veteran's day-a day of reflection

The mission of the documentarian is to preserve what is important on film, so that it cannot be overlooked or forgotten. Nowhere is our nation’s sense of priority more skewed than in our treatment of our veterans. Giving them November 11th is the very least we can do – but even then, how many people let Veteran’s Day slip them by without a moment of reflection? How many people really think about what they should be grateful for? These documentarians try to correct this, bringing the stories of our national heroes to the forefront where they belong.

Home Front shows that the battle doesn’t end on the battlefield. Veterans returning home have it hard enough reintegrating to civilian life – it’s a theme that Hemingway explored so poignantly in one of his finest stories, “Soldier’s Home.” For Jason Feldbusch, this struggle is compounded by the injuries he sustained in combat. There are tens of thousands of soldiers like Feldbusch, who have received life-altering injuries, in Iraq alone.

Semper Fi: Always Faithful is the story of twenty-five year Marine drill instructor Jerry Ensminger. When Jerry’s nine-year old daughter Janey died of a rare type of leukemia, his world collapsed. As a grief-stricken father, he struggled for years to make sense of what happened. His search for answers led to the shocking discovery of a Marine Corps cover-up of one of the largest water contamination incidents in U.S. history. In his activist efforts, Ensminger forces the Corps to live up to its motto, fighting on behalf of the thousands of veterans – and their families – irreparably affected.

Don’t let this Veteran’s Day pass by as though it’s just another day. Don’t forget.

Learn more about this history of Veteran's Day.