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I was living in NYC at the time of the September 11 attacks. In
the midst of this tragedy, another phenomenon was taking place.
I heard stories of young people lining up to join the army. I wanted
to understand why a young person would give up four or five years
of their life to join the U.S. military, especially in wartime.
I decided to go to the recruiting centers to find out. The army
recruiters tried to recruit me, saying I could become a journalist
for the military. However my lackluster response made it clear that,
unfortunately for them, I was not army material. I wanted to make
a film, and through dogged persistence, I was given the access I
needed.
My ideas came together as I watched the recruiters try to persuade
prospective young people to join. The army was promising a quick
solution to directionless youth searching for purpose and a career.
I questioned whether basic training would be the meaningful rite
of passage they yearned for, or whether the constrictive world of
the military would only magnify the problems they were desperate
to solve. I decided to go inside the lives of these new recruits
to find out.
I discovered three fascinating characters, Sara, Nelson, and Thaddeus.
I followed them to basic training, to a world which sought to break
down their individuality and build them into hardened recruits.
As the camera recorded their lives for two years, a psychological
portrait emerged. I was taken on a journey of unexpected and harrowing
turns. Army of One portrays the emotional kaleidoscope of their
lives as I experienced it; three young people caught within the
military’s mission to forge soldiers.
–Sarah Goodman
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