Why would anyone want to join the military? Particularly after seeing this fifth estate documentary - as startling an anti-recruitment film as it is a rare insight into battle-induced posttraumatic stress. In Broken Heroes (tonight, 9 p.m., CBC), three soldiers tell reporter Gillian Findlay what their life has been like upon returning from tours of duty, some altered after one deployment, another after spending time in a few war zones. Plagued by nightmares, racked with survivor guilt and trouble coping with tasks such as grocery shopping or minding the kids make it almost impossible to re-enter "normal" life. One of the biggest hurdles these men have to overcome, though, is the idea that they have a problem at all: "Nobody wants to be broken in the army," says one. "I've got my airborne wings. I'm army. I'm a sergeant. ... I'm in command of eight men in a combat zone, how are you going to tell me how to function at night?" explains another about why it took so long for him to seek help. Findlay respectfully tells their stories, and checks in with Canada's Chief of Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk to see what the military is doing about erasing the stigma of PTSD. Senator and former general Roméo Dallaire is also interviewed, reminding us just how long the trauma can linger, and how it can turn up unannounced years later.
More documentary
PhotoXplorers (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. on Bravo!) Google maps, a sense of illicit adventure and a certain amount of chutzpah keeps these amateur photographers travelling between abandoned factories and coal mines and other old unused buildings. This new series follows these middle-aged hobbyists as they clamber down cliffs and over barbed wire to sneak into some cool-looking places. It's all about taking the best darn shot possible, and about not getting caught.