“Brothers at War” Screening Engages Audience

By Robyn Mincher, DCoE Strategic Communications

First-time filmmaker Jake Rademacher discussed the documentary “Brothers at War” after it was shown at the Warrior Resilience Conference last week. The film follows his two younger brothers on the front lines in Iraq, but instead of speaking about making the movie, he first asked viewers: “What part of the film did you most strongly identify with?”

The audience had different answers.

An amputee Army veteran had a tough time returning home. A military spouse identified with the guilt Jenny Rademacher, wife of Army Capt. Isaac Rademacher, expressed when her husband deployed. An active-duty service member related to Isaac’s fear that his newborn daughter wouldn’t remember him. During his own deployment, an Army company commander reflected on Afghans moving a burning vehicle to save a soldier. In the movie, Jake films a group of dedicated Afghans side-by-side with American troops under fierce fire.

Having never served in the military myself, I related with Jake’s initial struggle to understand what it’s like to be a service member and deployed.

Jake’s brothers Isaac and Joe Rademacher are soldiers. He is not. The film follows Jake’s attempt to discover why his brothers chose to serve as he travels with troops in Iraq, to look inside what life is like for the deployed and their loved ones left behind. With childhood home movies, his own intense footage of war, moving interviews with family, and insight into the life of warriors, Jake shows a complete and intimate portrait of a military family and the brotherhood service members shared in Iraq.

When he returned home, Jake had similar reintegration experiences to his brothers and newfound military comrades. He recalled simple annoyances, such as civilians aloofly asking if he had killed anyone. Jake asked the audience: “What inappropriate questions have you been asked?”

An Army spouse was asked if she could visit her deployed husband for the holidays, or if the military simply sent him home.

“There are no holidays in war,” she said.

A service member found that many civilians question the amount of combat in war. A spouse shared her frustration with being asked how and why she chose to be a part of the military lifestyle.

“They have no concept [of the lifestyle], but it’s really difficult to have one unless you have experienced it,” she said. “My answer is that I don’t really know how you do it, you just do.”

The discussion was a refreshing way to examine Jake’s own experiences as he continues to explore what life is really like in the military, hearing personal reflections from those who continue to serve and sacrifice.

Films on famed Tuskegee Airmen prompts diversity discussion

By 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard

Lights, camera ... discussion.

While the movie "Red Tails" soars across cinema screens nationwide, an earlier dramatization of the 332nd Fighter Group - the famed Tuskegee Airmen - and its battles in the skies over Europe as well as against discrimination by fellow Americans was viewed by Wisconsin National Guard members and civilian Department of Military Affairs employees Tuesday (Feb. 7). The 1995 movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" was part of a professional development session on diversity, led by Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin.

"It's interesting to see the parallels from back then and today," said Col. Julie Gerety, manpower and personnel director for the Wisconsin National Guard's Joint Staff. "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - same kind of concept. And females in combat, same thing - let's address it after the war."

Col. Julio Barron, a senior member of the Wisconsin National Guard's staff judge advocate office, agreed.

"What will define our time when history looks back at us?" he said, noting the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. "I think it's going to be sexual orientation."

Dunbar said the movie stressed the importance of seeing someone from an individual's particular community in a leadership role.

Wisconsin National Guard members and civilian Department of Military Affairs employees watch the 1995 movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" at Joint Force Headquarters' Witmer Hall on Tuesday (Feb. 7) as part of a professional development session on diversity. Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, led a discussion following the movie. Wisconsin National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson

"It wasn't too long ago that we had very few women in the military," Dunbar said. "Now we have [women as] senior leaders in the military, so young women joining the military today can look at an organization and see a senior leader and say, 'Okay, that could be me.'"

Dunbar related a scene from the movie in which Lt. Hannibal Lee informs the cadet pilots that he has numerous combat missions under his belt, and how the cadets suddenly see him not as a black officer and novice instructor, but a combat leader and someone to look up to.

"So when we talk about having someone from a diverse population join our ranks, and we grow from within, the importance of future generations being able to look into the Wisconsin National Guard and not only see the things we stand for, but that piece of you that comes from your community," Dunbar said, "I think that's important."

Barron, now an Air National Guard officer, recalled joining the military as an Army second lieutenant and immediately encountering bigotry with his unit commander.

"He used racial slurs toward me ... because I'm Hispanic," Barron said. "Frankly, it angered me so much that I said, 'After my four-year tour, I'm going to get out of the Army and I really don't want anything more to do with it.' But I didn't get out, and I made a commitment to try and change perceptions from within the organization."

Barron said that today he sees members of underrepresented groups in senior leadership positions.

"I am personally proud that we have made such strides in the armed forces," he said.

Dunbar noted that new people groups in the United States historically met with prejudice and discrimination at first. President Harry Truman overcame his own prejudices to integrate the armed forces, he added.

"[Truman] said, 'There's no way we can treat these Americans that way after they've served our country,'" Dunbar said.

1st Lt. Ron Adams, the Wisconsin National Guard's diversity officer, pointed out that diversity is bigger than race and gender.

"If you noticed throughout the movie, when they started meeting each other, they were all different," Adams said. "That one guy was from the city, and the other guy was from a rural area. You had the two pilots who were on a bomber, from Texas and California. We're all different in some kind of way. We need to be mindful of that."

Gerety said that everyone has some level of prejudice.

"This movie just reinforces that sometime you've got to open your mind and listen to what people have to say," she said. "No matter who it is and what prejudice you have, everybody does bring something to the table."

The first of the Wisconsin National Guard Diversity Council's four tenets is mission readiness. Dunbar asked how diversity applies.

"You have to draw from every age in your ranks, their background - whether they're rural or from the city - and capitalize on their life experiences, the deployments they might have," replied Maj. Max Brosig, executive officer with the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation.

"The second [tenet] is change management," Dunbar said. "Our country's changing, there's no doubt about that. Cultural awareness is the third tenet. And then there's respect - everyone has something to offer.

"Things will continue to change and evolve in our country, and that's a good thing," Dunbar continued. "But I believe the foundation remains the same. So no matter who they are or where they come from, if we're not doing our job right, you'll see the breakdown in the National Guard - not because they're not capable, but because we don't lead them well. If we do our job as leaders, we'll always have a great National Guard."

First Lady Urges Hollywood to Tell Military Family Stories

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2011 – WASHINGTON, June 14, 2011 – The entertainment industry can help to shine the light on military families by incorporating their compelling stories into movies and television, First Lady Michelle Obama said yesterday during a panel discussion hosted by the entertainment guilds in Los Angeles.

Speaking to an audience of about 500 producers, writers, actors and directors, the first lady discussed her “Joining Forces” military-support campaign and how Hollywood can play a role in her quest to stir up national support for military families.

Writer-director J.J. Abrams, who moderated the panel, kicked off the discussion by asking Obama what sparked her passion for military family support.

The first lady traced it back to her time on the campaign trail with her husband. As she met in small groups with working women, she heard voices she hadn’t heard from before – military spouses. These women -- and men -- talked about juggling careers and deployments, raising kids and managing moves, and dealing with finances alongside post-deployment reconnections.

“These stories took my breath away,” she said, “because they were so unfamiliar to me. And I thought, ‘Well, if I don't know, and I’m educated and I consider myself aware, then where are we in this country? Why don't we know about these families? Why don't we know their struggles? Why aren’t we pushing for them?”

Obama said she vowed, if her husband got elected, to use her platform to give military families a voice, “because truly, these families are amazing.”

Military families also are strong, she noted, but because of this strength that’s so integral to military life, they often don’t complain or reach out for support.

“That’s one of the reasons we don’t know about them,” she said. “They count on each other, and they don't ask for help. Well, they shouldn’t have to ask for help.”

In a year’s time, the first lady said, she’d like see a nation where military families know their sacrifices are understood and appreciated, and that everyone, including the entertainment industry, can step up and help.

“It can be telling a story on the big screen, on the small screen, or it can be helping a neighbor mow their lawn,” she said. People can volunteer to babysit for an afternoon, cook a meal, offer to fix a heater, or reach out to a reserve family living away from the support of a military installation, she added.

“Small gestures can make a big difference,” the first lady said.

The entertainment industry can bring awareness to these families by showcasing their strength and sacrifice, Obama said.

“You have the vehicle to tell stories that just pull people in,” the first lady told the audience. “I … urge you to do what you do best. Be creative. Be funny. Be powerful. Move us, [and] move America to think differently about these issues and about these families, and about our men and women who serve so graciously.”

The task shouldn’t be too difficult for Hollywood storytellers, she noted, “because the stories are already compelling. The individuals are already pretty powerful.”

Obama thanked the industry for the work they’ve done already to spotlight military families. As an example, she talked about her next stop -- an upcoming appearance on “iCarly,” a Nickelodeon TV series about a teenager who hosts a popular Internet show. On the show, Carly’s dad is deployed. The first lady admitted some nerves about her TV appearance, but said she’ll push them aside to have the opportunity to spotlight military families on the small screen.

“This is an example of the way that we can integrate these story lines into shows,” she said, “and it’s important for kids to hear themselves in the shows that they love.”

Military families will need the nation’s support for the long haul, Obama noted, as the “real work happens when these men and women come home and they’re dealing with the ramifications of war.

“This is a forever battle,” she added. “We have men and women who are serving our country every day, and they’ll be dealing with the consequences of that dedicated service for the rest of their lives, and we have to be there for them and their children.”

To resounding applause, Obama said she and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will continue shining a light on military families “so that America understands that when our country goes to war, we have families who are serving right along with them.”

Movie Exhibition Industry Shows Gratitude to Military

American Forces Press Service

April 20, 2007 – Servicemembers and their families are being treated to free movies and refreshments, thanks to a member of the motion picture exhibition industry. National Amusements has teamed up with the United Service Organizations of Metropolitan New York to offer free movies, popcorn and small drinks to active-duty military personnel and their families through April 30.

Beginning May 1, all National Amusements movie theaters in the United States will continue to show their appreciation to military personnel by offering a discounted general admission rate of $7, with $5 rates for matinees and children.

The partnership with the movie theaters is the single largest donation the metropolitan New York USO has ever received, said Brian Whiting, USO executive director.

The ability for military and their loved ones to receive complimentary movie admission, popcorn and refreshments is an immeasurable contribution and will make a direct impact on the lives of our servicemen and women, he said.

"This program will serve thousands of our armed forces and their families who sacrifice so much for our country," Whiting said. "Allowing military members to get back in touch with family after a long stretch in combat is an experience that can't be matched."

"The USO excels at providing the programs and services that the military and their families need for recreation, entertainment and to build community and keep families connected in challenging situations," said Shari Redstone, president of National Amusements.

National Amusements wanted to continue that tradition, and what better way to offer enjoyment and relaxation, and to keep families together, than with the magic of movies, Redstone said.

"We are very excited to offer this program to our men and women in uniform, and their families," Redstone said, "as a small token of the appreciation and respect we feel for those who serve our country and put their lives at risk on a daily basis."

National Amusements theaters are located in the following states: California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. More information about specific locations can be found at www.nationalamusemements.com.

(Compiled from a National Amusements news release.)

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.