By Sharon Hardee Jimenez
Sundance Founder Robert Redford recently said independent filmmakers are the investigative reporters of today as the TV networks have abandoned the days of ‘white papers’ and serious reporting on subjects which require going beneath the surface.
In a harrowing probe beneath the huge advertising campaigns enlisting women for our All Volunteer US military, comes “The Invisible War” a documentary film which could derail the US recruitment game. While the former military ladies didn’t want to hurt our US military effort, they live on the edge of suicide suffering from severe mental problems victimized by violence and rape during their service to their country. Play ‘Taps’ to the notion of noble justice in our Armed Services. This film is a truth bomb exploding with force in the halls of Congress where many women now serve as members and in the Defense Department where our Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, has already reacted with advocating changes in the cover up of rapes and violence against women. Of course men are victims as well, but, their numbers hardly add up to the 20% of women who have been assaulted while serving America. Rape is a crime of violence and still the stigma all victims of rape, inside and outside of the military, must endure is the ignorance of a the assumption rape is provoked and is an act of sexuality with men unable to control their impulses if a woman or even a man is too tempting to resist. Nothing about these assumptions is based on the truth about rape.
Now comes a new three letter acronym MST – Military Sexual Trauma. The Invisible War introduces us to women and men who have been raped in the line of duty. Their stories will keep you up at night praying rosaries your daughters or sons will not choose a life in the military. As these victims and their husbands and fathers, who once believed in the honor of duty, live in a hell based horror of sexual and emotional dysfunction, a battle cry for justice is sounded.
Bravo to filmmakers Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering and the many financial angels who made it possible for this documentary film to be available in theaters this summer. Invisible War is the winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for US Documentary. See more at www.invisbleWarMovie.com. Featured at the LA Film Festival and being released Friday June 22nd at theaters throughout the nation.
