Iraq documentary reveals the trauma of battle

The Iraq War sometimes seems distant in a culture consumed by ''American Idol" and March Madness. Tomorrow, on the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, NECN will bring the war up-close and personal in the documentary ''Hidden Wounds."

The sobering one-hour film profiles three men from New England who sign up for the war with enthusiasm but return from bruising tours of duty with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The condition, which affects one in six veterans, is a sensitive one because many soldiers mistakenly attribute the symptoms to something unacceptable in the military -- weakness. But after the horrors many soldiers have witnessed, depression, anger, panic, and even suicidal thoughts are a reality. The government, the film's participants rightly suggest, needs to fund more treatment.

The program is presented in traditional documentary style. The men, their family members, and friends tell their stories, while photographs of the soldiers on duty help viewers visualize the war zone. Longtime WCVB-TV (Channel 5) anchor Natalie Jacobson provides the narration, a choice that continuously affirms the story as news, not fiction.

First up is Nate Fick, a Dartmouth College student who wanted to be lifted out of his ''late '90s skinny latte life" and dropped into the front lines of American diplomacy. Boy, can the Marines do that. ''Put a 50-pound backpack on and a raincoat," he says. ''Eat 1,000 calories a day and run around all day for a month with people shooting at you, you shooting at them, and [you have] the weight of responsibility of the lives of 20 or 30 other people on your shoulders. It's utterly relentless. And oh, by the way, sleep three hours out of every 24. It has a cumulative effect and it's physically and psychologically exhausting."

Jeff Lucey of Belchertown signed up for the military out of high school in 2000. ''I hate it here," he wrote his parents from training camp. ''I made such a mistake." After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his unit was sent to Iraq. Lucey returns a depressed and troubled alcoholic, but the Veterans Affairs Administration refuses to help him with his stress disorder because of his drinking.

Sergeant Russell Anderson of Norton is a Vietnam veteran who has remained active in the reserves for decades. He served in Iraq in 2004, only to return -- like the others -- angry and distant.

After centuries of wars, one wonders why the United States has not established an effective system for helping veterans cope with the aftermath. Perhaps this film will be a vehicle for change.

Suzanne Ryan can be reached at sryan@globe.com.