T

he horror of war is gruesome and devastating for combatants. Its wrath unmercifully extends to innocents strewn in its wake. Family members of those who have experienced war, as well as physicians and psychologists, are intensely aware of its dire calling cards.

A new documentary, Voices in Wartime, powerfully addresses the tragic consequences of war through graphic imagery combined with the art of poetry. This film brings to life how poetry and war have been intertwined from the ancient battlefields of Troy to the many wars of the 20th century and the current war in Iraq.

The poetry of Homer, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman and others illuminates the reality of warfare. Interviews with combat veterans, journalists and historians add diverse perspectives to war's effects on soldiers, civilians and society.

Rigid media control during the Iraq war has hidden the true extent of the carnage. The U.S. citizenry sees no images of body bags and few of flag-draped caskets arriving at Dover Air Force Base. We get slight coverage of our living casualties struggling in various hospitals. Damage from unknown exposure steadily builds. And the post-traumatic stress beast hides. The sad plight of the Iraqis is similarly obscured.

The last long-term U.S. war was in Southeast Asia. That war, which ended more than 30 years ago, was covered much more openly. The lies, carnage and futility eventually became well known. Has our country's collective memory waned?

Those of us who survived that mindless fray haven't forgotten. But newspaper obituaries note that we're gradually dying off. World War II and Korean War vets leave us in larger numbers with each passing day.

If the world is to become more peaceful, our human community must understand the horrors of war. Possibly a blend of poetry and graphic war footage can hasten awareness. As World War I soldier poet Wilfred Owen said, "All a poet can do today is warn. That is why true poets must be truthful."

Voices in Wartime offers a truthful warning. Sponsored by Red River Theaters, the film will be shown on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. in the Sweeney Hall Auditorium at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord. Donations will be accepted at the door. Dave Connolly, a Vietnam veteran and South Boston poet who is prominently featured in the film, will be present.

(Paul Nichols, a Vietnam veteran, lives in Loudon.)

 

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