RE: "Leave Not a Man Behind" (poem) >>> "War-Torn" Trailer ... a Documentary About Heroes & the Price of Heroism (100 Days of Poetry Challenge - Day #1)
@quillfire, you have no idea how much this means to me and the Veteran community as a whole for you to take the time to write that beautiful poem and to spread the word about Lynn Gillies' story during Vietnam. He truly is a great man and the message of the film is one that will not only help everyone understand what Veterans experience during and after combat, but my main goal was to be able to reach Veterans and anyone suffering from PTSD to know that they are not alone and that there is help out there. We have lose too many Veterans each day and if my film is able to reach one of them, or to help a family member know how to support their loved one in understanding their torment, then all of the work was worth it.
Thank you everyone for all of the support.
@derangedvisions,
And should you find yourself besieged,
The walls, a breach at hand,
Against your back, a back is pressed,
Alone, you will not stand.
... QuillFire
I'm a bit of a counselor by nature, for some reason people find me easy to open up to. While thankfully I never saw combat during my service, many of my friends and countless people I have meet had. Even though I have not experienced it first hand I feel as though I have tasted of this vicariously through the countless stories and broken personalities that I have witnessed. I don't think that many "normal" people can understand the depths these situations, events, and orders often wound a man.
The sad reality is the "training" is so effective that many of these men attempt to go through life denying that they have in fact been wounded, viewing such acknowledgment as a weakness. But it eats at their soul. They start becoming hateful to those they love. Once a man starts to treat those he loves with hate it's only a matter of time before he completely hates himself. My heart aches for these the most, as they are the lest likely to seek out help, before it entirely consumes and leads them to the only escape, which is suicide.
I hope that your film can allow some of these broken people, to honestly evaluate themselves. I also hope that it will allow others to see, how damning this condition can truly be.
@imjustsaying,
Thanks for the great comment. I'm sure the Documentary will help create perspective.