"Faith and Bravery in the Line of Fire"
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What You Need To Know:
FIGHTING SPIRIT is a compelling, heartfelt movie about the often overlooked bravery of Army Chaplains. Some of the movie’s reenactments have dated, odd visuals, However, the real-life footage and photos are great visual aids to tell the tremendous story of several chaplains’ courage and faith. Some of the Chaplains represent false religions, but the movie champions that they can work together despite their religious differences. FIGHTING SPIRIT also has some war violence, but nothing graphic. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.
Content:
More Detail:
FIGHTING SPIRIT: A COMBAT CHAPLAIN’S JOURNEY is a documentary about the history of the U.S. Army Chaplains who serve and sacrifice for the physical and spiritual benefit of countless soldiers. FIGHTING SPIRIT tells a heartfelt, compelling story about the often overlooked bravery and sacrifices of Army Chaplains, with a strong moral, patriotic worldview containing some positive Christian themes and references, but there is some war violence and references to false religious chaplains in the service.
The documentary opens with Justin Roberts, a chaplain with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan. He recounts the PTSD and stories of hardship in his own experience as a chaplain. Viewers also hear from other Army chaplains about heroes from the past. Justin learns that the body of famous chaplain Emil Kapaun was identified after 70 years. The chaplain died as a POW in North Korea. Justin begins a journey of healing as he recounts all of the faithful chaplains in history.
The documentary covers the stories of several chaplains. The stories including those who served under George Washington, where it all began, the Civil War, the World Wars, Vietnam, and Iraq.
A particularly touching story of faith and perseverance is from Jeff Struecker, whose story is featured in the movie BLACK HAWK DOWN. He exemplifies true courage as a result of his Christian faith, which culminates in him going back into the battle several times to save those he could. He says in the movie that his perspective shifted to “stop preparing soldiers to meet the enemy and start preparing them for eternity.”
There are other great, encouraging stories of the faith of the chaplains, and their willingness to serve the soldiers, often armed only with their faith. The movie ends with Justin Roberts finding healing by learning about the inspiring stories of those who came before him.
FIGHTING SPIRIT is a powerful, well-made documentary honoring the unsung heroes of war, U.S. Army Chaplains. Some of the reenactments are aided by outdated effects which distract from the poignant stories being told. However, the movie excels when it’s using the real-life footage from Justin Roberts’ deployment, or archival photos and videos of the other chaplains.
Faith is prominent in this documentary, and it is a powerful story about the moral fortitude, perseverance, faithful service and heroic sacrifice of the various chaplains. MOVIEGUIDE® does note two areas of caution for viewers. First, the movie includes examples of chaplains who teach Buddhism, Islam and other false religions as giving the same hope to soldiers as those who carry a Bible. Even so, there are several powerful moments where men from different backgrounds work together despite their religious. Second, FIGHTING SPIRIT does have some scenes of violence.
Ultimately, however, FIGHTING SPIRIT is a good documentary about sacrifice, love and faith. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children due to depictions of war violence and the references to non-Christian religions.
