American society generally believes that once individuals return from the war zone they will automatically fit back into mainstream society. What people do not realize is the mental, emotional, and psychological toll that combat has on soldiers. The documentary The Wounded Platoon takes a firsthand look at just how detrimental war can be to the people who experience it. Every soldier featured in the film accomplished their duties in their assigned roles but suffered greatly as they tried to make the difficult adjustment back to into society. .
A total institution is defined as an institution that controls all aspect of its member's lives. In the military, individuals are assigned to subdivisions called platoons. The film revolves around the lives of the men from Third Platoon. Third Platoon is a great example of a total institution due to the strict regiment that the soldiers are commanded to follow. Within a total institution, the basic needs of an entire group of people are under bureaucratic control. In this documentary, we watch as the men from Third Platoon are forced to live in a dangerous and foreign setting where every aspect of their lives are decided by their superiors. Their superiors send them into battle on a daily basis and they never know whether or not they will survive to see the next day. They live a life of constant fear and are forced to sacrifice their morals in order to kill the people they are trained to believe are their enemy. The prolonged exposure to this lifestyle causes their values and beliefs to change drastically. .
Within any given social institution, social norms specify how people in various statuses are expected to perform their roles. The film explores how these individuals have very strictly defined statuses within the military institution but a chaotic and unclear role in society. The group of soldiers who make up this elite fighting force, have been trained for years to become killing machines to promote the United States global and domestic interests.