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The Recruiter focuses on Sergeant First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful U.S. military recruiters, at a time when demand for new soldiers is critical. Based in a small Louisiana town and filmed over the course of nine months, this powerful documentary follows the lives of Usie and four of his high school recruits before, during and after basic training, up until some deploy to Iraq.
Premieres Monday, 7/28 at 9pm ET
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597
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1/17/08
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(16 of 16)
Oct 11, 2008 12:12 PM
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I would love to see this as a series, too. More background gives a bigger picture and a better context of it all. I haven't heard any updates on Lauren, but I hope she made out okay.
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514
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1/17/08
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(15 of 16)
Oct 10, 2008 12:18 PM
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Curious, did anyone view the video update on Lauren?
It was very interesting. It's a shame though that she felt that the only way out of the military was by going AWOL. It was clear she wasn't looking at the big picture, or the ramifications her actions would bring down on her head for doing so. Her youth betrays her there, her inexperience.
Despite that, she does speak from her heart and hopefully will have a bright future. Anyone have any thoughts on the video and what she said in it?
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Host_Ginna
HBO Forums Host
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Posts:
351
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2/21/08
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(14 of 16)
Sep 3, 2008 3:18 PM
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They should make this a series so that we get to see more of a variety of situations. I would think there are plenty of stories out there to tell.
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Jaydes
HBO Forums Host
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514
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(13 of 16)
Aug 30, 2008 12:58 PM
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> I retired from the Air Force a couple years ago. I
> served honorably for 23 years and most of those years
> as a self-identified gay man.
>
> The premise of the show was good but it really
> irritated me that the only example of a gay or
> lesbian trying to serve honorably was the young
> female who decided to go AWOL and leave the military
> because she missed her girlfriend and came out on
> national television. There are thousands of
> lesbians and gay men serving honorably who would
> never turn their backs on their comrades and the
> responsibilities they were sworn to uphold when the
> enlisted.
>
> The bottom line on this documentary (except for the
> awesome recruiter himself) was just trash. It served
> no purpose whatsoever!!
>
I wouldn't go that far. I can see why you would be upset and irritated - the only example of a gay military member in this documentary shown to be doing something illegal. That is unfortunate but I am sure you would agree that one soldier definately does not represent the legions of faithful gay soldiers that are out there, that serve their country with dedication and loyalty, and where that uniform with a fierce pride. However, when that soldier went AWOL she doomed her career. They couldn't have shown the wonderful, proud gay soldiers who do their jobs brilliantly with ruining their careers. It's sad and it's very, very wrong that gay soldiers have to "hide" but that is what it is right now.
I thought it was brilliant and insightful, and I hope alot of people learned a new respect for our military - they derserve it.
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Host_Ginna
HBO Forums Host
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Posts:
1
Registered:
8/19/08
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(12 of 16)
Aug 19, 2008 9:34 PM
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so i remember being interviewed by lots of people after my fiance died in iraq in 2005 but i had no idea i would be on hbo. people have told my husband that i'm on it but i dont have hbo. is there a way i can get a copy?
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Posts:
3
Registered:
8/13/08
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(11 of 16)
Aug 13, 2008 4:22 PM
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i really liked the film. it gave me an insight into the military,
which i didn't have before... all of a sudden i have more understanding
of soldiers, even if i don't agree with the current war they are
being made to fight in.
can we all agree that einstein was brilliant? then i want to add his
insight into this discussion about that girl who left the army and
whether or not what she did was right (for her, for the army, for the
world):
The "worst outcrop of the herd nature, [is] the military system, which
I abhor. That a man can take pleasure in marching in formation to the
strains of a band is enough to make me despise him. He has only been given his big brain by mistake; a backbone was all he needed. This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible
speed. Heroism by order, senseless violence, all the pestilent
nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism- how I hate them! War
seems to me a mean, contemptible thing: I would rather be hacked in
pieces than take part in such an abominable business." - Albert
Einstein "The World As I See It"
while i now feel understanding for our soldiers after watching the
film, i can't help but think that that girl clearly has both a brain
and a backbone to leave the army!
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Posts:
4
Registered:
8/13/08
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(10 of 16)
Aug 13, 2008 4:07 PM
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define weak. because i saw the same film as you and i think that she was STRONG. it takes strength to walk out of a tough situation and get yourself a better life!
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Posts:
4
Registered:
8/13/08
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(9 of 16)
Aug 13, 2008 4:05 PM
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I don't think this was a series, I think it was just part of the
documentary month that HBO was doing. Does anyone know when the film will be out on DVD?
I agree with DocFan08 about that Lauren woman in the film. I could
totally see that being me if the army had been my only option for
success after high school. Instead my parents paid to send me to
college, something that not everyone has a family that can do for
them.
Why is it that all the best artists who were ever in the military came
out after either anti-war or just anti-military? Jimi Hendrix claimed
he was gay to get out! Did no one see the film Jarhead about what the
military can do emotionally to someone who is more an artist than a
military man (that scene where he almost shoots his friend?!?!). This
is all because artists are individual thinkers and anti-authoritarian!
There are lots of different kinds of people on this earth, and people
who are artists are different from people who are more military-types.
But we need both- the military to protect the artists and the artists
to create a society worth protecting!
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Posts:
1
Registered:
8/13/08
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(8 of 16)
Aug 13, 2008 3:31 PM
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I really liked reading the comments by mybeautiful3 because I was wondering what the response would be to this film by someone working in a recruiting center (and the response of their family). Really interesting to know you found the film realistic and accurate. I got that sense, too, but I don?t have any recruiting experience.
I totally can?t believe the lack of compassion and understanding by the other people posting for the soldier woman who went AWOL. A whiner? Please! She seemed like a really intelligent person who spoke realistically about how she wanted to study art and history and the army was the only way for her to do that. Once in the army it became clear to her that the army was not going to get her to the place she wanted to be in, and so she left (which seems like it was a good decision for both her AND for the army). This has nothing to do with her being gay; she is an artist (and if you know anything about art you can see her drawings and know she is a good one!). The army might advance your career in engineering or business, but it doesn?t exactly produce too many great painters. It is sad that in this day and age in America artists like her feel like they need to join the military as their only way out of a tough economic situation.
I?m looking forward to the next episode of this (it is a series, right?).
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795
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(7 of 16)
Jul 31, 2008 11:49 AM
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> > This is a documentary, they came to film Usie
> > recruits...the fact that one of them was gay and
> went
> > AWOL is not a portrayal, that's what happened.
>
> >
> > And trust me, I will speak for other people
> here, but
> > I don't think anyone linked the gay woman and
> going
> > AWOL.
> >
> > She is weak whether she is gay or straight, her
> true
> > self is weak, not because she was gay.
>
> IMHO,I think it just showed that not everyone can
> live the military life. She obviously wasn't ready to
> commit.
>
> --
> __________________________
> Jaydes
> HBO Forums Host
I also think that she was not ready to commit and be a part of the military. No matter what type of lifestyle she was living she was just not mature enough to handle being in the military.
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Posts:
351
Registered:
2/21/08
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(6 of 16)
Jul 29, 2008 10:31 PM
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> This is a documentary, they came to film Usie
> recruits...the fact that one of them was gay and went
> AWOL is not a portrayal, that's what happened.
>
> And trust me, I will speak for other people here, but
> I don't think anyone linked the gay woman and going
> AWOL.
>
> She is weak whether she is gay or straight, her true
> self is weak, not because she was gay.
IMHO,I think it just showed that not everyone can live the military life. She obviously wasn't ready to commit.
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Jaydes
HBO Forums Host
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Posts:
6
Registered:
7/23/08
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(5 of 16)
Jul 29, 2008 5:12 PM
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This is a documentary, they came to film Usie recruits...the fact that one of them was gay and went AWOL is not a portrayal, that's what happened.
And trust me, I will speak for other people here, but I don't think anyone linked the gay woman and going AWOL.
She is weak whether she is gay or straight, her true self is weak, not because she was gay.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
7/29/08
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(4 of 16)
Jul 29, 2008 1:27 PM
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I also really looked forward to watching this show, but I was pretty dissapointed. I feel that there is no doubt that SFC Ulsie displayed himself as a "true" soldier and in watching him in this show I felt proud but that was the only part of this that I felt did justice to the US Army my husband and I both served in the military and both were deployed to Iraq, so I feel that I have a right to speak on some things about this. First off I am extremely happy that Lauren did not continue with her "career" I felt from the beginning that she was nothing but a whiner and has no clue what life in the Army is all about, how can you complain about something that you have no idea about? Just because you go to basic does NOT qualify you to be an expert on the Army and I feel if I had to go to war with that girl I would be in real danger. I disagree with some of the recruiters on their comments about "filling the foxholes" with soldiers, I agree we need to replenish the military but I don't believe we should be filling them with just anyone and I'm hoping that just because there number's are low they aren't happy that some idiot comes up and wants to join and they let him/her. It takes someone special to be in the military and especially at a time of war I would hate to think some of my good friends that are still in harm's way have these people to come help them, above all, these recruiters are soldiers first and I hope that they look at each one of these enlistee's and ask if they'd want them in the foxhole with them.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
7/29/08
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(3 of 16)
Jul 29, 2008 12:49 AM
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I retired from the Air Force a couple years ago. I served honorably for 23 years and most of those years as a self-identified gay man.
The premise of the show was good but it really irritated me that the only example of a gay or lesbian trying to serve honorably was the young female who decided to go AWOL and leave the military because she missed her girlfriend and came out on national television. There are thousands of lesbians and gay men serving honorably who would never turn their backs on their comrades and the responsibilities they were sworn to uphold when the enlisted.
The bottom line on this documentary (except for the awesome recruiter himself) was just trash. It served no purpose whatsoever!!
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Edited by scottyhouston at 07/28/2008 9:50 PM PDT
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Posts:
1
Registered:
7/28/08
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(2 of 16)
Jul 28, 2008 10:16 PM
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My husband is a Station Commander for an Army recruiting center in Texas, and we as a family were very interested in the upcoming documentary "The Recruiter". He first recruited from 1997-2000 and then he was mandatory reclassed back into recruiting in 2005.
We are very pleased at the realism and accuracy going into this series. SFC. Usie and his recruits are the "real deal". Recruiting is a very tough job and many recruiters go way beyond the call of duty to help future recruits to have a successful future in the Army. The Army is a family and it starts with the recruiter. I praise SFC. Usie and his fellow recruiters for their dedication and to all the future soldiers who have stood up to defend our nation.
The families of the recruiters also sacrifice so much and deserve much praise for standing in the silent ranks. Recruiting does not only affect the recruiter, but the entire family.
We as a recruiting family look forward to future episodes.
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