War TV...

Current mood: WHY BOTHER???
Category: WHY BOTHER??? Movies, TV, Celebrities

One thing I never miss when I don't have one, is a TV...

But I do like to keep tabs on the medium when I do have one - even if more than an hour of most things makes me get VERY ANGRY INDEED!!!!


Well, yesterday nights watching was the usual mixture of the hopelessly banal and easy fed going Saturday night slush...

Then there was probably the saddest program I've ever seen...


Yes boss, last night there was this documentary that listed off the names of all 300 UK soldiers killed in the Iraq & Afghanistan conflicts.

This list of names was interspersed with interviews with the families of some of those who've died, footage of the war, footage of the blood and the memorials...

It lasted somewhere between 3 and 4 hours straight - no commercial breaks, 3/4 hours STRAIGHT!!!


It was a deeply horrible and heavy dark program.

Yes boss, many of the families would put on a brave face and talk about their pride, and how their boy used to love life and play on swings and fish the lake..

They'd talk about how their boy loved his family, was a great lad, was only 19 or 22 or 25 - about how his whole life was ahead of him...


And then, the families were asked about how their boy died..

And each and every one would start off describing what happened in a matter of fact kind of way (sometimes this was illustrated with real life combat footage of the events)

And then - sooner or later - every one of them bar none - from the hardest looking beefcake man to the most vulnerable looking mother, would break into tears..

And this deep and frightening hole of sadness and loss would envelop them...

And they'd flash up pictures of the boy looking all smiley, or in his uniform...

And there would be the family trying to hold it in - or not...


It was fucking horribly dark - but of course completely compelling viewing....


The program ended, with footage of the memorial that's been built for the soldiers of these current wars..

It's been built big.

Most of it has no names yet - the powers that be are clearly thinking ahead..


This morning came the report of number 301...

Currently listening : Two Tribes By Frankie Goes to Hollywood Release date: 2000-12-06