Baghdad ER: It's About Time

As I watched the HBO documentary, Baghdad ER, last night, I was struck with the sense that this film would have more of an impact on how the war in Iraq is perceived at home, than any speeches, movies, or protests that preceded it. As the film clip showing Brig Gen. Nguyen Ngoc executing a Vietcong officer assaulted the sensibilities of Americans back home in 1968, Baghdad ER may have much the same effect in 2006.

It is vitally important for the American public to understand the tremendous sacrifices made by their countrymen in Iraq on a daily basis. In that regard, Baghdad ER is an important, albeit modest, step in the right direction. If your knowledge of the war in Iraq is limited to mind-numbing media abstractions, i.e., vague, politically motivated bombast, which does nothing to communicate the true carnage in Iraq, how can you possibly know whether the war is worth fighting?

Baghdad ER, as it turns out, did nothing to dissuade me from my previously held views on the war. What it did do, however, is significantly increase the appreciation I have for the profound sacrifices that have been, and continue to be, undertaken on my behalf. To all the U.S.,British, and Coalition forces serving in Iraq: Thank you.