The Nightmare of Nogun Ri

Kill Em All was very startling; it is hard to understand what happened completely in Nogun Ri. Too many lives were changed and lost just from this single instant, let alone if you combine every moment of the Korean War. Kill Em All showed how afraid the refugees were, but even more than that how afraid and nervous the soldiers were who were there to "protect" civilians. The 7th Cavalry let their fears get the better of them, so it caused a killing frenzy that lead to an inexplicable amount of pain and suffering, and death to befall the refugees. The film says that we may never know the true death toll of Nogun Ri, but the fact that 3/4 of the refugees killed were children, women, and men over 40 creates an even more tragic telling of Nogun Ri. It is hard to think about all the innocent children who lost their lives at Nogun Ri because they never had a chance to grow up and fulfill their dreams.

The shooting frenzy of Nogun Ri is haunting because a single blast, that landed in the middle of the group of refugees, set-off the shooting frenzy of the 7th Cavalry. I know that the soldiers were put into a tough situation, but now they will forever be haunted by this atrocity they were a part of. These soldiers will forever hold the guilt of what happened to the innocent refugees. As one soldier says, “you can’t forget” and this knowledge of crimes against humanity “eats you alive.” But I have a hard time understanding what exactly made the soldiers react so violently to a group of refugees to continue shooting and shooting, especially once the refugees scattered. The refugees were already running for their lives, but because of this they became shooting targets for the soldiers.

A scene that occurred before the shooting frenzy that also stunned me was when the soldier related how his commander told him to shoot at a group of refugees, and if he didn't comply the commander would shoot the soldier instead. I find this scary because a soldier has to follow orders, but this kind of order goes against humanity. In this case, it didn't end tragically because the soldier's friend only shot a "warning shot," and the refugees got the message that they needed to get off the road. But something like this shouldn't have happened in the first place, the refugees lives were already changed because they had to flee from their homes. The refugees were already suffering enough, so each uncompromising act of the army created even more suffering.  
~Melissa