I Am A Navy SEAL
I parachuted out of a plane onto the back of a submarine. Then we silently submerged into the sea. I waded under water loaded down with gear in order to “extract” a “package”: a female CIA agent captured and undergoing torture. I trained in California and Virginia and put my skills to use in South America, the Philippines, Somalia, Chechnya, and the border between Mexico and the United States.
Was I dreaming or was I watching a new kind of action movie that made me feel as if I was actually ”embedded” with Navy SEALs, those valiant and elite commando warriors? It was no dream. I sat fully awake, riveted to my seat for 101 thrilling minutes watching a preview of the new movie Act of Valor.
Yes, Navy SEAL heroes ”got” Osama bin Laden in his posh Pakistani abode. These warriors undertake the most dangerous missions to defend America from enemy combatants and non-state terrorists. And yet, even I, a non-athletic civilian of a certain age, felt as if I were almost ”in their boots and on the ground.”
And so will you.
Psychologically, the movie is in 3-D. It may even constitute a new genre — the scripted reality show in which the real warriors play themselves but in a fictionalized version of what they do. The (unnamed or falsely named ) eight SEALs are the “actors” but they are not exactly acting. With the Navy’s full approval, we see how the SEALs operate, relate and talk to each other — and to their families; we watch them interrogate a suspected terrorist-related smuggler. T
Remember Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 anti-Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now with the helicopter gunships moving into Vietnam accompanied by Wagner’s massive music for the Ride of The Valkyries, those
That extraordinary scene now pales in comparison to many of the sequences in Act of Valor – definitely not an anti-war or anti-American film. On the contrary, it emphasizes America’s need for special combat forces to defeat the global Islamist terrorist threats we face both here and abroad. It is a film which valorizes without glamorizing our commandos .
I can’t wait to see this. It will be the first theater film I’ll have seen in about two years. Well worth the wait.
It’s been far to long since the Warrior Class held a place of honor in our culture. I hope that this film begins to change that.
Amen.
I try to keep my eyes open for men displaying emblems of serving in Viet Nam. When I catch one, I make sure to shake his hand and thank him.
Will this movie change public opinion? People generally go to see things they already agree with. Perhaps it will help a bit. The fact that it exists is certainly encouraging.
I would really like to know why we would shed any light on one of our most valued and prized military teams. There is a dark cloud nearby that does not have anything good coming from it. These guys are trained to work is absolute anonymity. Now we have a big screen view of real guys, (not actors, according to this article) showing all our enemies, (most of the rest of the world!!) how we do our stuff!! What could go wrong here??? First Obama gets photo ops with Seal Team 6, next thing we know they are knocked out of the sky on a mission that should probably have never been theirs. I am drawing no connections, only making observations. Now we have this movie. Mark my words, there is little good that will come out of this. Along with the British Special ops guys, these are the best in the world. Now, all our enemies will know how it gets done. Im guessing if Patton were still alive, he might not see this as such a great idea. God Bless those men.
I saw three of these guys being interviewed last week. They’re adament that nothing they reveiled in the movie will in any way compromise the security or safety of their fellow SEALS “downrange.” SEALS are far from stupid and wouldn’t do anything to jeapordize their lives or those of their teammates.
Besides, the enemy took down the towers with a couple of box cutters from Walmart!
Novices from some hellhole in the middle east. Ever see Path to 911,
Not that I would be labeled a cynic, but I am a cynic. It’s NOT the Seals I’m worried about vis-a-vis revealing secrets. Once this is in the can, there is virtually nothing one can do to safeguard how it is used. I have absolute faith in the Seals,…I’ve been on their training grounds in Coronado, I know firsthand what they have to do and how they do it. Historically, when we are compromised, it’s not the guys on the ground who make the error; it’s our esteemed elite who would use their skills for their own political gain. Blackhawk Down comes to mind immediately. No one less than Rush is singing the movie’s praises as I type this, but I still worry. I have NO faith in any of the current leadership.
They gave up their anonimity for starters. Suppose islamists get the movie and freeze frame their faces and then track them and their families down. They may be 5th century dregs, but they do know how to use technology and they are patient.
Second, SEALs need to stay bigger than life itself. They need the night and the shadows to stay psychologically in the minds of our enemy. When we make a movie about them, we humanize them. The enemy see this and it takes some of the SEAL mystique away from them-they become just another arm of the military.
Why are we so ready to give up the faces of SEALs and not the CIA or NSA dudes who find the info for the SF community to act on. They all need to be hidden in the dark. No movies. No talk.
Blotto (SS)
From what I read yesterday after seeing the movie, the Navy supported it in part because they need a lot more SEALS. It’s so difficult and time-consuming to become a SEAL and their skills are in big demand, so much so that the Navy wants at least 500 more of them. If this movie helps inspire young men to try and become SEALS, then that’s a good thing.
The Navy and the SEALS supported this movie. If they hadn’t, it couldn’t have been made.
Our enemies already know how we “do it”. The thing is, what we “do” is a little different each time. The weaknesses we exploit are a little different each time. The paths to the objective are a little different each time. The time of day is a little different each time. The number of people and the type of gear we bring is a little different each time. What’s not different, and what this movie shows, is that when it’s time to pop the scope caps and get it done, you want the US Navy SEALs doing it.
Well guys and gals they got some one but they didn’t get Laden. It was a staged event anyway. It has been said that it wasn’t seals on that plane that went down. But you are right Odumbo shouldn’t have said anything about the Seal team. Making this movie indeed will reveal how things are done to the rest of the world.The movie should be cancelled.
This seems to be much like the TV serial “The Unit”. A good one to watch and well acted.
i miss the “Unit” i was thoroughly disappointed when it was cancelled…it ended when mr. o took over…a coincidence?? i’m just sayin’ =) this is on my to see list which is normally a non-existent list =)
“Not all Muslims are terrorists…I work with anti-Islamist Muslims and ex-Muslims every day”
Not all muslims COMMIT acts of terror, but all are REQUIRED to support them as a matter of doctrine.
There is no such thing as an “anti-islamist” muslim.
There is only ONE islam, and that is the way of mohammad…
the original proto-terrorist.
You cannot seperate islam from terror, islam IS terror.
And all “Ex-mulims” are required to be killed apostates by every sect and form of islam that exists.
Stop sugar-coating who “some of these people are”
If they renounce violence, and believe in peaceful co-existance, then they aint muslims no mo.
Ask Mohammad on that.
When we view the whole of a population based on the actions of a portion of said population, we devalue ourselves. Tolerance is a valuable thing. By all means, condemn those who would impose their will on others through violence and in intimidation, but heaven’s sake, be willing to judge each individual based on his action as opposed to condemning individuals based on the actions of those who commit atrocities and happen to share a similar background.
Jihad is a pillar of Islam. Not every Muslim is a warrior, but it’s understood in the law (notice I said law not religion) that the warriors (Jihadists) are necessary. It’s like saying you’re a Christian but you don’t believe in the ten commandments. I suggest Reliance of the Traveler for some light reading.
Jihad is interpreted by many in Islam as spiritual warfare, not physical warfare.
As a Navy combat veteran, I also salute these true heroes… our Navy SEALs.
Their reminder to us all… freedom is not free.
I was in the Navy from 1980-1984 and had the HONOR of meeting several of the Navy’s silent warriors and they are allll of that and a bag of chips! They quietly go about getting the job DONE and do not expect or accept FAILURE…I consider it a distinct honor to have known them and served with them…
The author: “Scene: A Navy SEAL team jumps in formation out of a plane, free-falls for a heart-stoppingly long while, and then almost effortlessly parachutes to earth.”
Tell you something, in the old days, prior to the 50s when the Army discovered skydiving in Europe and gradually adopted it over time, military jumping using the static line was done from very low altitudes. The idea was a man in a slow-moving chute was exposed to enemy fire for a longer time from higher altitudes. The trade-off was that if the jumper had chute trouble, he had less time to solve the problem from a lower altitude…splat.
The principal now is long free fall, still short open chute time. Just saying that the heart-stopping part occurs when the chute is open, not during free fall. I think the SEALs are great. What I can’t understand is what they are doing in the Navy.
US military free-fall comes in two varieties: HALO and HAHO. HALO stands for High Altitude Low Opening and is the more widely know variety. They jump from a high flying plane (can be >30,000 feet if needed) and then freefall to near the surface before opening their chute. HAHO is less widely known. It stands for High Altitude High Opening. As the name implies, they open their chute at high altitude. With modern chutes, they can fly silently for many miles before landing. For example, the jump plane may fly along a border with restricted airspace and the jumpers could fly many miles into that airspace without being detected. Both HALO and HAHO are for clandestine entry into the area, it’s just that HAHO seems the more clandestine of the two. In both cases, the jump plane never slows down which would be a dead giveaway that something was happening. They have to carry oxygen to survive at the high altitude and dress warmly. According to unconfirmed accounts that I’ve read, they use special equipment so they have a very small radar return, making them even harder to detect.
Yep. These are for specialized teams only.
Standard paratroopers still use static line jumps. No free fall.
Then I guess that would be LALONS, Low Altitude Low Opening…No Splat; chutes are better packed and higher quality now.
Standard paratroopers still use static line jumps. No free fall.
Yep, been there, done that (11B2P) a long, long time ago. When you’re jumping at low altitude, free fall is the last thing you want. Training jumps are typically at 1200 feet. That’s about 11 seconds to the ground in free fall and it typically takes about 4 seconds for the chute to open. If you’re having a bad day, you have about 7 seconds to do something before you hit the ground.
I went to Jump School at Benning in October, 1975. We had some SEALS in our training class. These guys had already gone through BUDS so to them, Jump School was a joke. One day I was falling into formation following lunch. Everyone was laughing very hard and I asked what was going on. It seems one of the SEALS had jumped out of a 3rd floor window, done a PLF (parachute landing fall) and fell into formation saying “This shit bores me.” I didn’t see it happen but have no reason to believe it isn’t true.
SEALS, you oughta love them. You damned well better respect them. They’re very high on any sane man’s list of “People Not To Mess With.”
I plan on seeing this movie this weekend and have encouraged all of my coworkers to do the same. I want this movie to be a blockbuster smash hit. If we don’t go see this movie, the Left will say that it proves there is no market for promilitary movies.
SEALS are beautiful. Thank you SEALS for your outstanding courage. You are the brave warriors who have given so much to so many. Only God knows the people you have rescued and the many lives you have saved. And for the SEALS who died serving freedom and their fellow human beings, rest in eternal peace, heroes.
Since my son is a Green Beret in Afghanistan, I must say: GO ARMY!!
I hear ya!
I am an Army vet (peacetime, served right after Nam), and was attached for a short time to a Green Beret reserve unit, most of whom had several tours in Viet Nam.
These guys were certified bad dudes. You did NOT want to be on the opposing side of these men. The stuff they had done would curdle most people’s blood.
These men respect the SEALs.
Yes, SF does respect SEALs, and they work well together in the field, as recently as a few days ago according to my son.
The SEALS are descended from the Underwater Demolition Divers of WW2 who’s mission was to clear obstacles to beach landings and do recon of enemy emplacements prior to an assault. They evolved in Vietnam doing river actions to pretty much what they are today. SEAL Team 6 is the Counter Terrorist unit. The other SEAL units do what Army SF does, minus the long term infil missions. The US Army’s SF descends from the direct action operational arm of OSS, just as the CIA was formed from the intel/spook operational side of OSS.
Sgt Ted, the SEALS are descended from UDT and Force Recon. I had thought that they were descended from Carlson’s and Edson’s Raiders but I was mistaken.
As one with no military experience, and great concerns about our nation’s future, I offer these thoughts.
There was/is wholly different popular views about our military, from WWII, ‘Nam, through today. Each week I visit a 93 yr old Marine in a nursing home. At 17, in 1942, he went into Guadalcanal with a bolt action Springfield. He saw hell, and occasionally it returns. He now uses a walker, but is, and always will be a Marine. If our nation needed him today, he would give his life for America. His buddies are not in ancient graves; they live with him.
In “Nam, my era, our military was considered baby killers, dope addicts, and useless cowards, by our elite. The draft was loathed and feared. Today, by any measure, the US has the best military that ever walked on the earth.
However, there are even greater differences, and dangers. The sacrifice, and the killing, today, are for “those guys”; the rest of us go to the Mall. There is a real danger when our military becomes those guys. We “learn”, from Hollywood types, who they are, and what they do. We “learn” war from computer games. And we vote based on our viewpoints. We are as divided, on matters of war, as at any time since our combat between the states, our civil war. Many Americans fear and loath our own military. It is the direct result of ‘Mam, the Iraqi war, and lousy leadership in Congress and the White House, for the last two generations, from McNamara, through Cheney, Rumsfeld to Panetta.
It is vital for our survival that those guys become our guys, their families become our family. We know they are superb killers. History is filled with superb killers; there lies a danger. Our existential question is who are they loyal to? They must hold, deep in their souls, a blood devotion to their family, that Americans never become “those guys”. They have been given many reasons to be confused, by their bosses. If this film helps link us to reality; it is a good thing.
I join others in honoring those who fought for my freedom, particularly those who died for this reason.
Very well said, sir.
Wonderful analysis from a (presumably) younger lad with no time in uniform. Not everyone “needs” to serve in order to be a “real” patriot, they just have to have their head screwed on right, as this good citizen does.
As for the “them” mentality, it exists not only in the way some people see the Military, but the government in general. As if its some distinctly separate entity, away from, perhaps above, the rest of the people.
Just ask Barrack. “the constitution is a charter of negative liberties, it says what the government CANT do to you, it doesnt say what it HAS to do for you”
The government isnt an “it”….it is an “I”, a “me” and a “we”
Same thing for the armed forces…thats “us” not “them”
Falling into the wrong mindset is to the peril of our nation
I was a Coastal Forces Intelligence Operative ( USCG ) Vietnam . My son in law is a SEAL, I have several friends who are retired US Navy SEALs. Act Of Valor gives nothing up or away. What it does do is INFORM those who doubt that we have the means to strike and punish. And we should be doing a lot more of the latter.
Ms. Chesler you are one of the few I have seen recognise in writting that we are engauged in WWIV, the much despised Nixon was one of the first I know of to have recognised the Cold War as WWIII and you are both correct.
it is very worthwhile for americans to respect that which is meritorious and real accomplishments. the navy seals and the green berets are elite and only allow the best and the bravest to be part of their teams. that was the american ideal, regardless of the nature of our work. this was always what we were striving for. this administration seriously eroded any attempts to reach that american ideal.but not all. the seals and green berets reminds us of how thrilling it is to honor the truly elite who merit our respect, even awe.
The US military is a meritoracy and there are more elite forces than most people know. In the Army, you have paratroopers, Rangers, Special Forces (Green Berets) and Delta Force. The Navy has the SEALS and SWCC (small boat operators who work with the SEALS). The Marines (which are an elite of their own) also have Force Recon. The Air Force has the Pararescue (PJ) guys and special ops forces that do things like fly AC-130 gunships and work with other specials operatons forces for things like insertion, support and removal. They also have Combat Controllers and others who are on the ground with special ops forces doing things like calling in airstrikes. There may well be other special operations forces that I don’t know about. There are also individual specialties that require special training and skills above and beyond the ordinary such as snipers.
One important thing that all of the military elites have is a tough selection process to weed out those who can’t cut it. It doesn’t matter who your daddy is/ It doesn’t matter where you went to school. It doesn’t matter who you know or how much money you have. The only thing that matters is whether you can meet the requirements and do the job. Special Ops personnel are the ultimate team players because their lives are on the line. If they don’t think you’re good enough, you won’t make it in. Once you make it in, you have to continuously train and work hard to stay in. Screw up or slack off and you’re out. That’s the way it always has been. That’s the way it always will be. There is no alternative to excellence.
I am a Navy SWCC (Ret) and don’t forget, every time you see a “SEAL” in this move who is operating a patrol boat (see the live fire Special Operations Craft Riverine) that is an Active Duty Navy SWCC. We are a very small part of Special Operations Command but we are also very proud of what we do.
I did several training missions with SBU XI out of Mare Island back in the 1980s. They were a real good unit to work with.
I saw the movie. It was awesome with lots of great action scenes. Interestingly for me though, the one scene in the movie that stood out was the one where the SEALS do their hot “exfil” with the SWCC boats putting out an astonishing amount of suppression fire. I was glad that I was only watching a movie and I am on their side.
If you look at these warriors and other SF warriors you will see an ethos that doesn’t exist in the civilian world, for them it is about loyalty to their country, their unit and team mates however passe that may seem to the liberal elites of this country.
As a Brit expat and new US citizen and former warrior/medic/combat diver with service in the Falklands, Lebanon, Iraq and the Somali Basin I sometimes cannot understand the civilian mindset, I cannot understand the lack of self dicipline, lack of doing the right thing for country and community, truly, for us its right or wrong, that simple, its belief in doing the right thing and serving and sacrificing all if necessary.
Thats not to say that we too don’t question the powers that be, infact we above all distrust them for it has been proven too many times that we are expendable for they’re political ambitions.
As R.L. Hails stated above why are we ‘Those Guys’ we would rather be ‘Our Guys’
Doc Out:
How can you say on the one hand that you question the powers that be and then condemn civilians for not adhering to your absolutist, right vs wrong doctrine? Isn’t what you think right vs wrong is being dictated to you by the same people you claim to be weary of? At the end of the day politics guides military action.
“What also matters is that Americans of all faiths and races appreciate and support our armed forces, especially our elite units like the Navy SEALs who defend our freedom and who are willing to risk death every day to do so.”
This is so true. I really believe that so very few people in this country really understand what our armed forces do and how they do it, let alone the people that are required to keep it running as efficiently as it does. This sounds like a fine movie and it’s about time we have a film that gives people a heroic look at what these men have to endure year after year.
I also believe that there will be fewer and fewer major wars, like Korea or Vietnam or the Gulf Wars, but isolated instances using special forces like the SEALs. The US invasions of Panama, Grenada, evnen the disastrous intervention in Somalia, will all be more of what we see. Even the initial invasion of Afghanistan was handled by US Special Forces. So we will be needing more people like this in the future. I hope we have enough of them.
I think most understand pretty well what they do: they defend our freedoms the bestest in the whole wide world and they do really really cool badass stuff; it’s like Gi Joe in real life!!! That’s what they want you to think, at least. The reality is that a military is only as righteous as the govt commanding it. If civilians allow congress to run amok and use the military as a tool for political gain then the military is just an obedient, private army.
Real Conservative,
You’re not a conservative, you’re a libertarian (a progressive who likes to hold on to his own money.)
What makes you say that, dear boy?
Perhaps I should have said a military is only as good as the citizens that join it and the govt that controls it. If you get a bunch of sociopathic nutjobs, like in Syria, then the military is nothing more than a tool for tyranny.
Anti-islamist Muslim? So an anti Muslim Muslim? That makes no sense, a Muslim adheres to Islam by definition. And I disagree with you about all the movies you listed as being anti-CIA military. All of those movies vindicated the actions of individuals in the military and/or the intelligence agency by portraying them as honest and heroic. As for the corruption, movies need plots!! Plus the action and martial arts makes the CIA seem much more powerful and cooler than it really is; who wouldn’t want to join the CIA after those action sequences?
This, the production and wide dissemination of films that portray a more positive impression of America, its armed forces, its police forces and ordinary American citizens in a more positive light, is encouraging. It must continue and will continue if America at the box office results in a re-emergence of Hollywood as the once prosperous, popular reflection of America at its best that it once was.
This will be no cake walk. Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general are chock full of the product of the radical left, the hate America crowd blind to the reasons behind their affluence and success; actors, directors, writers and producers, the majority the pride of the socialist, progressive left who hobnob and join hands in solidarity with Castro, Chavez’, Khadafi, etc. and proudly proclaim solidarity with anti-Americans of every stripe; “proof” of their intellectual, socialist, bonafides; safe, secure and living large in the America they hate and fervently courted and used as useful idiots by America’s enemies. Until this crowd is subdued, discredited and rendered irrelevant, predominance of movies and entertainments such as this will not occur. Major financial successes at the box office may begin to shake some of the more radical element loose.
Lol. Get over yourself; hollywood is a paradigmatic example of free market principles working!
Enjoyed your review. I look forward to experiencing the action you so vividly describes. One small quibble –
“…Wagner’s massive music for the Ride of The Valkyries, those fabulously fierce female Amazon divinity-warriors on flying horses? Da-da-da-DA-dum, da-da-da-DA-dum.
I believe it goes – da-da-da-DA-dum, da-da-da-dum.
Just kidding, just kidding!
Naw, Hub. You just did Beethoven’s Fifth.
censored was I ?
Join the crowd. I get censored a lot these days on PJM, what with all the new writers. It’s getting to the point that I post here less and less, even though I have been commenting here frequently since ’07.
I suspect it is not just me. I see less and less of eon, ETAB, proreason, and a few others who were the most prolific commenters. Even cf got censored once… which caused a bit of a stir.
I’m seriously considering laying off PJM for good. (sigh)
“…Halfway through the movie, in a very exciting action scene, the SEALS capture Christo and the Team’s senior commander interviews him. Christo is oozing greasy sweat and even more greasy arrogance. At any moment, one expects him to call his interrogator “infidel” or say “Allah is Great,” two things we hear with great frequency from those fighting against Americans in Afghanistan, those who fought against Americans in Iraq, and those who blow up Americans on 9/11. Instead, though, what we hear the is the Senior say “But you’re Jewish!”
Here’s the deal: Our “brave” SEALS flinched. Tasked with making a movie that could have shown Americans who the real heroes and the real enemies are, they chose, instead, to tear a page out of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” and promote, very heavily (and especially heavily to Israel’s political friends), a movie that makes its greasy, ugly, rich, manipulative, American-hating bad guy . . . a Jew.”
I’m saddened by the above reports of this appearing and being used in the movie. Instead of identifying the many likely candidates for those who would lead a massive assault that would be a thousands times worse upon american, the guy who’s in charge of this is…. a jew?!? This is what the navy seals allowed for their dialogue with the movie creators. This is revolting and I’m uncertain as to why this was ignored here in this thread.
I saw the movie this afternoon and loved it. The character Christo was a drug smuggler. The real bad guy was a Chechen Muslim terrorist. The fact that Christo was Jewish was just a minor point. There’s no mistaking who the bad guys are in this movie. None at all.
The whole thing falls apart midway when the bad guy turns out to be a Jew. Had the bad guy been a muslim then it would have been believable, since muslims have committed over 18,000 terrorist attacks worldwide since 9/11.
With the incredible amount of anti-semitism already being displayed all over the globe, this simply becomes more of the same. I won’t recommend it.
I’m sorry, but “DON’T CALL THEM COMMANDOS!!! COMMANDOS WERE, (ARE?) BRITISH SPECIAL FORCES DURING WWII. SEALS ARE SEALS, OUR GUYS. THEY ARE NOT COMMANDOS, ANY MORE THAT THE BRITISH SAS ARE SEALS.” Caps lock off.
Well said. Brits are commandos, and damn fine ones. Operators in America’s elite military units are THE BEST OF THE BEST. I don’t care from which country they hail, but they are not Delta, Green Berets, Rangers, SeALs, Force Recon or PJ’s. Once they earn those titles then they can be considered equals, not before. And I’m sure SAS, FFL and the rest feel the same way about our guys. The only group of warriors I think is comparable to America’s most elite are the Ghurkas. Their motto says it all.
As a retired naval officer (1980-2003) I can tell you that the country receives great value from the US Navy. From Spec War operators like the SEALs to Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carriers and Submarines, Navy personnel are highly trained and serious warriors.
What the Navy does is critical to the safety and security of this country. Sadly, we have a President who is slowly but surely destroying the Armed services.
Take a minute today to give to the Navy League, Navy Relief. Thank a serviceman or woman for their service, it truly makes their day.
Had to wait till comment no 25 ‘Seriously’, before the truth outs. In this movie the financier of the Muslim jihadists who is also behind the kidnapping and torture of CIA agents is .. a Joooooo.
This is a classic anti-Semitic libel, the greedy Jewish financier pulling the strings behind the scenes is the REAL SOURCE OF EVIL. Ultimately the source of Muslim extremism is the source of all evil everywhere, the Jew with his lust for money and power. This has got to be one of the most anti-Semitic films Hollywood has ever made dressed up in the red white and blue. It is simply disgusting.
Did you actually see the movie Phyllis?
I saw the movie this afternoon and to be blunt, you’re full of it. The drug smuggler Christo was Russian and the real bad guy was a Chechen Muslim terrorist. The story line is that they grew up together before one of them went hard core terrorist. There is no mistaking who the really bad guys are in the movie. Christo is a ruthless and very head of a drug cartel. He likes the good life quite a bit.
Anti-semitic by all accounts, i declare! I haven’t seen the movie yet, but your review sounds honest, accurate and true! How dare hollywoood! Liberal scum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are right Larry in Tel Aviv.
Debbie Schlussel has a more realist view of the movie. I would link it but the moderator or the author already blocked my previous post. Just google her and read the review. (that’s if they don’t block this post)
This isn’t about patriotism or standing by the troops. this is propaganda.
The film makers are typical far leftists’s, do not be deceived…
They are also cowards in that they do not want a knife in the chest, so they make the bad guy a Jew not a Muslim…
As a Jewish-conservative I say: love the SEALS but feel free to hate this movie…
Debbies site:
http://www.debbieschlussel.com
If you hate the movie for one minor point, then you’re the one with the problem. If you have not seen the movie and you’re just picking up on that one line, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
since when is propaganda a minor point
As has been pointed out several times now, there are two bad guys in the movie. The character “Christo” is a Russian born drug smuggler. The fact that he’s Jewish was a single line in the movie. The really bad guy is a Chechen Muslim extremist. He and Christo grew up and went to school together. That’s their connection. Neither like the US but Christo isn’t the one trying to commit terrorist attacks against us.
When you state something inaccurate, you’re misinformed. When someone points out that you’re stating inaccurate information and you keep on doing so, that makes you a liar.
I was surprised at the end of the film to see that only two officers were included in the litany of the dead. Two Navy liuetenants. I only mention this because I would expect that men of this caliber would be recognized as leaders. I know that a Chief Petty Officer is a leader, but I would prefer to think that some soldiers deserve an elevation that does not seem to be available in the current command structure.
When I was in basic training the drill sargeants were really pushing the airborne and ranger stuff for prestige. Somehow I know it sounds rude, but I think they should be paid more in addition to having better hats and badges. They would still have to salute ensigns, but there should be some benefits as long as they live and for their posterity.
This is true of all our soldiers. The education requirements of our current forces is unbelievable compared to the past.
The combat infantryman often knows every piece of equipment in the company or even battalion TOE. He can do 1st and often 2nd level repair of it all. He can teach its use in exact detail to someone new.
Our tankers have skills unsurpassed by those in the past. Drive off the edge of a small cliff, and hit a distant target several times while you are in the air and land at speed and continue fighting without pause? Dear Lord.
The same is true of most arms. In a straight up fight, no one can stand against us, except maybe Israelis. We just roll over the other side. It’s no contest. We might not even realize we rolled over them. That happened in Desert Storm. 1st Armor rolled over the 2nd Republican Guards Armor, and did not know they had fought a major engagement, it was over so quickly. Seemed like a skirmish.
Yet we pay them like troops of old. Sure it seems like more, but when you factor in inflation and the education and work requirements, it is poor compensation, really.
This movie seemed to have some disturbing agendas. The evil manipulator antagonist was a rich Jew with stereotypical features used for centuries by anti-semites. His name was Christo which is offensive and divisive between Christians and Jews.
The Navy Seal who interrogates Christo is introduced as a formidable interrogator and yet the interrogation seems fairly benign while very effective. This was a somewhat subtler dig at enhanced interrogations. Enhanced interrogations were used by the previous administration to achieve excellent results in identifying the free world’s most dangerous enemies and used by the Obama administration to capture and kill Osama.
The most dangerous biases of the current administration are advanced by this film and I would not recommend it to anyone based on these important considerations.
Acts of Valor vs. the Critics
“Valor” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness : personal bravery.” The only real issue concerning the just-released war film, “Act of Valor,” is that it is mistitled since it depicts not just one but multiple instances of amazing personal bravery.
I wouldn’t dare suggest movie critics don’t respect the courage of our military and, especially, among the Navy’s SEALS. At least none of the critics have said that–although most of them find fault with virtually everything else in the movie. Then, too, how could they criticize or say they abhor the military without sacrificing the illusion of their objectivity.
For a brief synopsis and trailers, see http://bit.ly/roegRu.
The chief critical objections to “Act of Valor” is that the principal characters are wooden and that the plot is contrived.
The former charge is somewhat true due to the fact that the protagonists are active duty SEALS and not professional actors, though we’ve all sat through stinko acting by pros. The contention that the story is unreal is more a reflection of critical biases than of actuality.
The narrative is complex, taking the viewer all over the globe and filled with unrelenting, ultra-violent action but I suspect left-leaning movie critics were far more exercised over the film’s themes than its plot.
Those themes incorporated not just military bravery but the reality of war, the essence of patriotism, the principle of idealism, and even a recogntion of God, none of which are favorite themes of America’s Left. . . (Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=14853.)
Come on stop bashing the movie. It is part docudrama, part SEAL recruitment promotion, part singing the praise for SEAL capabilities and part eulogy for fallen SEALS. It does not even pretend to be an artistic movie.
The Jewish villain terrorist enabler plot of the movie is not that outlandish and does not look like flinching in the face of political correctness or Jew bashing. The movie plot is not a SEAL verses Muslim terrorist match thing either. The movie is not apologetic about Muslim terrorists and at the same time does not single them out. Interestingly the movie completely skirts Middle Eastern terrorism. I think this not for political correctness but to avoid generating viewer ennui
There are 2 main bad guys, who were supposed to have been childhood buddies in the intact Soviet Union (iUSSR). The ethnic minorities in the iUSSR were largely secularized and their sub nationalism suppressed effectively by the State. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the ethnic fabric disintegrated. Anti-Semitism resurfaced in the ex-USSR and many formerly secular nominal Jews emigrated to Israel, a few became oligarchs and crime bosses. Many secular Muslims suddenly found religion and jihad. This illustrates the instability, confusion and chaos created by failed states and how it creates opportunities for all sorts of bad guy to link up and fuel global terrorism. The movie also touches on Latin American narco-terrorism, Pilipino-Muslim sub-nationalist terrorism.
Get a grip boys and girls an off with that chip on the shoulder.
My compliments, Mrs. Chesler, on a well-written article concerning a movie about some of America’s best. I applaud your enthusiasm and patriotism. May your tribe increase. This is the second review I have read on this subject, and unfortunately it, like the other, contains the same mistake made by many writers. Here’s an example: “Scene: The SEAL team finds the tortured CIA agent. She is a woman and a physician. One soldier says,…”. I’m sorry, but we who have served in the U.S. Navy make a distinction: sailors are not soldiers and soldiers are not sailors. Trivial? Not to those who have worn the uniform and are proud to have served in enemy waters. Randy, USN 1962-66; Vietnam ’65