JOSH'S COMMENTARY
Trauma visits all of us. Clearly it presents at different levels from different sources
- an abusive parent, sexual abuse, teen bullying, a long-term illness, a severe accident - there’s an endless list of causes. To be able to function in life, each of us, at some point, must find a path to manage our trauma’s impact. Of course, PTSD, resulting from shocking war experiences (the focus of my film) can have devastating impact, but the essentials of finding a pathway to healing is the same for all of us. I hope it’s this need we all share that makes this film universal.
To Be of Service is about the enduring costs of war told through the lives of veterans of the Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The film follows vets with PTSD who, after years of struggle with substance abuse, suicide attempts, talk therapy, and prescription medications have finally come to find that bonding with a highly trained service dog helps them find a way back to independence, emotion and love. Almost miraculously, through the unconditional acceptance and love of their service dogs, our veterans are able to re-establish their lives and family connections in a way that is uplifting and deeply moving.
Along the way we’ll learn a powerful lesson, as our vets do. As Dr. Ed Tick says in the film, the combat experience is, tragically, and blessedly, a one-way street and those who go will never be the same. But, the invisible traumas that have changed these warriors forever can actually be a path for growth. As the men and women veterans we meet in the film tell their stories and open their hearts, we see that they can become “elder warriors,” even healers, which is the roll returning warriors have played throughout history. In our deeply challenged times, elders with deep wisdom born of experience should be honored and valued.
Shamefully, our government has forgotten this charge, and we hope this film will remind us that America is neglecting its deep obligation to honor and welcome our soldiers back to civilian society. For thousands of years, from the early Greeks to the Native American nations of our own land, warriors were taught the rites of return, the rituals of healing and they were welcomed, honored and celebrated for their service. It’s all too clear that we have dropped this ball and that neglect is haunting us. We were warned of the consequences of this by our first American general:
- an abusive parent, sexual abuse, teen bullying, a long-term illness, a severe accident - there’s an endless list of causes. To be able to function in life, each of us, at some point, must find a path to manage our trauma’s impact. Of course, PTSD, resulting from shocking war experiences (the focus of my film) can have devastating impact, but the essentials of finding a pathway to healing is the same for all of us. I hope it’s this need we all share that makes this film universal.
To Be of Service is about the enduring costs of war told through the lives of veterans of the Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The film follows vets with PTSD who, after years of struggle with substance abuse, suicide attempts, talk therapy, and prescription medications have finally come to find that bonding with a highly trained service dog helps them find a way back to independence, emotion and love. Almost miraculously, through the unconditional acceptance and love of their service dogs, our veterans are able to re-establish their lives and family connections in a way that is uplifting and deeply moving.
Along the way we’ll learn a powerful lesson, as our vets do. As Dr. Ed Tick says in the film, the combat experience is, tragically, and blessedly, a one-way street and those who go will never be the same. But, the invisible traumas that have changed these warriors forever can actually be a path for growth. As the men and women veterans we meet in the film tell their stories and open their hearts, we see that they can become “elder warriors,” even healers, which is the roll returning warriors have played throughout history. In our deeply challenged times, elders with deep wisdom born of experience should be honored and valued.
Shamefully, our government has forgotten this charge, and we hope this film will remind us that America is neglecting its deep obligation to honor and welcome our soldiers back to civilian society. For thousands of years, from the early Greeks to the Native American nations of our own land, warriors were taught the rites of return, the rituals of healing and they were welcomed, honored and celebrated for their service. It’s all too clear that we have dropped this ball and that neglect is haunting us. We were warned of the consequences of this by our first American general: