Citizen Soldier

In the documentary Citizen Soldier, Directors David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud deliver an astonishing film about the Oklahoma National Guard's deployment in one of the harshest regions of Afghanistan. This film transcends the boundaries of a typical military film by using footage from helmet cameras to provide audiences with an immersive look at life and war overseas. As I watched from their perspectives, I couldn't help but feel like I was a part of their fight. Audiences get to see seemingly ordinary citizens transform themselves from strangers into a family of brave men and women known as "Citizen Soldiers". It amazed me to see what these men and women experience while deployed. They're thrown into hostile environments and must deal with adversity as a team. The most moving part of this film was watching these real people, in real combat, willing to put their lives on the line for their fellow soldiers. Through all of the victories and losses, they form an unbreakable bond that lasts long after they return home to their civilian lives. Not only is Citizen Soldier a moving documentary, but I think it's also an outstanding way to show appreciation to these soldiers, and all citizen soldiers. It's a fantastic film and I highly recommend it.

It was a very intimate view into the guard in a war. It is a scary land. I know IEDs were a major killing thorn to soldiers in Afghanistan. One comment that stuck a nerve was about how the local villagers are self serving as you can't trust them. Imagine this scenario flipped. Would you not be self serving, especially as a 14 year old. In reality, we're over over there for self serving reasons, along with some aid, etc etc. They are just trying to defend their close knit families. Who are prob under threat by the Taliban or insurgents to aid them in their mission. We have never have an armored tank and soldiers meandering in our backyard at 3am demanding ID while living in the US. While I know it's necessary for safety, expects the other side to just continue to allow this to their homes is hard to imagine.

Citizen Soldier takes us right into the heart of the battle with the Oklahoma National Guard, in a true immersive experience. Unlike many documentaries that I have seen, filmmakers David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud employed the use of helmet-cams to gather footage from the first person perspective, truly capturing the bravery and camaraderie of our men and women currently serving in Afghanistan. We are able to see and hear everything that they are in those moments, from bullets flying and shattering their glass covers to just having conversations about their lives in humvees as they navigate the terrain. This raw action footage, intercut with interpersonal stories, sends a strong message about brotherhood overseas. These courageous soldiers share a bond like no other and that is conveyed by their language with each other in the field and in the interview segments. They are serving overseas to protect our country, but it is clear that their priority while fighting on the front-lines is to protect each other and make sure their brothers make it home safely to their families.

My favorite thing about "Citizen Soldier" is its originality and honesty. This documentary film was not about politics or promoting any kind of agenda and I really appreciated the raw honesty with which the movie unfolded. The incredible directors, David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud, really let the story be told by the men and women who were serving our country as part of the National Guard. The story the soldiers told was filled with a strong sense of brotherhood and connection with each other. Made me feel proud of our National Guard and the people who had to unexpectedly serve our country with bravery and valor in its time of need.

This is real and these are real guys fighting and digging in ... some making the ultimate sacrifice and their brothers in arms grieving afterwards. Citizen Soldier is an important film, trying to tell at least some of the heroic story of our communities' guard and reserve units who go out and do the job that few are willing to do, yet we all ultimately benefit from.

Whether you are a bleeding liberal or a conservative, this documentary will provide more education about war, about troops serving overseas, about what happens after war, and the bond forged by our men and women who serve than any history book or newscast. This should be added to curriculum taught in schools so students and people in general see an unbiased version of what war is - not the politics, but the day-to-day events. I will watch any documentary I can find to get an unfiltered understanding of war so I better appreciate the freedoms I have because of the volunteers (full time and civilian troops). I gave this documentary 8 stars because I feel like some things might be missing (possible op sec), but I really enjoyed the honesty the film makers demonstrated.

A group of volunteer citizen soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are sent overseas for a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2011. Directors David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud do a remarkable job of putting a very human and sympathetic face on these brave and noble soldiers who are a true band of brothers who have each other's backs no matter what right down to the point in which they risk life and limb to retrieve the body of a comrade killed in combat. The combat sequences are genuinely harrowing thanks to the helmet camera footage that puts the viewer right in the thick of battle. But it's the camaraderie that these men share with each other that gives this documentary a substantial amount of power and poignancy. A fine and affecting documentary.

Citizen Soldier is set in post-9/11 and is about a group of Oklahoma men and women in the National Guard who get deployed to fight in the most menacing areas of Afghanistan. Go-pro helmet cameras were used incredibly in the making of this documentary because it gave a more personal look in to the soldier's tour of duty. This film included honest and genuine interviews from the National Guard members, which added a more inclusive and emotional element to the film. It stands out amongst all other military films because it is not simply a documentary about violent warfare or pro-war propaganda, but instead it shows the dramatic transformation of average civilians to National Guard soldiers fighting tirelessly in Afghanistan. It is focuses on the brotherhood and bond shared between these brave soldiers and defines what it truly means to have a fellow soldier's back while on the battlefield. The leadership and bravery that the armed troops of our country possess truly amazed me. I thought it was a heartfelt film.

Would rate this a definite worth a watch, let's say 7 (put a 10 in to offset Mr 1/10 who clearly doesn't u sweat and the point of a review- just that he thinks war is a waste of money which is a different question) But yea a refreshing no bs account of what wars are really like told from the human perspective (albeit from one sides perspective only). The pov footage was not detrimental at all in my opinion and really did immerse you in the situation at least as much as possible from the couch. Gripping for the most part and completely devoid of the standard 'murica yeah! mentality that is often conveyed in war documentaries/movies. And no I'm not American.

Current war narrative focuses almost exclusively on the plight of the armed forces juxtaposed with the plight of the civilians trapped in the war zones we in the West vote for. As far as I know, this is the only film that focuses on the ever growing Civil defense force, those people who used to be "Weekend Warriors", but who are now thrown into the hell holes of the world for months at a time. These are people who used to spend their Saturday nights doing pointless drills and occasional firing range sessions, now suddenly finding themselves sent to the far end of a horrifying firefights for half a year at a time. This film had me in tears so many times I cant count. It's the single most powerful and moving documentary I have ever watched. These are real civilians, driven by selfless need to provide service, suddenly thrown into the meat grinder for months at a time with a 10th of the training professional soldiers receive, yet thrown into the same grinder as our professional soldiers. If every Trump Tastic war mongering armchair General around the world was shown this, we'd have world peace by the weekend. These are "normal" relateable people like you and I, facing a hell we should pray each night we never have to see, and facing it with the kind of courage we should be thankful we don't have to find. This is the only film I will ever give 10/10 and I do that with the utmost respect to the people I have watched die tonight. Don't watch this film - BUY this film as many times as you can afford and donate to the charities supporting veterans with PTSD. Review written by a UK Pacifist who hopes for the day Afghan and Western can join together and stop being killed for the benefit of Wall Street. I'm not some jingoistic Trump wallah, this film is important and should be required viewing.