( there be spoiler ) one of the most hidden fact about how war effect those who participate in it on both side of the battle line be the basis of the film in the valley of elah represent post traumatic stress disorder . base of the true story and show on cbs 48 hour and of the late u army specialist richard davis in the valley of elah show how those serviceman and woman who be now engage in the fighting in iraq and as well a afghanistan and suffer more then just from be shoot bombed and ambush by the enemy el qeada and iraqi insurgent . they suffer from their own demon that they be expose to and take back home with them . demon that in many way lead to action as destructive a those they face on the iraqi battlefield . former u army criminal investigator sgt . hank deerfield and tommy lee jones and be call by the mp at the military base that his son michael and jonathan tucker and be station at and tell that if his son doesn not show up within 48 hour that he will be declare awol . hank know that something be wrong in that michael be the gong ho army man that he be would never leave his unit and here in the safe and free good old usa and this after sear 18 month in the iraqi war zone . arrive at the army base hank realize that something isn not right with the way he treat by michael fellow gi in what exactly happen to him at the time of his disappearance . check out michael room and in the army barrack and hank spot a cell phone and and know that it off limit due to an army investigation and slip it into his pocket and take it back to his hotel room . get a friend of his electronic expert rick gonzalez to get the video and on the cell phone video camera and clean up hank see the war in iraq and michael and and his fellow gi and participation in it . and what hank see greatly disturb him . it not long after that a badly burn decompose and dismember body be find just outside of the army base . the murder victim turn out to be no other then hank long lose son michael deerfield . with both the army m. p and local police not quite sure under who jurisdiction the crime scene fall under and the body be find in piece in both that of the u military and local police zone and the vital evidence in the crime end up be corrupt due to both side mishandle it . it when hank and local bradford police det . emily sander and charlize theron and re examine the murder scene it turn out that whoever kill michael do not do that good of a job at it . the badly blotch murder thus eliminate a local mexican drug gang and who would have do a much good job in cover up the crime and that be the # 1 suspect in michael murder at the time . spoiler alertputting all the piece together hank as well a det . sander come up with the shock conclusion that michael murder be the result of something that he do early that even . a all the evidence mount in not just who murder michael but what the circumstance be to his grizzly death it become apparent that he himself be more responsible for his untimely death then those who inflict it on him . war bring the best and bad out of those who fight and suffer in it and in this case it bring out the absolute bad of michael deerfield . michael deerfield be leave a mental cripple when he come back from iraq and like so many of his comrade in arm and but be not give the treatment and by the u military and that he so desperately need . unhinged and with what seem like a death wish michael out of control action be guarantee to lead him ether into a mental institution or an early grave . hank despite deny to himself the obvious and from the cell phone video he observe and be leave broken and destroy together with his wife and michael mom joan and susan sarandon and when the truth finally come out . p. s before he be murder michael send his parent a package from iraq that have deep significance to him and those he serve with there . a weathered torn and bullet ride old american flag . hank in tear have that memory of the war and that in effect kill his son michael and fly at the high school that michael attend . fasened to the flag poll with roll of utility tape and so it well never be take down and hank have the flag fly in the universal sigh of distress represent upside down . the distress that his and joan life turn out to be after their son michael come march home from war .