Rodrigo Jose Samodal
LDS 102
Charles Powell
March 27, 2016
A Few Good Men
Out military was created to fight to defend the ideals of our country. However when military soldiers and officers separate from the values of our nation, it is up to the civilian population to uphold justice. This shows the need for a balance of power. This idea is portrayed in the film “A Few Good Men.”
Shortly after the night when Marine Private William Santiago is killed, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey are arrested and charged with murder and court-marshalled. However, naval investigator and lawyer Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway attempts to take the case, but it is ultimately given to navy lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee. They both believe the two marines carried out a “Code Red” order, which is regarded as a violent extrajudicial punishment to discipline a marine who steps out of line.
Kaffee and Galloway follow through with the case, and claim that they were ordered to carry out the Code Red order by Lieutenant Jonathan James Kendrick, who denies having given such an order, and instead ordered that Santiago not be touched and have him transferred of Guantanamo Bay. After finding contradiction in his orders, Kaffee ultimately causes Kendrick to admit to his actions of ordering “Code Red” and his attempts to hide it. Kendrick is ultimately charged with perjury, and Dawson and Downey are found innocent from charges of murder, but are found guilty of “Conduct unbecoming of a United States Marine” and are dishonorably discharged.
This film shows proof of how, despite popular opinion, civilians ultimately have control of the military. Especially in cases such as the one portrayed in the film, when crimes have been committed within our own military, civilians must take responsibility to bring justice when it is needed. Although this does bring tension between the military and civilian populations, it is necessary to have a balance of power. If there is no balance of power, then the military will be able to commit to whatever actions they deem as just and necessary. This will cause the formation of a militant government, which ultimately opposes the American ideology. I believe that it is just and right that civilians have control over the military. The balance of power is necessary to prevent any one group or organization from separating and straying from the values of their country. This balance of power is needed to maintain successful times of peace in a nation.
Citation
A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. Prod. Rob Reiner, David Brown, and Andrew Scheinman.
Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Perf. Tom Cuise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, James Marshal, JT Walsh, Kiefer Sutherland. Digital Campus, 1992. A Few Good Men. Digital Campus. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. <http://digitalcampus.swank.com/stonybrook/SDC/Watch.aspx?v=2dd2af4344b24fc1ac9347e0aa51b2b6>.