Opinion ID: 203199
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reasonable Military Viewer Analysis

Text: Damon disagrees with the above analytical framework, and argues that the Court must determine what effect his appearance in the documentary has upon any respectable and substantial part of the community; and if the community or audience includes a professional group to which the subject of the statement belongs the question becomes what is the effect of the statement upon that group with its special standards. Kelly, 76 F.Supp. at 486; see also Sharratt, 365 Mass. at 145, 310 N.E.2d at 345 (It would be anomalous at best if words clearly understood in a defamatory sense among the community should fail to be actionable merely because they would appear innocent to the general public.). [6] Military personnel, like other professional groups, such as doctors, lawyers or judges have a standard of judgment of their colleagues which is peculiar to their profession which differs sharply from the appraisal of the uninitiated. Kelly, 76 F.Supp. at 486. Thus, the question is whether Damon's appearance in the documentary would tend to injure Damon's reputation, or hold him up to scorn, hatred, ridicule or contempt, in the minds of the military or veteran community. Id. ([T]he issue narrowly stated is whether to permanent officers of the United States Navy the portrayal of plaintiff as resembling [a movie character representing him] would tend to lower his reputation.). It has long been recognized that the military is a specialized society separate and apart from civilian society. Parker v. Levy, 417 U.S. 733, 743, 94 S.Ct. 2547, 41 L.Ed.2d 439 (1974); United States v. Mariea, 795 F.2d 1094, 1100 (1st Cir.1986); Serrano Medina v. United States, 709 F.2d 104, 107 (1st Cir.1983). This Court also recognizes that during its long history the military has, by necessity, developed laws and traditions of its own. Parker, 417 U.S. at 743, 94 S.Ct. 2547. The differences between the military community and the civilian community, and between military law and civilian law, are exemplified by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Military Code). The Military Code regulates aspects of the lives of military men and women which are left unregulated in the civilian sphere. [7] The making of a disloyal statement, which includes attacking the war aims of the United States, is violative of the Military Code. Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, § 72, Art. 134. [8] At the time the documentary was released, Damon was an active member of the military, and he continues to associate with military personnel and veterans to this day. It is within these communities that Damon claims he has been defamed. He alleges that his appearance, coupled with the documentary's overall theme, narrative and his placement in the documentary  shortly after another soldier explained that he would not return to Iraq if ordered  brands Damon as being a supporter of the documentary's agenda, denouncing the military operation that he and fellow military personnel served, denouncing the treatment of veterans and promoting disloyalty and disaffection to the United States. From this, Damon concludes that his appearance could lead the military community to reasonably conclude that he is making disloyal statements intended to promote disloyalty and disaffection toward the United States, the President and or the war effort. We disagree. While it is clear that military and civilian communities may very well view certain situations, e.g. a soldier's refusal to return to battle, differently, this is not one of those situations. Taking the documentary as a whole, no reasonable member of the military or veteran community could possibly view Damon's appearance in the documentary as being disloyal to the United States. As explained above, Damon makes no statements in opposition to the war effort, nor was his interview manipulated in such a way to imply that he was attacking the war aims of the United States. Id. In fact, as pointed out by the district court, the documentary's portrayal of Damon shows an individual who is discussing with great dignity and obvious pain what his participation in the conflict in Iraq has meant and not in any way suggesting that he thinks that his service was demeaned, but rather expressing his opinion that the medical treatment that he received has been something that helps to make his pain more livable and that Damon's appearance transcends the alternative views that others present there with . . . considerable dignity and no suggestion of disloyalty. Moreover, unlike the cases cited by Damon, [9] he was not portrayed as denouncing the military, any of its war aims or the President. Instead, Damon spoke solely about his medical treatment after valiantly serving his country. Accordingly, there is no reason to believe that a reasonable member of the military or veteran community would conclude that Damon's appearance in the documentary conveyed a defamatory meaning, and therefore lowered his reputation or subjected him to scorn, hatred, ridicule or contempt in that community.