California National Guardsmen Chronicle Frustrating Mission in Iraq

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published April 1, 2008 at 11:17 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

The U.S. war in Iraq hit two major milestones this month - its 5th anniversary and the 4,000th U.S. military personnel to die. As the war lingers on and the nature of the mission changes, some on the

Tom Fudge : The war in Iraq is costing this country a lot in money and lives. In the past year we've actually increased the presence of American troops there. That's the result of the "surge" everyone's been talking about. Today, our involvement in Iraq drags on. For that reason alone, the experience of today's combat troops is different from what it was closer to the start of the war. It may not be as dangerous as it used to be, but it may be a lot more frustrating.

That's the impression you get watching the Frontline documentary called Bad Voodoo's War . In Bad Voodoo's War , film maker Deborah Scranton focused on the service of members of a California National Guard unit. They call themselves the Bad Voodoo Platoon, but their job is more tedium than it is action.

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Frontline's Bad Voodoo's War airs tonight at 11p.m. on KPBS TV .

Guest

Deborah Scranton, filmmaker who directed Frontline's Bad Voodoo's War , based on the personal Iraq war experiences of two members of a California National Guard group who call themselves the Bad Voodoo Platoon.