American Veteran

Teddy Roosevelt argued that “the tent where soldiers all sleep will rank among the great agents of democratization.” In the chaos of bootcamp it can take time for that kind of thinking to sink in, but recruits soon learn that finding community and understanding with fellow recruits is the only way to survive the rigors of basic training. And relying on fellow recruits can be the key to success.

Finding a new normal after military service can be challenging. In 2010, Marine Veteran Jake Wood pulled a team of veterans together to respond to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. There, they could put their unique skills as servicemen and women to good use, which ultimately helped with their re-integration back into civilian life. Team Rubicon, the organization he founded, now has 125,000 volunteers.

Soldiers are trained to kill the enemy, but in reality, the impact of this can be formidable. When Lieut. Col. (Ret.) Bruce Black made his first drone strike, he stepped outside the box and threw up. In basic training recruits are trained to fire on command at human cut-outs, but can a person really be prepared to take a life and, if so, how does one not have remorse? Veterans share their stories.

For some, adjusting to life after the military can be tough, especially for those who appreciated having someone tell them what to do every step of the day, every moment that they were awake. But for many, the military experience provides a tremendous amount of training and transferable skills, not to mention resilience, determination, and confidence.

While in the military, the bonds you create with other service members are powerful and unique. It’s a shared experience that you can only understand if you’ve been through it. Edie Meeks, who was a nurse in Vietnam, says, “Being a veteran is like speaking a different language.” Veterans in this video agree that talking about their service with non-military friends and family is not always easy.

In Basic training (boot camp), recruits follow orders without hesitation, or they won’t make it. To stand out, you’d better excel or you’re in for a lot of pain. It’s often easier to remain anonymous, though this can be challenging, because the day-to-day, and especially the drills, are often emotionally and physically extreme. Recruits are under a microscope and a drill instructor misses nothing.

In combat, a heightened level of fear and anxiety becomes the new normal. A Veteran remembers going out on patrols where every step could be a booby-trap or an ambush. A WWII vet describes flying through bursting shells as he bombed Berlin. Hear what it’s like to be in a fire-fight, drive through Iraq getting shot at, stage a rescue while battling 25-foot seas, or fly unmanned aircraft.

There’s a communication divide in this country, between people who serve in the military and those who do not. People without military experience can pick and choose, from the media or politicians, what they want to hear about war, and can leave behind the pieces that are difficult or too uncomfortable. But if civilians could think more critically about the war, wouldn’t it help bridge the gap?

American Veteran is a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture.