Veterans endure lifetime of guilt

THE U.S. and UK face an uphill struggle to recruit and retain military personnel. Small wonder after what the Bush/Blair 'War on Terror' unleashed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

- by SERENA WYLDE

A disquieting documentary called America's Veterans: The War Within, aired by ITV earlier this summer, laid bare the monumental social cost of the conditioning process U.S. combatants went through in these wars. It often resulted in the complete erasure of their humanity, and the consequent loss of their ability to function outside of a context of brutality and aggression.

Documentarian, Deeyah Khan, spent years travelling around the U.S. interviewing veterans, and distilled this labour of patience into a 75-minute documentary. The stirring testimonies featured in the programme are a sample of combatants' experiences. These veterans are on a path to confronting their actions and accepting what they have become as a consequence. Many others may not even be able to initiate such a journey.