American Sniper Thesis

Based on the memoir by Chris Kyle American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, American Sniper is a biographical film that depicts the exploits of Kyle before, during, and after his multiple tours of service in Iraq. The film details especially the pain of the war for Kyle and his wife Taya, and how throughout his four deployments, Kyle steadily began to suffer more and more from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, even though Kyle seemed to have been suffering and saw how his service as a Navy SEAL was damaging his relationship with his family, he nonetheless went back to Iraq four total times. Once again, the War is a Drug metaphor is a key reason.

The film, even though not showing the

actual Chris Kyle, still masterfully depicts the struggle Kyle went through in-between his service tours. He argues with his wife about going back; he cannot adjust to life back in the United States, constantly mentioning how “There’s a war going on. People are dying, and no one’s even about it. It’s like it’s not even happening.” Along with his constant need for his return back (almost identical to a drug user needing their fix), Kyle suffers from symptoms while home that are tantamount to withdrawal. He suffers from high blood pressure, is often times zoned out and not cognizant of what is going on around him, and in one poignant instance even attacks the family dog because of what he saw over in Iraq. All of these contribute to the overall argument that, once again, War is a Drug for these soldiers, and it is a common enough experience to be shown by a major motion picture.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not specific to America nor is its rise, as detailed by Ben Farmer in his article for the British newspaper The Telegraph shows. In the article, Farmer discusses that returning veterans from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have led to a major increase in the amount of PTSD cases in the military; over the course of five years, the number of PTSD cases has jumped by 71% according to the article. The numbers are alarming to say the least, and Farmer illustrates this statistic further with actual interviews with veterans coming home. The article further delves into the issue, with mention to a particular factor as to why these cases are becoming more prevalent.
Although the PTSD discussed is that of British veterans, the similarities in the military structure between the UK and US, and also the fact that both nations are conducting operations in the same areas, the article can nonetheless be used when discussing the American perspective. Farmer makes an interesting point in his piece, stating that, “[there is] a stigma surrounding mental health in the military… For decades, this stigma has prevented veterans from seeking the specialist support they need.” This fact that PTSD is slowly becoming acknowledged for the disorder it is can also be translated to other struggles veterans go through. For instance, the same struggles that service men and women go through with the War is a Drug mentality can also be applied here. Thus, it could very well be that this mentality is not a new phenomenon whatsoever, but one that is perceived to be on the rise due to increasing acknowledgement of it. This acknowledgment comes not only from the military establishment, but also by psychologists and the public. The War is a Drug mentality, and the rise of veterans wanting to go back to the war, could not be an altogether new idea; it could simply be on the rise of being seen for what it is, and not just swept under the rug entirely.

The research organization Gallup has existed for almost a century; over the course of their existence, they have accumulated vast amounts of experience in conducting surveys and compiling poll data. The poll the organization conducted in the summer of 2016 gauged a general sample of the American public on their view of the cinema industry. After compiling the data, they compared the new numbers with research gathered over the past 16 years to find that the movie industry is at peak popularity as of 2016, and it has been on a steady incline for over 10 years. This trend, which has been active since soon after the start of the War on Terror, shows that the cinema industry is becoming more and more popular; by extension, that means that movies, more specifically war movies, are also becoming more popular in the eyes of moviegoers.
According to a TED talk by Sebastian Junger on why soldiers miss combat (see Junger reference further down in the bibliography), Junger mentions that the same reason soldiers crave war is the same reason someone finds a war drama so compelling.

This reasonable theory, along with the box-office success of movies like American Sniper, show that these movies are popular among a general audience; furthermore, since the focus of war movies have shifted ever since the War on Terror to a more personal focus, it possibly reflects the shifting attitude of Americans. They recognize the trials that returning veterans go through, and show that just as for the soldiers themselves, war can be a powerfully gripping

experience.

Perhaps one of the most powerful pieces of evidence within the conducted research is the firsthand account from a soldier who was deployed in the thick of the fight overseas. Matthew Hickey was a soldier who served on the frontlines in both Iraq and Afghanistan for multiple tours of duty. He has experienced firefights, advanced military operations, and everything in between. For this research, he is vital when it comes to his experience on what it is like to come home after a tour of duty and, more importantly, how war is like a drug.
Hickey details what it is like for a veteran returning from overseas to deal with the reality of trying to acclimate back into civilian life. For Hickey, he struggled with the fact that the men he had served with and toured with for so long were now memories; he missed being in the line of fire with his fellow soldiers because for him it felt like “home”. It was what he knew, and giving it up was probably the hardest part. This struggle perfectly captures the War is a Drug mentality. He longed for the days where he was on his “drug” (combat), and he had a difficult time coming down from it and going through the withdrawal process. His tale is probably one of many, and it further attests to this phenomenon in the life of our veterans.

Sebastian Junger, who was already renowned for several published books and his award winning film Restrepo, gave a Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Talk in January 2014 about what he has witnessed from his travels to the frontlines of several conflicts. Junger was with the men and women who were in harm’s way, and saw firsthand the pain soldiers went through losing a buddy, the rush of being in a firefight, and the camaraderie they experienced with their squad members. However, his main point of discussion was on why soldiers missed being in combat. It seems counterintuitive how men and women miss getting shot at and having their lives in danger, yet it is this feeling Junger states is what causes veterans to miss the front lines. Not only do they miss it, but they crave it and need to fill the void. This directly relates to the thesis in this presentation of War as a Drug, and also sheds insight on why this mentality has been on the rise in recent years.
Soldiers, according to Junger, are subjected to suffering overseas many people in the United States cannot even imagine, and yet when they come home and reunite with their loved ones, they still yearn for combat.

What could cause such a phenomenon? Junger asserts that the same reason they crave war is the same reason someone finds a war drama so gripping: “If a room full of peace-loving people find something so compelling about war, so do 20-year-old soldiers.” This theory seems entirely plausible, as the rise of war movies depicting the conflicts in the Middle East has been marked with large gross profits from thousands of

viewers.
Junger details further that this might not be the only reason, for there is another that has been known all too well for centuries: War as Brotherhood. Junger mentions that one of the men he met while at OP Restrepo missed almost all of what he experienced in Afghanistan. Junger speculates that, “I think what he missed was the brotherhood… what he missed was connection… Suddenly, they are thrust back into society, not knowing who loves them or who they can love.” It has been well documented that with recent years there has come a decreased emphasis on close connections between community members in American society: neighbors are not as well known, relatives are more distant, and even immediate family can be foreign if they work constantly. Therefore, when a soldier is deployed overseas, they feel this connection and trust, and to suddenly lose it when returning home can be hard for them to bear. These reasons might very well be reasons as to why War is a Drug for many contemporary war veterans.

Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger were both employed with Vanity Fair in 2007 when they were deployed with the 503rd Infantry Regiment to Afghanistan. Their mission was to record the trials and tribulations of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team throughout their service tour in the Korengal Valley, which is referred to by many enlisted men and women as the deadliest fighting area in all of Afghanistan. The focus of the film is on those soldiers stationed at Outpost (OP) Restrepo, which was named after the deceased Juan “Doc” Restrepo who had died early on in the deployment. Along with this, the film details many of the firefights that the soldiers encounter with local Taliban forces in the area; one such firefight elicits a response from one of the soldiers that would be contrary to what most would probably say after facing a life-or-death situation, but perfectly ties into the “War is a Drug” mentality.
Immediately following an intense firefight with Taliban forces, the members of the platoon are interviewed by the filmmakers on what they had just experienced. Specialist Kyle Steiner, rather than feeling on-edge or tense from the shootout, is uplifted from the experience, stating, “You can’t get a better high. It’s like crack, ya know… you really can’t come down. You can’t top that.” Further on in the interview, Steiner even answers the question “How are you going to be able to return home” with “I have no idea.” This is one of multiple examples proving that for these men and women overseas, war is a drug with the effects that compliment them, mainly an uplifting, invigorating adrenaline rush. These accounts will prove vital to the thesis that War is a Drug and has been on the rise ever since America’s involvement in Afghanistan.

The struggles of PTSD and adjusting to life after war are not easy, as the recently released Netflix original documentary Resurface shows. This film details the plights of several former soldiers who are recovering PTSD from serving overseas. In an effort to help their recovery, these veterans are given the opportunity to take up surfing, which allows them to momentarily have their pain washed away by the waves. The surfing, in addition to help the vets deal with pain, was even able to entirely change one person former soldier’s decision to want to commit suicide; this instance shows that not only is this technique effective, but that war is incredibly detrimental to these people’s well beings.
Although the film is mainly focused on the healing process these men and women go through, the War is a Drug mentality is supported by the testimonials of the veterans who underwent surfing therapy. One soldier describes how he “Went to Iraq, and came back a completely different person. You start thinking about the firefights you’ve been in,” signifying that war is not something you are simply done with when retuning home. Rather, it grips these men and women, and is a reoccurring issue much the same as a drug. This film, just like Restrepo and American Sniper, detail the plight of the soldier, and how war is a drug for many of them.