Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

The life in boot camp for new recruits of U.S. Marine Co. in South Carolina.

I watched this film in peace event in Okinawa which has US marine facilities, only marine bases outside the U.S. People see it because they want to know how their neighbors are trained before they come to the island.   

The documentary film was directed by peace activist film director, Yukihisa Fujimoto. But the film was overall neutral stance, just showing how young recruits become marines who show no mercy when it comes to killing enemies.

 

The first thing they do is dial their parents that they join training so they cannot get in touch with their parents for months. They have to say just as instructed.

 

They call themselves “this recruit”, not “I”. In first 48 hours they are not allowed to sleep. Boys have to have their hair very short cut. They’ve been yellowed by their instructors whenever they make mistakes. But they just follow the orders, and have no doubts. That is how they are trained to be. They shout “One shot, one kill” many times in the training in order to brainwash themselves to give up hesitance to kill people.

 

Attendees were mostly peace activists and lefty. They protest military and war. They say this shouldn’t be done. But I have a different view. Even though it is such a dirty job, someone has to carry on, if not, your life may be in danger. You, your families, and properties cannot be saved. You have to rely on the military.

 

The problem is those who join the marines come from poor families. It is like poverty draft. The same thing is happening in Japan, too. The recruiters usually hunt new recruits in poor families or areas. Some say conscription has to be revived in order to avoid such unfairness.

 

The war is human nature. As long as we humans survive, we continue to fight each other. What we have to do is think how to minimize casualties and tragedies. You cannot make it zero.

 

As for the marines in Okinawa, I would say to them “Please leave, you are not welcome there. It is for you.” Okinawa is no longer best place for the U.S. Marines.

 

Japan is sovereign nation. We are not occupied by the U.S. any more. Unlike the cold war era, there is no strategic necessity of the U.S. military presence for the both countries. Not just Marines, Air force, navy, ground force have to leave as well.

 

We appreciate the U.S. military’s deterrence, the U.S. government’s financial aid and generous open market policy for Japanese goods. But the times was changed. The U.S. military no longer functions as it did in the past. More of us learned that. The presence might deteriorate the relationship between the two nations.

 

Why not we just keep having good relationship by your leaving Japan? Of course we are friends and close allies, that will never be changed. We can corporate each other whenever necessary, just when mutual interest exist.

The below is preview of the film. Of course, the film is all English version.