A new documentary film which shows US Marines getting high and playing with sex dolls during a tour of Afghanistan is seeking to challenge Americans’ view of soldiers as heroes.
Combat Obscura was filmed in Helmand Province between 2011 and 2012 by former lance corporal Mike Lagoze.
He used government cameras to film the men as they behaved questionably after capturing shots that the government wanted to use as publicity.
Now, the unflattering footage, which critics are calling the documentary ‘the Corps does not want you to see,’ has been released as part of an effort by Lagoze to demystify what really happens in war zones.
The Marine Corps has hit out at the film and the filmmaker but says it is powerless to stop its release or take action against any of the people involved because so much time has passed.
It says it was never made aware of the criminal behavior shown in the film when it was happening and that the Marines involved put themselves as well as their comrades in danger with their ‘selfish’ behavior.
Some of the men’s faces are obscured in some scenes whereas others are easily identifiable.
Two Marines share a joint in Helmand Province in a scene from the controversial new documentary film, Combat Obscura, which is made entirely of raw footage taken in 2011 and 2012 that the Marine Corps has not sanctioned to be released
In another scene, a Marine flips off the camera while saying he is ‘so f****d up’ from smoking. The Marines called Afghanistan ‘hash farm’
The Marine Corps said it was unaware of what was happening during the men’s tour and would have investigated it if they had known
In a scene from Combat Obscura, a soldier smokes out of make-shift bong made from a Pringles can during deployment in Afghanistan
Another frame shows a deflated sex doll which they had been playing with. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at life in a war zone that has not been sanctioned for release by the military
Mike Lazbone (pictured) was hired to film scenes for the Marine Corps to use in publicity campaigns but decided to film everything they were doing
In one scene, a Marine smokes a joint around as they described themselves as ‘squared away killers’.
‘You think the Marine Corps is a bunch of perfect people who don’t do anything bad, don’t curse, and they’re just really squared-away killers.
‘The Marine Corps is filled with the most f—– up individuals I’ve ever met. Just like me, you know?’ he said.
At the start of the clip, his comrade describes the country as a ‘hash farm’ and asks Lagoze to interview him while he is ‘f****d up.’
In other scenes, the men are shown defecating outside the homes of locals and talking off-handedly about killing people.
They are filmed cursing at local children and in one distressing scene from its trailer, the small red light of a laser scope can be seen dancing across a young boy’s chest.
In the opening of the trailer, the message: ‘We filmed what they wanted then kept shooting,’ is shown.
In one scene, an injured Marine tells the camera he ‘just’ got a ‘booboo’ but did not want to ‘do any more combat’
‘Lucky us’, says a Marine as he stumbles on to a marijuana farm during one mission
A Marine shows off his tattoo while he is interviewed by Lagoze. He appears to be holding a roll-up cigarette
Lagoze said he did not plan on using the footage until he enrolled in Columbia after leaving the military and realized what he had.
‘Stop looking at these boys as heroes,’ he told Stars and Stripes in an interview about the footage.
A spokesman for the Marine Corps gave a lengthy statement condemning the actions of the men in the film and the film itself.
‘The behavior and actions depicted in this film do not live up to the high standards we expect of our Marines and do not represent the experience or attitudes of the vast majority of Marines who deployed and served with honor and distinction in Afghanistan.
‘We place a tremendous amount of emphasis on ensuring individual Marines are both physically and mentally ready for the challenges they may face in combat. Marines are provided extensive personal and professional training as well as access to multiple resources to prepare and safeguard them for the uncertainty of battle.
In addition to scenes showing the young men behaving inappropriately are distressing clips of battle and how they try to save one another
In the above scene, an unidentified Marine is heard saying ‘now is the time to blow everything up’. The cameras had been sent by the military to capture scenes it could use for publicity but combat cameraman Mike Lagoze ‘kept shooting’
A marine leads another in battle with a blood-soaked jacket and helmet. The Marines corps resisted the film initially but is powerless to stop its release
The film also lays bare some of the Marines’ tactics i the war zone. The Corps condemned its release
In another scene, a Marine points to a ‘high value target’ on a list of local people
‘The actions depicted in the film of these few betrayed the trust and safety of their fellow Marines; they selfishly put their own self-interests over their unit, and by doing so put their entire team at risk,’ it said in part.
It said the Corps tried to contact Lagoze and his team but that he ignored them.
‘While we contend that at least some of the content of the film – produced with Marine Corps equipment, during a Marine Corps deployment, and not cleared for public release by any official release authority – is rightly the property of the U.S. government, we do not plan to pursue any legal action against Mr. Lagoze at this time,’ they added.
The film was released in movie theaters on Friday.
Lagoze did not reveal whether or not he sought permission from the men depicted before releasing the footage publicly.