it. It allowed us to talk back and forth with each other and discuss the process.

How often were you in correspondence with the soldiers, and how much were they able to tell you about their missions?
It depended on the soldier and on their mission and what the days were like. The soldiers were always aware of what’s called OPSEC, which is operations security, so they would never say something that would compromise the mission. Throughout this whole process, it was always mission first and filming second. And that was how I wanted it too. Obviously I wanted them home safe and sound more than I wanted any videotape.

Do you find that the film achieved what you wanted it to achieve?
(pauses) I’m really proud of it. I meant what I said that I gave them my promise that we would tell their story, wherever it took us, no matter what.

Was there anything about the footage that you were surprised about?
I was surprised by the visceral experience of a 360-degree war. Once you lock and load and leave the base, the frontline is wherever you are, whether it’s an IED [Improvised Explosive Device – roadside bomb] or a VBIED [Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device – a car bomb], not knowing if it’s friend or foe.

One of the things I noticed, when the soldiers came back, is that they changed, of course. Was it that obvious to you, their changes, as it was to me as a viewer?
That’s a good question. Well, I got to know them. You know, when you get to know them, having talked with them daily or weekly … there were parts where, yeah, I could see it; but probably not as much as for you, not knowing them.

What do you hope this film to do?
To spark conversations and start dialogue. I think right now there’s a divide. There are people who know a soldier, who are living it, and I think there are a lot of people in this country that don’t. We’re a country at war. I think it’s important to understand what that means, as best we can.