Description
Object description
American private and officer social worker served with United States Army in US, 1969-1989; civilian social worker in US, 1989- 2006; peace protester in St Louis, Missouri, US, 2004-2006
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Pittsburgh, US, 1945-1969: Jesuit background of family; story of warship USS Laboon named after family member; influence of Jesuit background; education and drafting into army during Vietnam War; plans for military service. Aspects of period as private at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, 1969: details and opinion of basic training background of fellow troops; rifle and grenade training; attitude to opposition; story of visit from wife; choices when drafted; opinion of Vietnam War; opinion of treatment received including story of arrival at accommodation; story of receiving postings after basic training including own relief at posting as social worker; posting to Houston; self-justification at military service; wife's attitude to his military service; story of complaints about peace sticker on family car; advice from Jesuit priest about his service. Aspects of period as officer social worker with United States Army in USA, 1969-1989 and civilian social worker in USA, 1989- 2006: need for social workers in army; impact of military service on troops and families; changes in treatment toward post traumatic stress disorder.
REEL 2 Continues: development of plans to treat post traumatic stress disorder including method of treating the disorder; details of visits to psychiatric centre in Washington DC; backgrounds of Vietnam draft and comparison with modern volunteers; treatment and cases of post traumatic stress disorder in troops returning from Iraq since 2003; reasons for opinion of war; victims of war in USA; role as war tax register; story of student wanting to join army; reflections on army service; position as pacifist. Aspects of period as peace protester in St Louis, Missouri, USA, 2004- 2006: importance of anti-war community St Louis on own activities; vigils held on Sundays.
REEL 3 Continues: methods of expressing beliefs; opinion that terrorist attacks on 11/9/2001 should not have been a surprise; discussion of media following terrorist attacks and lack of criticism toward Bush administration; own questioning of Bush administration [Short Reel].
REEL 4 Continues: attitudes of civilians to war; discussion on conscience of USA including changes in Iraq following 2003 invasion and weakness of Congress; opinion of need for discussion among citizens including reporting of Iraqi deaths; unwillingness of USA to take responsibility for actions and visits to local officials including Kit Bond; US position as bully; failure to learn lessons from earlier conflicts; opinion of Tony Blair; arrogance of George W Bush; actual and potential human right violations in USA following creation of Department of Homeland Security.
REEL 5 Continues: reliance on Britain for information about Aero Contractors' involvement in extraordinary rendition; discussion of justification of treatment of Iraqi POWs at Abu Graib and Guantanamo Bay internment camp including details of protest at latter; increase of women in armed forces; opinion of need to integrate sexes; reaction to events at Abu Graib; hypocrisy in criticism of Saddam Hussein and reaction to 11/9/2001 terrorist attacks; effects of stress on military families; discussion of National Guard troops serving in Iraq; soldiers refusing to return to Iraq including case of Lieutenant Ehren Watada.
