Soul Patrol is as impactful as it is enlightening, tackling the untold experience of Black soldiers in the supposedly well-documented war.
Soul Patrol, playing at the Sundance Film Festival, is a documentary that gets first-hand accounts from the first all-Black special ops team in the Vietnam War. Through a mixture of re-enactments, real footage, and conversations with them in the present day as they have a final reunion, the film captures the heavy emotional burden as they struggle with what they thought they knew, what they did, and where they are now. Soul Patrol is as impactful as it is enlightening, tackling the untold experience of Black soldiers in the supposedly well-documented war.
Writer and director J.M. Harper (As We Speak) takes audiences on a journey. It connects with Ed Emanuel’s book entitled Soul Patrol: The Riveting True Story of the First LRRP Team in Vietnam. The film is educational for audiences. Plus, it’s a way for these men to unpack their traumatic experiences from fifty years prior. Members of Company F, 51st Infantry, served in the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol. They were six-man teams fighting behind enemy lines.
But there was one all-Black squad, and they were dubbed Soul Patrol, a moniker Ed Emanuel alone finds insulting. Alongside Emanuel, there are Lawton Mackey, Thad Givens, Emerson Branch, Norman Reid, and Willie Merkerson. As they reunite, they discuss the past with Emanuel, encouraging them to speak about what transpired.
Soul Patrol Gives Reasons and Regrets
Each man explains their motivations for volunteering for the Vietnam War. Emanuel did it, inspired by his cousin Ricky, who tragically passed away in the war, but also to get stronger to deal with an abusive father. Mackey was tired of working as a fieldworker for low pay and, though underage, forged his mother’s signature. Another from the Bronx faced danger after crossing a drug dealer who put a contract out on him.
Almost all regretted going not only because of the danger but also because of their treatment. When you get down to the truth of it, this country takes advantage of those it oppresses, and Soul Patrol shows the myriad conflicting emotions it fosters in soldiers.
The Re-enactments Are Too Dramatic
Truthfully, the re-enactments in Soul Patrol do not feel like re-enactments. Instead, they resemble stylish interpretations of the experience and emotions. So, it’s unnecessary. Because there is no need to add weight to the moments. The footage alongside quotes and archival news footage of the time makes the point painfully clear. Seeing different actors play the young soldiers felt distracting when you have the image of the real person. Plus, them quoting sayings like “when you stare into the abyss,” do not work. The storytelling experience that feels real and raw. It detracts from the truth.
Soul Patrol Shows the Difficulty Black Soldiers Faced
As one person told Mackey, “You left the real war at home.” White people, especially white Americans, will never comprehend the mental toll of fighting for a country or working within a government that is actively annihilating you and your people. To be told the threat to your way of life is a country on the other side of the world. Meanwhile, the white people and police in America deem you unworthy of living.
Emanuel and the others discuss where they were during tragedies in the Civil Rights Movement, such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, they faced racial mistreatment there as well. Plus, not only does that internal pain create struggle, but the Black soldiers who volunteered receive increased judgment and scrutiny from their peers. That’s why many admit that for a long while, they never disclosed their service.
An Enlightening Documentary
Soul Patrol is essential viewing as few films discuss the Black soldiers’ experience. Even more tragic, as Mackey and the others point out, the news intentionally showed white soldiers. Even though Black men make up the majority in those special units. Not long after a traumatic event, the group found themselves separated. It feels akin to Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race. It points out the white fear when too many Black people group up.
As many people assumed that Black soldiers only did menial labor work, such as cooking in the Vietnam War, it proves how essential stories like this are to those who lived it. Furthermore, we cannot know the potential of our future if we remain uncertain of the events in our past. Soul Patrol is a stark, at times gritty, at others fanciful film that reminds everyone that even in 2026, there is still a long way to go to share Black stories and experiences.
