Patricia Foulkrod captures the life of a soldier in The Ground Truth. It is a documentary that is a great eye opener as to what is really going on in the Iraq war and the treatment of American soldiers. The film focuses on about 10 American soldiers and allows them to share their personal experiences in the Iraq war.

There is footage that allows the viewer to actually see the process of getting ready for war, starting with recruitment and boot camp. The film then follows the soldiers in the war, highlighting what was ordered and necessary for survival in Iraq, and finally returning from war as changed people and trying to fit into society. The soldiers are being persuaded to enlist based on the benefits and the opportunity to be a hero and protect and serve our nation. However, they see the truth about war.

The soldiers may have been able to leave Iraq, but as they go back home to their families, soldiers must face another adversary.

Most of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and never receive the help they need. The soldiers can choose to spend their time in therapy on base or return home to spend time with their families. Most soldiers decide to spend their time with their families and later have to deal with the consequences of not receiving the proper treatment.

Other soldiers returned with severe injuries ranging from amputations, vision loss, spinal problems, to disfiguration. What is sad about this is that some of these injuries do not even come from actual combat. There are problems with the lack of gear and, sometimes, bad accidents that leave soldiers scarred for life.

For certain veterans it takes months after they return to receive their benefits and pay. It raises the question about all the money U.S. spends and why these soldiers are not being properly protected and taken care of after having risked their lives for our country.

One soldier who was serving in Iraq witnessed what went on and decided he could not do it. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, but served six months only due to good conduct. He is now an activist against the war in Iraq.

The work that was put into the documentary was definitely shown and the movie does not leave the audience unsatisfied. The meaning and reason for this film is clearly made within the soldier’s stories. The actions taken are up to the audience.