Commitment & Sacrifice

Commitment & Sacrifice begins 35 years ago when filmmaker Norman Lloyd was a CBS News cameraman following the 5th Battalion's 7th Cavalry Regiment during the invasion of Cambodia at the height of the Vietnam War. Three decades later, Lloyd tracks down the soldiers he filmed in an effort to discover what became of them. Simultaneous to this quest, the 5th Battalion's 7th Cavalry is reactivated for the Iraqi occupation and Lloyd again becomes embedded in this newly-formed regiment. The documentary clearly illustrates the experiences of the average soldier on the frontlines in modern battle, and Lloyd deserves kudos for his sensitive interviewing of the soldiers of both wars, as well as families of loved ones in Iraq. In addition, Lloyd's mastery of the camera during the wars is astonishing to behold (much of his footage was considered lost and has only been recently rediscovered). The film makes no comment on the fact that the 5th Battalion's 7th Cavalry happened to be in the two most ill-conceived and unpopular contemporary American wars—a failure to note history repeating itself that feels like an oversight (willful or not). Still, on the basis of its otherwise considerable merits, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)