How Many Miles to Basra is a play that raises uncomfortable questions but doesn’t give exact answers. It is both thought-provoking and disturbing, and thus a must-read for its topic area.
Until recently, worldwide governments chose to ignore the problem of PTSD among military veterans. Politicians like speaking of them as heroes, but they never think of them as victims of their country’s foreign policy. There are almost 40 ongoing armed conflicts right now and – of course – “big players” like the USA, Russian Federation, the Great Britain etc send their soldiers there. Whether or not their presence there is needed is a rather complicated question, but what we can be sure of is that lots of soldiers are going to come home with serious mental disorders. The main reason why it happens is the role of a violent surrounding. It is one thing to undergo training, but it is a completely different story to fight and kill in reality. This is without a doubt one of the most terrible experiences.
The army is not a place where one can relax. For instance, Geordie is teased because of his inexperience in combat and the reason of it is that he has never killed anyone. The young soldier feels insecure and unsure, what is more he doesn’t understand why he has to kill anyone to prove himself a good soldier. That teasing could lead to a terrible conflict and violence from Geordie’s side. Unlike inexperienced Geordie, Freddie has been too aggressive for his own good. It should be mentioned that we don’t know what kind of person Freddie was before the war. He could be a positive guy who was always ready to help those who were in need. Unfortunately, readers meet him when his violent tendencies start taking over him. He feels betrayed and cheated, that the war he has to take part in is not his war; this man doesn’t even have a little compassion for victims of the war.
One of the most interesting plot lines belongs to Ursula. She is the truth seeker who doesn’t care about anything else. She is ready to sacrifice her life if it guarantees that she will get answers she looks for. It is hard to blame her, after all that is her job and she tries to do it as good as she can. When she returns from Iraq with a story about four dead soldiers, she meets lots of obstacles. Neither government, nor her boss wants the truth, for they want to save the face of the army. Ursula refuses to give up and insists on publishing a real story, however she changes her mind when she meets with Stewart’s widow. The reporter doesn’t tell her the truth, for she sees that it will only make the things worse. How Many Miles to Basra reveals an idea of the true price of military victories.
