Operation Homecoming (2005)

Structured around the poetic, the comic and chilling writings of men and women posted in Iraq, this documentary explores firsthand accounts of American soldiers through their own words. The film is built upon a project created by the National Endowment for the Arts to gather the writing of soldiers and their families who have participated in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through interviews and dramatic readings by such actors, the film transforms selections from this collection of writing into a deep examination of the experiences of the men and women who are serving in America's armed forces. Robbins is trying to present the soldiers' point-of-view without mixing it with politics. He offers a humanizing study of the soldiers who have suffered through the dehumanization of war.

At the core of the writing in Operation Homecoming is a deep desire by all those who have served in war to come to terms with their experiences. Through an extraordinary group of men and women it presents a profound window into the human side of America’s current conflicts.

Robbins steers clear of making judgments about the war itself; Operation Homecoming's message, on the other hand, seems to be simply that war is bad and that it kills people. The stories recounted here are sad, funny, violent and uplifting. Yet each one displays an honesty and intensity that is rarely seen in explorations of the war.
You can buy Operation Homecoming.