Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company

Originally broadcast on A&E, filmmaker Michael Epstein's highly emotional documentary Combat Diary offers a raw insider's view of the U.S. occupation of Iraq through the video cameras of the members of the Lima Company (3rd Battalion, 25th Marines), a reserve unit from Columbus, Ohio. During a seven-month period (February-September 2005), the 184-member unit experienced 23 combat deaths, including 11 who were killed when their vehicle was hit by a bomb. The soldiers here are shown in all aspects of their Iraqi duties, both in full warrior fury and in quieter off-duty video diaries created for themselves and their families. None of the footage was originally intended for public viewing; however, the bonus footage included in the DVD extras raises questions about the level of military censorship that might have been involved in this production (military personnel obviously cannot just shoot their own videos while on duty and then release the footage to home entertainment channels), especially since none here openly question the validity of their mission (not on camera, at least). A depressing but also insightful look into one combat unit's experiences in Iraq, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)