The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) recently canceled two scheduled screenings of the summer blockbuster "Sound of Freedom," a film centered on the fight against child sex trafficking.
Critics have raised concerns about the military's involvement in promoting the film, questioning whether it aligns with the policy that requires military personnel to remain politically neutral while on duty.
Human trafficking consultant, Sunnetta Sunny Slaughter, was quoted by Military Times questioning the motive behind screening the film at a military installation. She asked, "What is the idea and the ideology behind putting this on a military installation? Is this some form of indoctrination into an ideology of extremism?" Slaughter also accused the film's lead actor, Jim Caviezel, of having connections with Qanon.
The screenings, which were initially scheduled for August 28 and October 19, were free for all locally based personnel. The film has already grossed over $200 million. Joanne B. Fitzgerald, US Army Garrison-Miami manager, stated in a flyer that the film was being shown to support SOUTHCOM's mission to promote respect for human rights and combat human trafficking in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The flyer also explicitly stated that the screening of the film did not imply or constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army or SOUTHCOM. However, following an inquiry from the Military Times, SOUTHCOM canceled the event. The command cited the prevention of "the appearance of copyright infringement" as the reason for the cancellation.
SOUTHCOM also encouraged personnel and their families to watch the film at local theaters. The command highlighted the film's central theme and its relevance to SOUTHCOM's Human Rights Office (HRO) Combatting Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) program.
They believe the film could raise awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking and sexual exploitation within their area of responsibility.
SOUTHCOM spokesman Jose Ruiz told the Military Times that the subject of the movie is of great concern to the command. He said, "Because of the way these transnational criminal organizations exploit migrants the hopes of migrants in ways that end up being serious violations to their human rights, and unfortunately in some cases lead to the deaths of the migrants."
In a related development, the U.S. military recently hosted a "kid-friendly" drag show at its Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) as part of their "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summer Festival."
"Sound of Freedom" is based on the life of Tim Ballard, a former CIA and Department of Homeland Security employee who founded Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) to combat child sex trafficking. Despite being an independent film, it has outperformed other movies at the domestic box office, including the latest installments of Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible.
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