主题：【随笔】Taking Chance -- pxpxpx

<Taking Chance>讲的故事很简单：

１９岁的美军士兵Chance Phelps在伊拉克战死后，他的尸体由一名美军志愿者（中校 Michael Strobl）护送回家安葬。电影讲述的就是这位护送Chance的美军中校一路上的所见所闻。

虽然电影本身是关于战争与死亡的，但是整个片子给人的感觉却是相当的静。对比Michael Strobl最初的记录，电影剧本应该说很忠实于原著，演员的表演也非常的努力。

HBO的这部片子对眼下的战争可以说没有立场，它的视角主要是放在了美国普通民众对阵亡士兵，进而对其他普通士兵的感情上。

用Michael Strobl的话来说：

What ultimately struck me (on the escort trip) to the point that I was moved to write the story in the first place (is) the decency for every American. That’s what I experienced on the trip. I hope that when other families —military families—see the movie, they’ll be reminded how much goodness there is out there and how much people really care

联系到最近HBO的另外一部作品Pacific，记得里面的连长Andrew Haldane在血战机场之后的夜里说过一句话：

I want to believe, I have to believe， every man that's wounded, every man that I lose, that it's all worthwhile because our cause is just

任何战争都会理所应当的夺去千千万万军人的生命，但是付出同样的牺牲，参与不同战争的军人们却往往不能总是得到一样的承认与尊重。

取得胜利不能解决这个问题，Andrew所说的cause is just也同样解决不了这个问题。

单从这一点讲，Chance也许还是幸运的吧。

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Michael Strobl写的Taking Chance原文

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/12/sunday/main2677251.shtml

WSJ上一篇介绍美军处理阵亡将士尸体历史沿革以及现状的文章

How We Bury the War Dead

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270841057314162.html

• 把中国军队和美国侵略者军队相提并论难道不是搅浑水
• 主贴我还以为他是无知被忽悠了

和 the hurt locker 一样，这种片子里伊拉克人只是做为背景存在的。这就是侵略者的人性。 没有立场？ 这其实是赤裸裸的立场：侵略者是人，有人性；被侵略者只是做为物的背景。

这么赤裸裸的主旋律片，兄弟竟然没有看出立场。看来导演算是白费劲了。查查是不是陈大导演的徒弟。

一直听说这片子不错，但是没有高清的，等了很久也没有高清的版本，不等了，这就去下一个看。

阿富汗平民却不知道死了多少，像猪狗一样不值钱的命。

还口口声声说没有立场。

如果说美军士兵对阿富汗战争的正义性多少有些信心，对伊拉克战争则基本上口是心非。美军士兵去伊拉克，我感觉‘被迫’因素很大，是美国军队纪律和国家法律严厉约束下做的决定。不想去，但是不得不去。

这样就决定了他们对伊拉克人的命运如何采取回避甚至逃避的办法。

这就是美宣部比中宣部高明的地方了，没办法说是正义的战争，那么就大力渲染侵略者的人性，而同样做为人的被侵略者呢，就被物化、虚化了。

这是差别。

今天的多数美军士兵(不包括军官士官)参军的目的是获取退役福利和更好的工作机会，他们往往因为家境不好不能继续学业或者技能太差而在就业市场上缺乏竞争力。一般来说在美国当兵对青年人并非有利可图，否则美军也不会持续有严重的兵源问题。

２００８年，独立日，一位美国民航的机长写了一篇博客：

Fallen Soldier

文章不长，讲他有一次飞航班的时候，机上载有一位阵亡士兵的尸体以及士兵的父母妻儿和护送遗体的军人。

起飞后，这位机长收到空乘的报告，说

＂The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left.

The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.＂

机长本人就是老兵，他接到报告后就直接与飞行调度联系，希望可以在飞机着陆后满足士兵家人的心愿。

经过两个多小时的漫长等待，这位机长收到了飞行调度的回信：

Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and planeside. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and planeside to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home.

一切都安排得很体贴。

信的最后，飞行调度讲：

Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family, thanks.

很快，飞机就落地了，繁忙的机场为机长的飞机顺利入港提供了最大的便利，就在飞机即将停靠完毕的时候，飞机向乘客们说了一段话：

Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His name is private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is army sergeant XXXXXXX. Also onboard are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.

如机长所期待的那样，所有的乘客都留在自己的座位上

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap their hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of “God Bless You, I’m sorry, Thank you, Be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with the loved one lost.

机长的博客的最后写到：

I never did see the family. Another soldier died, another family grieved and we did what we could. That is the way it works sometimes. I get a call from the cabin and we work as a team to do what we can. That day everybody from the flight crew, to the operations center, to the 184 passengers onboard, we did what we could. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I made. They were just words, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring that soldier back. I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this day and the sacrifices that millions of men and women have made to ensure our freedom, safety, and the right to live a good life.

事后，机长得知，当时机场里出来陪伴士兵家人和遗体的护送人员都是航空公司的雇员，他们有一个志愿者组织，叫Patriot Guard Riders。这个志愿者组织唯一的宗旨就是

Giving a fallen soldier the honor, respect, and dignity they deserve during their final journey home

在下面的留言里，有一位志愿者讲了自己的一个经历，其中的一个故事是：

I had an escort come off a flight, a Command Sergeant Major, 30 years in the U.S. Army, a man to be both respected and feared. The honor guard had finished rendering honors on the remains he was escorting, an 18 year old “girl” who was killed in Afghanistan, I was getting ready to take the escort upstairs to board the flight when he asked me If I had any children, and if any were serving in the military, I told him “yes” I have three sons and my oldest was deployed in Afghanistan. He was trembling and asked that I give my boys a hug and next time I talked to my son in Afghanistan to let him know how much I loved him “because you never know.” The “girl” he was escorting was his daughter...

机长博客的链接在下面：

http://acaptainslog.blogspot.com/2008/07/fallen-soldier_04.html

为了自己的前途参与非正义战争，还是听信了忽悠为了国家的前途参与非正义战争，前者比后者更正义吗？

要是德国人拍片宣传犹太士兵前方奋勇作战，后方家人被送进集中营。最后士兵为掩护战友牺牲，倒在斯大林格勒的雪地上。也能拍得很人性，很悲剧，让人看得热泪盈眶。人性一起，集中营的执行人在逗孙子玩的时候也是慈祥的老爷爷。蒙上普世的彩布，让我看到光明吧。

战争还是要分正义与非正义的

我们要问：谁的freedom, 谁的safety,谁的right to live a good life？ 就当前的美国用兵来讲，显然，不是阿富汗人民的，也不是伊拉克人民的,更不是全世界人民的。对于旁观的中国人来讲，或许战场上另一边倒下的人更值得纪念。

因为我们的人民英雄纪念碑上写着：........由此上溯到一千八百四十年，从那时起，为了反对内外敌人争取民族独立和人民自由幸福，在历次斗争中牺牲的人民英雄们永垂不朽。推己及人，对于伊阿领土上倒下的美国士兵，我们可以可怜同情他们，以及他们的家人，算他们是战争受害者；但是respect和honor,就算了吧。

人民英雄永垂不朽，而战争英雄的身后，未必得以安宁。