Not so much a war film as it is a piece about the after effects, First Blood still resonates today.
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| "Are you the bastard that stole my sandwich?" |
It’s been 32
years since First Blood was initially released in theaters in 1982 and in many
ways themes from the first installment of the Rambo series still resonates even more strongly today than they did a generation ago. Unless you’ve been
living under a rock all these years you’ve probably seen at least one of the
Rambo movies, but First Blood is a far superior film to any of its sequels.
Based on the 1972 novel of the same name by David Morrell and adapted for the screen by Sylvester Stallone, First Blood is the story of Vietnam Green Beret and POW John Rambo who finds himself adrift once back home, trying hard to fit back in to a society that has little empathy for the trauma he endured while serving his country. Things go from bad to really, really bad when a small town sheriff pushes Rambo over the line and all hell breaks loose.
When the
film was made in 1982 there was a clear effort to bring attention to how many
Americans viewed and treated Vietnam veterans. Both of my uncles served in
Vietnam and many of my parents friends did as well, I recall hearing stories as
a kid about veterans returning home only to be literally spit on and called
‘baby killers’ by people who were bitterly opposed to the war. At that time so
many people directed their rage at the men and women who had to fight for their
lives in that jungle, most of which were drafted and had no choice in the
matter. Thankfully today attitudes have
changed and even if people oppose our government’s actions they are able to
separate their feelings from the soldiers and the government that sent them to
war zones.
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| "Screw your helmet laws, pig!!!" |
The thing
that really resonates about First Blood today is the effects of PTSD on so many
returning veterans. There is a serious problem with how the VA is handling
PTSD. Hundreds of servicemen and women are committing suicide every year. With
a small amount of research on the topic you will find countless cases of
veterans being badly over medicated with anti-depressants and painkillers
instead of receiving the necessary counseling they really need.
The HBO show
Vice recently aired a segment called No Man Left Behind which explores this
topic in much better detail than I can do justice here. It was deeply
saddening to see profiles of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are now struggling
so badly to fit back in to society. One such man is Army combat veteran Jarek Camac
who has turned to heroin and crack to escape the storm that now rages in his
mind. Jarek was quoted as saying, “I’m PTSD – paid till suicide or death.”
I apologize
if this article turned a little preachy but while it’s wonderful to fly your
flag and post on Facebook how much you love America and the troops, try to
remember the guys like Jarek Carmac out there who are still badly in need of
help.
And never forget John Rambo, misunderstood bad ass with a survival knife and explosive arrows.
-Brian Rohe