Broken Promise

Three Iraq war veterans fall through the cracks of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services, until they find an innovative program that transforms their lives.

Steve Edwards, Aster Aguinaldo, and Alex Penalver returned from Iraq with physical and emotional injuries. Steve’s spine was severely injured in an explosion. Aster is tormented by memories from the battlefield. Alex’s PTSD is so severe it led him to a downward spiral of alcoholism and arrest. Frustrated and disappointed with their treatment at the VA, they learn about an innovative treatment facility, founded by a Vietnam Vet dedicated to treating the new generation of injured soldiers.

Aster Aguinaldo

Alex Penalver

Steve Edwards

From War to Prison

Still suffering from the trauma of combat, an Iraq war veteran finds himself on trial in Florida for firing a gun on a busy street.

Nathan Keyes came back from combat in Iraq depressed and haunted by nightmares, and thoughts of suicide. Unbeknownst to anyone, he was suffering from PTSD and he turned to alcohol to self-medicate. Sadly before Nathan could get treatment, he found himself imprisoned and awaiting trial for discharging a firearm from a moving vehicle. Now Nathan must convince a Florida court to sentence him to treatment instead of prison.

Jamie Keyes

Nathan Keyes

Fractured Minds

Four soldiers navigate the difficult path to recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the “signature injury” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Claudia Carreon, Daniel Osborne, Mark DeJaico, and Bob Briggs guide us through their difficult journey to re-learn basic life skills like remembering their child’s name, speaking coherently during a job interview, and standing without falling. They provide a glimpse of the more than half-million soldiers and Marines that have suffered a TBI, the most common and complex injuries of the current war.

Claudia Carreon

Daniel Osborne

Mark DeJaico

Silent Partners

Our military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy forces three same-sex partners of deployed service members to make the same wartime sacrifices as other military spouses, while living their lives shrouded in secrecy.

Unlike other spouses, Ben Cartwright, “Sarah” and “D” cannot openly express their pride and patriotism for their partners’ service because knowledge of their partners’ orientation could lead to their discharge from military service.  Frustrated that they make the same wartime sacrifices as other military spouses, they denounce the policy that denies them basic benefits like counseling, access to support networks, and even notification if their partner is injured or killed.

"Sarah"

Ben Cartwright

"D"

Second Battle

The wives of two U.S. service members face removal and deportation from our country, despite their husbands’ brave service, and in one case death, in Iraq.

When U.S. Marine Michael Ferschke Jr. was killed in Iraq, his wife, Hota, was pregnant with their son Mikey. While Hota was allowed to visit Maryville, TN, bond with Michael’s parents, and introduce their son to his paternal grandparents, Hota cannot stay in the country. Jack Barrios, planned to legalize his wife’s immigration status when he returned from the battlefield in Iraq. But the couple discovered that a deportation order had already been issued for Francis, setting in motion an uphill legal battle that threatens to break up Jack, Francis and their two young children.

All over America, families are discovering a family member’s military service has no impact on our nation’s inflexible immigration laws, forcing countless service members who return from war to fight a second battle.

Frances and Jack Barrios

Mikey and Hota Ferschke

Robin Ferschke

Outside the Wire

Three women service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan to find they face a new battle – a battle to treat their wartime injuries.

Serene Hayden, Martha Ribeiro, and Carolyn Schapper didn’t expect to participate in combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all, women in the U.S. military are not allowed to see combat – at least officially. But when they arrive, they soon found themselves serving in more then just supporting roles. And like their male counterparts, they returned home with TBI, PTSD, and a myriad of other injuries. Unfortunately they encounter a harder time obtaining treatment for their injuries than male veterans. Now they are on missions, not only to help themselves, but also to help other women serving our country.

Martha Ribeiro

Serene Hayden

Carolyn Schapper

Clarksville

The community of Clarksville, Tennessee, and the Army Base at Fort Campbell are intricately intertwined due to their proximity.

This program follows members of this community to show how this relationship plays out. From the minister who helps heal the physically and spiritually wounded, to a young Army wife whose husband took his own life; from a single mother who is being deployed with only 48 hours notice, to the wife who waits for her husband to return safely to Fort Campbell – everyone is related by service and by war.

The Town of Clarksville

The People of Clarksville

Soldiers on the Street

Two Iraq war veterans struggle to integrate into civilian society and, like countless Vietnam veterans before them, find themselves homeless and on the street.

When Todd Newton and Luis Pinto returned from Iraq they were fortunate to find work using the skills they acquired during their military service. Todd found work as a truck driver and Luis got a job as a paramedic. But for these two veterans their civilian work triggered haunting reminders of their experiences in Iraq’s war zones. Soon both were homeless. We follow their journey from living on the streets to moving into homeless shelters run by fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who help them get back on their feet and try to prevent a new generation of veterans from following in the footsteps of the Vietnam era vets.

Todd Newton

Luis Pinto

My Mom's a Soldier

Eight children from three military families are forced to grow up for a year without their mothers, while their mothers are off serving in Iraq.

Three sets of military children all deal with their mothers’ deployment to Iraq. Now more then ever, mothers are being deployed, leaving their children in the care of their fathers, extended family members, and friends. The extent of the impact a deployment has on a child is largely unknown, especially when the child’s mother is deployed.

The Knowles Family

The Prochnow Sisters

Emma and Jeanette Tackett

Vet's For Hire

Three skilled veterans look for work after their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. But their search for employment is thwarted by a weak job market and employers who don’t value their skills or their service to our country.

Hector Torres, Tyrone Bettis, and Charlie Phillips returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan planning to apply their military training to jobs worthy of their skills. But they soon discover that jobs are scarce and their military service doesn’t impress prospective employers. Now these three men must start a new journey to learn job skills that will make them competitive in today’s scarce job market.

Hector Torres

Tyrone Bettis

Charlie Phillips