Will You Walk A Mile “In Their Boots”?
Subscribe to the Blog RSS FeedOr at least watch a fascinating series of online mini-documentaries--produced by a project called "In Their Boots"--that aim to help the broader public understand the impact of war on Americans serving in the military, and their families?
Building mutual ties, support, and empathy between the civilian and military service worlds is the main goal of ServiceNation's Mission Serve initiative. That's why we were so glad to come across the In Their Boots project. Here's how the website explains the project:
In Their Boots is a documentary series about the impact the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are having on people here at home. Every episode features a documentary about how America’s servicemen and women, their families, and our communities have been profoundly changed by our nation's campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shot on location throughout the country, these stories stress the courage of our participants, and the valor of the people and organizations that help our heroes on their journey.
Journalist and writer, Tina Malave, is this season’s host. After each story Ms. Malave will interview the participants featured in the documentary and lead a discussion that digs deeper into the issues affecting veterans, servicemembers and military families.
Telling these stories and sharing these interviews are only part of the mission of In Their Boots. This website is also a rich resource with links to scores of organizations that support veterans, servicemembers and their families. In addition, it’s a place for interested viewers to find volunteer opportunities in the veteran community. In Their Boots is funded by a generous grant from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF) of The California Community Foundation and is produced by Brave New Foundation. Season 2 of In Their Boots will be streamed on this website, and can be seen on Free Speech TV, Link TV, and more than 70 other public access television stations.
This is really ambitious and important work, and the project is already into its second season (Season 1 is here) with powerful episodes on topics that range from homelessness, to "My Mom Is A Soldier."
You can read all about the film-makers here, read about their project to help 5 Iraq and Afghanistan vets produce their own documentaries, and get involved. In Their Boots is also--naturally--on Facebook and Twitter.
It's a great project and we hope you will check it out. Here's a summary of what happened during Season 1:
