This Marine says ‘bravo’ to an opera about the battle of Fallujah

An opera titled "Fallujah" opened among critical acclaim Nov. 17 in New York City, stunning audiences composed of civilians, veterans, and active duty alike.

One of the active duty service members in attendance was this writer's husband, Marine 2nd Lt James Foley, now a student naval aviator.

Foley is a former enlisted infantryman with three deployments to Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines and one deployment to Sangin, Afghanistan, with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines under his belt.

Foley writes:

Let me start off by saying that I am biased. I have spent 14 plus years in the Marine Corps, so naturally I had my reservations about an opera that is about Marines in Fallujah.

It turned out to not be as much about the battle in the city, but the battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that a Marine had as a result of the war.

I found myself captivated with the message.

Philip (played by LaMarcus Miller) wants to be a good person, but the war has made him numb.

He keeps reliving the gruesome images he went through in Fallujah and it is tearing him apart. He feels alienated from all those that love him.

I served in four combat deployments, to include a deployment to Fallujah. I can relate to Philip and all the emotions he is dealing with.

It is a moving story that highlights the struggles our veterans go through. They are separated from their families to fight a war, and when they come home, they start fighting new battles.

None of their friends from before the military understand what they have been through. Their families don't understand either.

When they finally fulfill their obligation and leave the military, there is no one there that understands their struggles.

"Fallujah" isn't just about the military service members struggles, it also addresses the struggle of the Iraqi people in that city.

It explains the impact that this battle had on those that lived there. It shows the frustration of the Iraqi people.

This opera also shows the struggles that families deal with trying to love and support their veterans when they do not know how to.

War is ugly, and whether or not you agree with the Iraq war, it happened.

Some of these men and women who served may not have agreed with the war, but they went and served. This brilliant production captures the emotions of that war and what those who have experienced it are going through.

I have never been a fan of opera, I can remember telling myself that I would never go to one.

I went to see "Fallujah" twice and I would go again.

I strongly recommend that everyone see this opera.  It can shed some light on what war can do to military members, their families who support them at home, as well as the innocent civilians caught in the middle.

It is a must see performance.