Over a span of two days - thanks to various baby interruptions and futbol matches- Rich and I watched a film called In the Valley of Elah, starring Texas native and true cowboy, Tommy Lee Jones. If you haven't seen the movie and want to, this may be a spoiler and you should stop reading. Otherwise, read on and feel free to offer any insight.In In the Valley of Elah, Tommy Lee Jones plays a strong, silent US veteran named Hank who still creases his sheets and shines his shoes, army style. Hank's youngest son (the eldest having died in combat), Mike, who has just completed a tour in Iraq and is back in the US, goes AWOL and later is found grotesquely murdered. Hank makes it his mission to discover who and why anyone would want to kill the boy that he "raised right," with all of the good-ole-boy - open the door for a lady - type manners.
Without going into a whole lot of plot detail, I can say that in the end Hank realizes that the country for which he fought and for which both of his sons died, is in serious trouble. He no longer recognizes any of the old school, "yes mam" American moral values in the person he thought was his son or in the current military - a code that Hank, a generation removed, still unwaveringly lives by. In fact he mostly finds selfish corruption, hatred, debauchery, thievery, and self-devouring cruelty in varying forms - Gitmo type behaviors that allow for members of his son's squadron - his "brothers" - to repeatedly stab Mike, cut his body into pieces, burn them, and leave them to be scattered by the animals. The only "good" member of Mike's squadron, the only one disgusted by the actions of his squad, is a drug dealer.
Afterwards, the murderers chillingly use military lingo, including the word "sir" to apologize, showing that the military still gives the illusion that they are the upstanding organization that they were 20 years ago - the wolf in sheep's clothing.
In the end Hank raises the American Flag, only instead of flying Old Glory in pristine condition as is shown in the beginning of the film, he takes a tattered flag that Mike sends to him from Iraq and hangs it upside-down, remarking to the El Salvadorian man who is usually in charge of posting the colors and who speaks English with a heavy accent (nothing masked there) that an upside-down flag is a symbol of a nation in dire distress. The actual line is, "It means we're in a whole lot of trouble, so come save our ass because we don't have a prayer in hell of saving ourselves."
The jury is still out on whether or not blame for what is perceived as our country's distress lies in some sort of disconnect within our day to day American values or whether it is the stress of war that causes the synapses in "our boys" to misfire. Are we talking about PTSD or a collapse in civilization?
I couldn't tell if the statement being made was that as a nation we need to return to our conservative roots as a remedy, or if those roots are what directly lead to rebellion. Why do we need to be heroes? Do we create conflict in order to make ourselves worthwhile?
And I understand that the whole of the armed forces is not as corrupt as the movie would have us believe; I know lots of really good people, with good intentions (my students included) who feel led by God to join-up to protect their loved ones from those who would do harm. They live their lives in a way that they feel is virtuous, with integrity.
And I do know that there is a need for a military - one that is wholly led by a universal code of righteousness (which doesn't really exist in a fallible world, but then our humanness is what warrants the existence of a military in the first place - oooh vitreous circle!).
Woven throughout the movie is also the story/theme of David and Goliath* who fought in the actual Israeli Valley of Elah - hence the name of the film. But the modern roles remain unclear. Who is the new David? Who is the Goliath?
And ultimately, if David fought the giant armed only with simple courage and a rock, then what are we doing with armor and bombs? Wouldn't that make us the Goliath? And that would make David..
All of this is rattling around in my noggin, and I am not certain how to feel or what to say about any of it, being the person I am - excellent at noting the conflict, but unwilling to engage in it - like the Israelites who wouldn't face the giant. I will say that our flags should be flown upside-down. Currently we are the Goliath. We are the bully, the bad guy. We are losing the integrity that perhaps we once held in high esteem, though I hate to equate this with secularization. However, religion does provide some sort of moral guideline. Also, we've lost community and are struggling with hand-to-mouth charity. We are good at writing checks, though, as long as we don't have to touch, smell, or see the people we're "helping".
Any thoughts?
Those who believe in the God of Abraham have probably heard the story of David and Goliath: Goliath, a Philistine (and giant bad guy), challenges any Israelite to a one on one combat twice a day for 40 days straight while each army is standing firm on either side of the Valley of Elah. Saul and his men cower in fear at each of Goliath's challenges; none would accept - until young David, who was there passing out food to his big brothers, decided he would heed the call. And of course, as the story goes, David fought Goliath using only a sling shot and a rock - no armor - and felled the giant in one shot. The moral being that all one needs is courage to persevere against 'evil.' David then goes on to be king of Israel.
