Taking the Hill

Offering an interesting personal angle on the short- and long-term effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, Taking the Hill focuses on Vietnam War veteran Raul Ries, who is both a pastor and a martial arts instructor. Ries talks openly about his life, including a troubled childhood that resulted in making a choice between enlisting in the Marines—and being sent to Vietnam—or going to prison for assault. Ries chose the former, and here explores his memories of killing and almost being killed, of the peculiar trauma of doing battle with a well-concealed enemy, and of seeing his friends die and hardening himself to the experience of slaying others. Ries brought his stress back home to the U.S. and became a violent husband and father before rehabilitating himself after finding religion. Ries returns to Vietnam in Taking the Hill, looks up three buddies from his military days and finds them all equally haunted by the war, and visits with some of today's U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan to speak with them about dealing with stress effectively. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)