A Review of ‘Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey’ – A keen study of staying at peace amid the chaos of combat
A documentary about U.S.’s chaplains that provide spiritual support to the country’s armed forces in battle.
‘Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey’ – A keen study of staying at peace amid the chaos of combat
Cast: Justin Roberts, Chief of Chaplain Tom Solhjem, Chief of Chaplains Steven A. Schaick, Capt. Dung Nguyen, Col. Khallid Shabazz, Capt. Adam Muda, Capt. Christie Torres, Sgt. Natalie Gray, Capt. Mendy Stern, Lt. Commander Madison Carter, Commander (Retd.) Tom Hall, Chief of Chaplains Gregory Todd, Magen Roberts, Chaplain Emil Kapaun (archive), Lt. Col. Brian Koyn, Benjamin Epstein, James Eardley, Wilmet E. Harslerode, Capt. Sean Knox, Leonard Ponath, Maj. Jeff Struecker, Sgt. 1 st Class Ken Maweu, Commander Nathan Solomon, Chaplain Angelo Liteky, Bob Wood, Herbert Miller, Mike Dowe
Critic’s Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Director: Richard Hull, Justin Roberts
Duration: 1 hour, 12 minutes
Genre: Documentary, War
Language: English
Release: 2024
What’s it about?
A documentary about U.S.’s chaplains that provide spiritual support to the country’s armed forces in battle.
Review:
This is an affecting documentary about U.S. clergymen in military uniform who join American soldiers in battle. These dedicated and often unsung heroes are an intrinsic and indispensable part of the peacekeeping profession. Such unarmed religious persons, that constitute the Chaplain Corps, help to boost morale, provide spiritual refuge, partake in rescue efforts, offer psychological recourse and pray over the wounded and dead. Here is a fairly impressive celluloid tribute to this special group, which recounts the stories of some exemplary individuals belonging to the fold. This often powerful little film also explores the mentality of the chaplains on and off the field and how their noble tradition across several American wars, helps perpetuate itself.
Fighting Spirit opens with the film’s co-writer and co-director Justin Roberts recalling his assignment as a U.S. Army chaplain during the war in Afghanistan. Video footage that he recorded during the stint caught the eye of film producers and eventually featured in this documentary. The filmmakers then introduce us to U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains Tom Solhjem who touches upon the origins of his Corps; and his counterpart in the U.S. Air Force Steven A. Schaick, who points out that even American servicemen have the “free exercise of their religion.” The camera then shifts to Capt. Dung Nguyen, Colonel Khallid Shabazz and Capt. Adam Muda, who are chaplains representing different religious persuasions - underlining America's acceptance of faith diversity.
We next get to learn about Chaplain Roberts’ mindboggling war experience in Afghanistan. This included dealing with an often suicidal flock whom he had to put at peace, while “connecting” with them on the frontlines of battle. He returned from the stressful commission mentally and emotionally scarred. But hope and solace arises with some miraculous news about one of his kind – Korean War era chaplain Emil Kapaun. The film then transitions into other heroic stories, such as the WWII tale of four chaplains from varying faiths who selflessly and calmly aided numerous fellow passengers onboard the ill-fated Dorchester ship. Survivors from that incident have come on camera to bear testimony to the courage of the perished quartet.
Extraordinary stories from the early 1990s ensue. Maj. Jeff Struecker recounts his miraculous escape from relentless enemy fire in Mogadishu, Somalia and how that life-threatening situation signalled his true calling. Then, Chaplain Tom Solhjem narrates how he magically defused a dangerous situation in Iraq by presenting himself unarmed to the enemy. The filmmakers then take us back to the Civil War of the 1860s. An escaped African American slave named Garland White recruited regiments of Black soldiers and served as their spiritual guide while fighting numerous battles for the Unionists. The subject next shifts to WWII Chaplain Joseph O’Callahan - the consummate naval priest - who piously marshalled his men and directed damage control and counter-attacking operations when the Germans attacked his mighty ship – the USS Franklin.
The film’s other interesting case studies include Chaplain Angelo Liteky’s role in infusing a sense of morality in the minds of officers and soldiers during the Vietnam War; and earlier, of Chaplain Emil Kapaun’s messianic achievements in embattled Korea. This documentary draws the audience into the various true stories with the effective use of soundbytes by several respondents, archive footage, photographs, reconstruction imagery and voice-overs from memoirs. However, it could have better addressed the conflicting duality of intrinsic human ethics and the murderous nature of war and how chaplains and their congregations struggle to reconcile the two. Still, this film does address the tendency of chaplains to return home psychologically torn and in desperate search of ways to repair themselves. Can their Fighting Spirit truly overcome the horrors of war? That’s up to the audience to decide.
