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(bugle playing)

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00:00:03,300 --> 00:00:08,300
♪ ♪

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00:00:08,333 --> 00:00:10,209
{\an1}ROY SCRANTON: When you're in the
military, you know who you are.

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00:00:10,233 --> 00:00:12,900
You wear it on your,
on your chest, right?

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00:00:12,933 --> 00:00:15,200
It's on your collar.

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00:00:15,233 --> 00:00:17,966
{\an1}You go into the civilian world
and suddenly

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{\an1}you don't know who you are.

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You don't know
where you're going.

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You have to decide,

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you have to build up
your own identity.

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(car horns honking)
♪ ♪

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{\an1}Getting out of the Army,

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I moved to New York
and it was difficult

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{\an1}to know how to tell people

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{\an1}I'd been a veteran, or when,
or why.

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{\an1}I was worried that they
would think I was traumatized,

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{\an1}or that they would get
weird about the politics,

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{\an1}or thank me for my service
in this intense way.

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It really felt like

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{\an1}I had to figure out a new way
to be in the world.

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{\an8}♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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J.R. MARTINEZ:
Being a veteran

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means you have
finished your military service.

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{\an1}You've put away your uniform.

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{\an1}You belong, once again,

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to civilian society.

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{\an1}But it's not always easy.

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MARTINEZ:
My name is J.R. Martinez

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and I'm a veteran of
the Iraq War.

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{\an1}My first month in country,

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{\an1}my Humvee hit a roadside bomb,
and I was lucky to survive.

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{\an1}Today, I'm a motivational
speaker,

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and an actor
who played a veteran on TV.

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(on television):
Frankie, we are lucky

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{\an1}that we made it home.

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{\an7}(voiceover): I even did a stint
on "Dancing with the Stars."

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{\an7}(cheers and applause)

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{\an1}It's been a long time since
I got back from the war,

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{\an1}and every day something
reminds me

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{\an1}that veterans and civilians
belong to two different worlds.

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You know civilians,

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we don't think about
our military.

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I've been a veteran
for 12 years,

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and in that time,
I've learned that

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after the ribbons have been cut,

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{\an1}and after the crowds go home,
that stuff goes away.

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Becoming a veteran
means coming to terms

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{\an1}with our military experience,

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with civilians,

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and with ourselves.

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♪ ♪

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{\an7}Being a veteran is like speaking
a different language.

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{\an1}I remember being in the little
hospital that I worked in.

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{\an1}I was in this patient's room,
and she said to me,

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{\an1}(gasps) "Edie, I heard you were
a nurse in Vietnam.

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What was it like?"

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And I stood there...

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and I turned around,
and I walked out.

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{\an1}There is no way you can explain,

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in three minutes,
what it was like.

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{\an1}So you don't say anything.

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♪ ♪

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DUERY FELTON, JR.:
What I found so strange is

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{\an1}those who went into the service
and those who did not,

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{\an1}we are two different realities.

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{\an7}I really don't associate
with them,

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{\an7}and they don't associate
with me.

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♪ ♪

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{\an1}MICHAEL JACKSON: I put
the Marine Corps behind me,

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{\an1}I put Vietnam behind me,
I'm working at a bank.

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{\an1}No one knows I'm a veteran.

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We went to lunch,
five or ten of us,

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and someone
came up with the idea,

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{\an1}"What did you do before
you worked at the bank?"

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And so they're
going around the table,

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{\an1}and I'm sort of in the middle,
I'm going,

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"Aw jeez, do I lie?"

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I know these people,
I like them, they like me.

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{\an7}So it gets my turn and I say,
"I was a lieutenant in Vietnam."

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{\an8}One sentence.

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{\an1}Before that, everyone
was laughing and joking

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{\an1}at what people were doing.

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Total silence,
no one said another word.

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And I realized that
even with a group of friends,

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{\an1}I can't say one sentence
about what I did for four years.

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I felt bad for them,

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that I put them
in a difficult place,

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{\an1}I made it uncomfortable
for them.

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{\an1}And, and we were friends
after that,

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{\an1}but it was never really
the same.

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{\an1}ANURADHA BHAGWATI: The people
who understand me the most

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are veterans.

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{\an1}Some of these veterans, I have
very little in common with,

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{\an7}these big, burly white dudes

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{\an8}who are packing
concealed weapons, you know?

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Like, this is,
these are my brothers.

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(laughs)

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Like, this is...
they don't look like me at all

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but, like,
there's such a tenderness.

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{\an1}There's no, "Oh, like,
you're a tiny brown woman" B.S.

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Like no, actually,
we kind of get one another.

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(laughs)

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{\an1}JEFF MELLINGER: There's things
that I don't know

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{\an1}that I could say to anybody
that wasn't there,

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{\an1}that doesn't have that
shared experience.

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{\an7}I've got some friends of 30,
40 years that, right now,

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I could call them
in the middle of the night

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and say, "Dude, how you doing?

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{\an1}"I'm just thinking about
something, you got a minute?"

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{\an1}They might yell at me tomorrow,

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but right now
they're going to listen.

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♪ ♪

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CLIFTON HICKS:
The Army was not for me,

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but there's a bond
that you can't get away from.

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{\an7}When we get around each other,

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{\an8}you know, you do,
you understand each other.

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{\an1}And, you know, you're able to
be comfortable around each other

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{\an1}in a way that is different

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than you would be
around other people.

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{\an1}I sort of liken it to, you know,

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{\an1}guys who were in prison
together.

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{\an1}It's a similar traumatic thing.

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(engine starting)

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{\an1}MARTINEZ: I was a frontline
infantryman in the U.S. Army.

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April 5, 2003,
was just another patrol

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{\an1}on the outskirts of Karbala.

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Until it wasn't.

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(explosion)

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{\an1}I suffered third-degree burns
all over my body.

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{\an1}Recovering meant surgery

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after surgery.

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Skin grafts
that left me with a face

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I didn't recognize
in the mirror.

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{\an1}It is impossible for me to hide
the fact that I am a veteran.

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{\an1}I feel like people put me
in a box

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{\an8}and label me.

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{\an7}It is inevitable that
they ask me about my injuries.

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KIRSTIE ENNIS:
Walking down the street,

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{\an1}you know, people see my leg
all the time,

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{\an1}and they'll assume, well,
you know,

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{\an1}"You must have been in the
military,

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{\an7}thank you for your service,"
and don't get me wrong, like,

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{\an8}I think "Thank you
for your service" is great,

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but I don't think
people understand

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{\an1}why they're thanking people.

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{\an1}NICK IRVING: When someone says
"Thank you for your service,"

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I feel appreciative,
but I feel that

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it only goes
bumper-sticker deep.

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{\an7}People would say it just because
it was the thing to do.

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{\an1}CJ SCARLET: I know some
veterans have difficulty

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with the "Thank you
for your service" comments.

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{\an7}I don't understand why.

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{\an8}I think it's a way
of honoring the military.

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{\an1}I think it's a way of showing
respect for the sacrifices

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{\an1}that military members
and veterans

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{\an1}have made for their country.

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KELLY WADSWORTH:
For me,

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{\an1}"Thank you for your service"
feels very socially awkward.

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{\an1}When you're thanking me,

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{\an1}you don't actually know
what you're thanking me for.

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{\an7}I participated in a war
where children died.

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{\an7}Are you thanking me for that?

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{\an1}I participated in a war that I,

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{\an1}that I have some moral questions
about.

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{\an1}Like, what is the part
that you're thanking me for,

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{\an1}because I'm not sure,
I'm not sure the good parts

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{\an1}can be parsed out from the
bad parts.

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{\an1}Like, they all come together
in a package.

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(shutter flash)

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{\an1}MARTINEZ: Back in 1864,
a minister named E.B. Hillard

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{\an1}set out to track down
the surviving soldiers

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{\an1}from the American Revolution.

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{\an1}He found only seven left.

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"History lives only
in the persons who created it,"

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Hillard remarked.

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{\an1}Men like Samuel Downing,

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Alexander Milliner,

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00:09:01,166 --> 00:09:03,133
{\an1}and 105-year-old Lemuel Cook,

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00:09:03,166 --> 00:09:06,866
{\an1}who had witnessed the
British surrender at Yorktown.

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00:09:06,900 --> 00:09:09,433
They were
finally hailed as heroes.

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{\an1}But for most of their lives,

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they had been
largely overlooked.

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{\an1}JENNY PACANOWSKI: I was
so sick of people asking me

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{\an1}if I was someone's girlfriend
or someone's wife,

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{\an1}and why did I care so much
about veterans' issues?

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I had one woman
walk into a room,

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{\an1}and she literally reached
across me

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{\an7}to thank the guy next to me
for his service,

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{\an7}not that I want to be
thanked for my service,

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{\an1}but don't, like, reach over me
and act like I'm not even there.

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{\an8}And I was just like,

194
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{\an7}"I should've got this tattoo
on my forehead."

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{\an7}MIRANDA SUMMERS LOWE: I think
society expects a veteran

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{\an1}to be my father's age,

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and to have, like,
a really cool trucker cap

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00:09:54,066 --> 00:09:56,233
{\an1}that has some patches on it.

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You know, maybe like
a VFW T-shirt.

200
00:09:59,933 --> 00:10:01,933
{\an1}It's probably the guy that,
you know,

201
00:10:01,966 --> 00:10:03,533
{\an1}runs the Fourth of July parade.

202
00:10:03,566 --> 00:10:07,433
{\an1}I think people who don't
look like they're veterans

203
00:10:07,466 --> 00:10:09,900
{\an1}have sort of a double
burden where

204
00:10:09,933 --> 00:10:12,733
{\an8}it can already be,
depending on your experiences,

205
00:10:12,766 --> 00:10:14,500
{\an7}a difficult thing to talk about.

206
00:10:14,533 --> 00:10:17,133
But then you're
also trying to prove it.

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00:10:17,166 --> 00:10:18,833
♪ ♪

208
00:10:18,866 --> 00:10:20,409
{\an1}ANGELA SALINAS: You know,
Veteran's Day comes around

209
00:10:20,433 --> 00:10:22,133
{\an1}and people look at me,

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00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:25,333
{\an7}and it doesn't scream "Marine,"
it doesn't scream "veteran,"

211
00:10:25,366 --> 00:10:26,642
{\an8}it doesn't scream,
"major general,"

212
00:10:26,666 --> 00:10:28,766
{\an8}it doesn't scream
"first Latina to make general."

213
00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:30,166
{\an1}It doesn't scream anything.

214
00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:31,542
{\an1}You know, it just screams
little old lady

215
00:10:31,566 --> 00:10:34,733
trying to get her,
her free donut at Krispy Kreme.

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00:10:34,766 --> 00:10:36,866
♪ ♪

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00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:38,676
{\an1}Shortly after I'd gotten back
from my deployment,

218
00:10:38,700 --> 00:10:40,333
{\an1}my husband and I were
out to dinner

219
00:10:40,366 --> 00:10:42,933
{\an1}with a couple of friends.

220
00:10:42,966 --> 00:10:43,976
{\an7}One friend turned to the
other friend and said like,

221
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,109
{\an7}"Hey, did you know that,
you know,

222
00:10:45,133 --> 00:10:46,442
{\an7}"Annie just got back from
this deployment?

223
00:10:46,466 --> 00:10:48,166
{\an7}"She was going out with
the teams

224
00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:51,033
{\an7}and doing the, the direct
action missions." (chuckles)

225
00:10:51,066 --> 00:10:53,833
{\an8}And the other friend
sort of gestures towards me,

226
00:10:53,866 --> 00:10:56,833
{\an1}but looks at, you know, the
first friend and kind of goes,

227
00:10:56,866 --> 00:10:58,300
"She did that?"

228
00:10:58,333 --> 00:11:00,733
And I was,
I wasn't really offended,

229
00:11:00,766 --> 00:11:01,900
I was more amused,

230
00:11:01,933 --> 00:11:04,366
but I was like,
"She's sitting right here,

231
00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,133
{\an1}and she can hear you,
and yes, she did that."

232
00:11:07,166 --> 00:11:10,866
Like, not everybody
has the crew cut

233
00:11:10,900 --> 00:11:13,733
{\an1}and the clean-shaven,
sort of stereotypical look.

234
00:11:17,233 --> 00:11:19,833
{\an1}MANSOOR SHAMS: I'm a Muslim and
I'm a U.S. Marine veteran.

235
00:11:19,866 --> 00:11:21,666
{\an1}Even though Muslims make up
less than 1%

236
00:11:21,700 --> 00:11:23,266
{\an1}of the U.S. population,

237
00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:24,709
they are one of
the most despised groups

238
00:11:24,733 --> 00:11:25,809
{\an1}in the United States of America.

239
00:11:25,833 --> 00:11:28,100
MAN:
Mohammed lied to you.

240
00:11:28,133 --> 00:11:29,466
{\an1}You will burn in hell!

241
00:11:29,500 --> 00:11:32,933
SHAMS:
To see fellow Americans

242
00:11:32,966 --> 00:11:33,966
talking of my faith,

243
00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,176
talking of people
who look like me,

244
00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,333
{\an7}or who practice my faith
in the way they do,

245
00:11:37,366 --> 00:11:41,666
{\an7}it's really... it's, it's sad,
it's, it's depressing.

246
00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:45,033
{\an7}SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: A Maryland man,
Mansoor Shams, is on a mission.

247
00:11:45,066 --> 00:11:46,333
{\an7}He's traveling the country,

248
00:11:46,366 --> 00:11:49,000
{\an7}standing on street corners
with a sign that says,

249
00:11:49,033 --> 00:11:52,800
{\an7}"I'm a Muslim, and a U.S.
Marine, ask me anything."

250
00:11:52,833 --> 00:11:54,276
{\an8}SHAMS: As of today,
I've taken this sign

251
00:11:54,300 --> 00:11:56,500
{\an1}to half the United States,
25 states.

252
00:11:56,533 --> 00:11:58,866
Where I've been able
to engage conversations

253
00:11:58,900 --> 00:12:00,166
{\an1}with so many different people.

254
00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,066
♪ ♪

255
00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:04,000
{\an1}I was in Houston, Texas,

256
00:12:04,033 --> 00:12:06,033
{\an1}and there was a man that
approached.

257
00:12:06,066 --> 00:12:09,533
{\an1}He gives me this really, really,
really evil look.

258
00:12:09,566 --> 00:12:11,142
{\an1}He says a bunch of things,
but then he calms down.

259
00:12:11,166 --> 00:12:13,409
{\an1}He says "You know, I just read
the first part of the sign,

260
00:12:13,433 --> 00:12:14,633
{\an1}I didn't see the second part."

261
00:12:14,666 --> 00:12:16,266
Pretty much saying
he read the "Muslim"

262
00:12:16,300 --> 00:12:18,166
{\an1}but not the "Marine" part.

263
00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:19,700
And I'm like, "Wow!"
(laughs)

264
00:12:19,733 --> 00:12:21,933
But at least he's
honest about it, right?

265
00:12:21,966 --> 00:12:24,200
{\an1}And I said, "Hey man,
you don't even know who I am,

266
00:12:24,233 --> 00:12:26,100
{\an1}"and what if I wasn't
in the Marines?

267
00:12:26,133 --> 00:12:27,433
What if I was
just a Muslim?"

268
00:12:27,466 --> 00:12:29,033
{\an1}And he just looks down

269
00:12:29,066 --> 00:12:33,033
{\an1}and I can tell he just feels,
he just feels bad.

270
00:12:33,066 --> 00:12:35,066
{\an1}He says, "I'm so sorry, man,
you're, you're right."

271
00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:38,266
{\an7}But the reality is he knows now

272
00:12:38,300 --> 00:12:41,266
{\an8}that Marines
come in various forms,

273
00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:42,766
{\an8}and that can also be

274
00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,666
{\an1}a Muslim guy who looks
like this.

275
00:12:47,633 --> 00:12:50,400
(parade fanfare)

276
00:12:50,433 --> 00:12:51,509
MARTINEZ:
For much of our history,

277
00:12:51,533 --> 00:12:54,733
{\an1}America has celebrated
its military,

278
00:12:54,766 --> 00:12:58,466
{\an1}but there has also been
a complicated relationship

279
00:12:58,500 --> 00:13:00,633
with veterans.

280
00:13:00,666 --> 00:13:02,133
{\an1}It's one thing to thank us,

281
00:13:02,166 --> 00:13:03,733
it's another to try

282
00:13:03,766 --> 00:13:07,700
{\an1}and understand what we've
been through.

283
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,300
{\an1}JACKSON: The only person
who really knew...

284
00:13:15,433 --> 00:13:17,866
{\an1}a little bit was my wife.

285
00:13:17,900 --> 00:13:22,500
I met her in Chicago
when I worked at the bank,

286
00:13:22,533 --> 00:13:24,033
and we're starting

287
00:13:24,066 --> 00:13:28,933
{\an7}to talk to each other
and she says to me, um,

288
00:13:28,966 --> 00:13:32,333
"What did you do
before working at the bank?"

289
00:13:32,366 --> 00:13:34,533
I'm going,
"Here we go again."

290
00:13:34,566 --> 00:13:39,033
I said,
"Well, I was in Vietnam."

291
00:13:39,066 --> 00:13:42,333
{\an1}She said, "Dangerous place."

292
00:13:42,366 --> 00:13:44,733
Two words.

293
00:13:44,766 --> 00:13:46,600
{\an1}"When were you there?"

294
00:13:46,633 --> 00:13:48,966
"1967 to '68."

295
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,733
"Dangerous time.

296
00:13:51,766 --> 00:13:53,166
What did you do?"

297
00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:57,000
"I was a
Marine combat officer."

298
00:13:57,033 --> 00:14:00,333
"Dangerous duty."

299
00:14:00,366 --> 00:14:02,900
That's all she said.

300
00:14:08,233 --> 00:14:10,366
{\an1}I knew she understood.

301
00:14:12,566 --> 00:14:17,166
And she said to me,
"Michael, you did your duty."

302
00:14:21,233 --> 00:14:24,900
{\an7}And that's all veterans
wanted to hear,

303
00:14:24,933 --> 00:14:27,900
{\an7}some acknowledgement.

304
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:33,233
♪ ♪

305
00:14:33,266 --> 00:14:36,500
FELTON:
I got drafted in 1966.

306
00:14:36,533 --> 00:14:39,000
{\an1}I didn't wanna be drafted,
but you have to understand

307
00:14:39,033 --> 00:14:42,633
{\an1}it was a different mindset,
it was still in that,

308
00:14:42,666 --> 00:14:45,466
{\an1}"You owe an obligation
to your country."

309
00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:48,266
♪ ♪

310
00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:51,533
{\an1}In Vietnam, I'm injured
by a 52-ton tank.

311
00:14:51,566 --> 00:14:54,600
{\an7}I should not be alive
and I know it.

312
00:14:54,633 --> 00:14:56,800
♪ ♪

313
00:14:56,833 --> 00:15:01,033
{\an1}I came home, personally
I just wanted to be respected,

314
00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:04,033
{\an1}but it was just a hostile time.

315
00:15:04,066 --> 00:15:09,000
{\an1}Like other Vietnam veterans,
I had to wait.

316
00:15:09,033 --> 00:15:12,300
{\an1}There were repeated comments of
"long overdue, long overdue"

317
00:15:12,333 --> 00:15:13,900
{\an1}as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

318
00:15:13,933 --> 00:15:16,366
was dedicated
in Washington today.

319
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,400
FELTON:
There was this pent-up need,

320
00:15:20,433 --> 00:15:22,900
{\an1}and I feel that with the
dedication of the wall in '82,

321
00:15:22,933 --> 00:15:24,233
{\an1}it allowed people to release

322
00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:28,233
{\an8}what has been,
had been built up in them

323
00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:30,866
{\an7}for years, years and years.

324
00:15:30,900 --> 00:15:34,066
{\an1}(cheering, crying, applause)

325
00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,900
FELTON: People were
leaving objects at that wall

326
00:15:40,933 --> 00:15:43,200
{\an7}before the formal dedication,

327
00:15:43,233 --> 00:15:45,433
{\an8}and objects
are still being left today.

328
00:15:47,133 --> 00:15:49,900
{\an7}They became part of the story.

329
00:15:49,933 --> 00:15:52,466
{\an1}REPORTER: In a ritual repeated
at least twice a day,

330
00:15:52,500 --> 00:15:54,700
{\an1}the park ranger on duty
collects,

331
00:15:54,733 --> 00:15:58,133
{\an1}bags, and labels the items
that transcend

332
00:15:58,166 --> 00:16:01,000
{\an1}the usual flowers and flags.

333
00:16:01,033 --> 00:16:03,400
FELTON: They were
collecting these objects

334
00:16:03,433 --> 00:16:06,133
{\an1}and they were being housed at
this facility

335
00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:08,133
out in Maryland.

336
00:16:08,166 --> 00:16:09,133
They don't even know
what they have,

337
00:16:09,166 --> 00:16:11,866
{\an1}because none of them are
military.

338
00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:13,133
At the time,

339
00:16:13,166 --> 00:16:15,900
{\an1}I was on the board of
Vietnam Veterans of America.

340
00:16:15,933 --> 00:16:17,733
♪ ♪

341
00:16:17,766 --> 00:16:19,300
I pulled other
veterans together,

342
00:16:19,333 --> 00:16:20,633
{\an1}and we would come out there,

343
00:16:20,666 --> 00:16:23,500
{\an1}and we would identify
these objects

344
00:16:23,533 --> 00:16:24,900
{\an1}and put them in boxes.

345
00:16:24,933 --> 00:16:26,700
{\an1}And little by little,

346
00:16:26,733 --> 00:16:28,333
{\an1}they just let me have free rein.

347
00:16:28,366 --> 00:16:31,700
{\an1}This is a beaver felt hat
that was left at the memorial.

348
00:16:31,733 --> 00:16:34,833
{\an1}They were very popular
with the, quote, "hippies."

349
00:16:34,866 --> 00:16:36,209
(interview):
I wanted to be sure that

350
00:16:36,233 --> 00:16:38,600
{\an1}everyone who was affected
by that war

351
00:16:38,633 --> 00:16:41,400
were reflected
in this collection.

352
00:16:41,433 --> 00:16:49,433
♪ ♪

353
00:16:50,366 --> 00:16:53,233
{\an1}I look at this as being

354
00:16:53,266 --> 00:16:56,233
{\an1}curated by the public.

355
00:16:56,266 --> 00:16:58,600
{\an1}They are deciding what is

356
00:16:58,633 --> 00:17:02,133
important to them,
they're leaving this.

357
00:17:02,166 --> 00:17:06,166
♪ ♪

358
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,066
I hope that
I've done them honor.

359
00:17:08,100 --> 00:17:14,800
♪ ♪

360
00:17:16,333 --> 00:17:19,766
{\an1}MARTINEZ: When I first got
out of the Army, I felt lost.

361
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,466
{\an1}I didn't have my looks
or my uniform anymore,

362
00:17:23,500 --> 00:17:25,233
{\an1}so what did I have left?

363
00:17:25,266 --> 00:17:29,933
{\an1}I'd been in the hospital longer
than I'd been on active duty.

364
00:17:29,966 --> 00:17:34,033
Now, I found myself
questioning my experience.

365
00:17:35,466 --> 00:17:36,666
KLEIMAN:
For a long time,

366
00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:39,066
{\an1}I had this weird cognitive
dissonance in my head

367
00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:40,533
where I was like,

368
00:17:40,566 --> 00:17:42,666
"Can I really call
myself a combat veteran

369
00:17:42,700 --> 00:17:44,733
"or can I say that
I was in ground combat,

370
00:17:44,766 --> 00:17:47,600
"if the Rangers
that I served with

371
00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:48,600
{\an1}were in the room with me?"

372
00:17:48,633 --> 00:17:50,433
Like, if I said I was in combat,

373
00:17:50,466 --> 00:17:52,333
{\an1}would those Rangers say, like,

374
00:17:52,366 --> 00:17:53,842
"You were in the
back of the strike force,"

375
00:17:53,866 --> 00:17:57,966
{\an1}or, you know, "You didn't
fire back during a mission."

376
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:02,666
{\an1}There's always, like,
something that is more combat.

377
00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:06,500
Sometimes you think,
"Did I give enough?"

378
00:18:06,533 --> 00:18:09,933
{\an7}I was never even wounded...
(chuckles) you know?

379
00:18:09,966 --> 00:18:14,466
{\an1}Should I deploy until
I at least take some shrapnel?

380
00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:16,076
That's what
a lot of people think about...

381
00:18:16,100 --> 00:18:19,266
"Did I actually
sacrifice enough?"

382
00:18:20,966 --> 00:18:23,233
{\an1}SHAMS: You start thinking like,
"You know,

383
00:18:23,266 --> 00:18:26,133
{\an1}I didn't go to war, so,
am I still worthy or whatever?"

384
00:18:26,166 --> 00:18:28,566
{\an1}You know, you start having
these internal conversations

385
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:30,200
with yourself.

386
00:18:30,233 --> 00:18:31,833
But I served
my country with honor,

387
00:18:31,866 --> 00:18:34,700
{\an1}and I'm a U.S. Marine veteran,
and that's it.

388
00:18:34,733 --> 00:18:37,566
♪ ♪

389
00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,600
{\an1}(train whistle blares)

390
00:18:40,633 --> 00:18:41,966
MARTINEZ:
Becoming a veteran means

391
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,000
adjusting to
a whole new identity.

392
00:18:45,033 --> 00:18:47,933
Knowing that
your country stands behind you

393
00:18:47,966 --> 00:18:50,433
{\an1}can make that transition easier.

394
00:18:50,466 --> 00:18:54,000
{\an1}But we haven't always had
that support.

395
00:18:54,033 --> 00:18:57,833
♪ ♪

396
00:18:57,866 --> 00:18:59,566
{\an1}During the Great Depression,

397
00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,700
tens of thousands of
destitute World War I veterans

398
00:19:02,733 --> 00:19:04,133
{\an1}marched on Washington,

399
00:19:04,166 --> 00:19:07,533
{\an1}demanding the immediate payment
of wartime bonuses

400
00:19:07,566 --> 00:19:11,900
they'd been promised
after the war began in 1917.

401
00:19:11,933 --> 00:19:14,266
{\an1}MAN: Makes me so damn mad,
a whole lot of people

402
00:19:14,300 --> 00:19:16,966
{\an1}speak of you as tramps!

403
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:21,300
{\an1}By God they didn't speak of you
as tramps in 1917 and '18, no!

404
00:19:21,333 --> 00:19:22,633
{\an1}(cheers and applause)

405
00:19:22,666 --> 00:19:24,133
MARTINEZ:
After a two-month standoff,

406
00:19:24,166 --> 00:19:27,000
{\an1}the government turned its
own troops

407
00:19:27,033 --> 00:19:30,200
against the veterans
and drove them from the Capitol.

408
00:19:30,233 --> 00:19:32,600
{\an1}In the end, the Bonus Army

409
00:19:32,633 --> 00:19:34,966
{\an1}finally got the payments
they deserved.

410
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,676
But they weren't
the last group of veterans

411
00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:38,933
{\an1}who went unappreciated.

412
00:19:38,966 --> 00:19:42,366
♪ ♪

413
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:44,966
{\an1}(plane engine drones)

414
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,566
NELL BRIGHT:
I served in World War II

415
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:50,266
{\an1}as a Women Airforce Service
Pilot.

416
00:19:50,300 --> 00:19:54,000
We were employed by
civil service,

417
00:19:54,033 --> 00:19:57,600
{\an7}because women had never
flown military airplanes,

418
00:19:57,633 --> 00:20:00,800
{\an7}so we were technically
an experiment,

419
00:20:00,833 --> 00:20:02,966
but we were just so glad to get

420
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,200
the opportunity
to serve our country.

421
00:20:07,233 --> 00:20:10,800
(engine starting)

422
00:20:10,833 --> 00:20:12,000
We did everything...

423
00:20:12,033 --> 00:20:15,533
Ferrying airplanes,
some of them flew VIPs,

424
00:20:15,566 --> 00:20:17,433
some of them flew
weather missions,

425
00:20:17,466 --> 00:20:19,433
{\an1}some of them flew bombardiers.

426
00:20:20,733 --> 00:20:25,333
We had 38 fatalities
during the war.

427
00:20:25,366 --> 00:20:27,766
{\an1}Any time this happened,

428
00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,500
{\an1}one of our girls would
escort the casket home.

429
00:20:31,533 --> 00:20:34,900
We were not allowed
to drape it with a flag.

430
00:20:34,933 --> 00:20:37,400
We were technically
not military.

431
00:20:42,500 --> 00:20:43,733
{\an1}As the war was winding down,

432
00:20:43,766 --> 00:20:46,200
and a lot of the men
were coming back from combat,

433
00:20:46,233 --> 00:20:48,009
we were told that
we were going to be disbanded.

434
00:20:48,033 --> 00:20:53,133
Congress decided
we were just superfluous.

435
00:20:53,166 --> 00:20:59,266
So we just went home
and moved on with our lives.

436
00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:01,800
{\an1}We all pretty much felt
like we had proved ourselves.

437
00:21:01,833 --> 00:21:05,200
So we didn't think it was fair,

438
00:21:05,233 --> 00:21:08,300
{\an1}but that's just the way it was.

439
00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:11,766
It was such an emotional thing,

440
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,666
{\an1}and so you just feel better off
just not talking about it.

441
00:21:17,133 --> 00:21:20,100
{\an1}As a matter of fact, my kids
didn't even know I flew

442
00:21:20,133 --> 00:21:21,500
{\an1}until they were teenagers.

443
00:21:21,533 --> 00:21:24,100
♪ ♪

444
00:21:24,133 --> 00:21:25,800
{\an1}But we were very proud

445
00:21:25,833 --> 00:21:29,433
{\an1}of what we'd done, and as
we were getting older,

446
00:21:29,466 --> 00:21:33,466
{\an1}we wanted to be recognized
as veterans.

447
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:35,333
{\an1}We had to really fight for it.

448
00:21:35,366 --> 00:21:38,933
{\an1}WOMAN: Today, we right a wrong,
and acknowledge our debt

449
00:21:38,966 --> 00:21:41,100
{\an1}to these great patriots.

450
00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:45,133
BRIGHT:
Finally, in 2010, Congress voted

451
00:21:45,166 --> 00:21:48,833
to give us the
Congressional Gold Medal.

452
00:21:48,866 --> 00:21:52,566
{\an1}(cheers and applause)

453
00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,000
I've gone through
a lot of things in my life,

454
00:21:55,033 --> 00:21:58,400
{\an1}having lived this long.

455
00:21:58,433 --> 00:22:02,766
And it was great to
finally get some recognition

456
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:03,900
for what we did.

457
00:22:03,933 --> 00:22:07,033
{\an1}It took a while, yeah.
(laughs)

458
00:22:07,066 --> 00:22:12,766
♪ ♪

459
00:22:16,666 --> 00:22:18,500
MARTINEZ:
I grew up in small towns

460
00:22:18,533 --> 00:22:22,133
{\an1}in Arkansas and Georgia,
speaking Spanish.

461
00:22:22,166 --> 00:22:24,733
{\an1}My mom was an immigrant from
El Salvador

462
00:22:24,766 --> 00:22:28,800
who sometimes worked
three jobs to keep us afloat.

463
00:22:28,833 --> 00:22:29,909
I thought a career in the Army

464
00:22:29,933 --> 00:22:33,833
would put those
hard times behind me.

465
00:22:33,866 --> 00:22:36,400
{\an1}After I got out, I realized
that my identity

466
00:22:36,433 --> 00:22:39,800
{\an1}as a veteran wasn't just where
and how I'd served,

467
00:22:39,833 --> 00:22:43,766
but who I'd been
before I joined.

468
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,133
{\an8}(music playing)

469
00:22:47,166 --> 00:22:50,566
{\an8}SALINAS: For years,
I wanted people to know me

470
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,933
{\an8}as a good Marine,
and I worked really hard

471
00:22:53,966 --> 00:22:55,966
{\an8}at not being
a good woman Marine,

472
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,666
{\an1}or a good Hispanic Marine.

473
00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:02,033
I just wanted to be
a really good Marine.

474
00:23:02,066 --> 00:23:03,866
{\an8}It wasn't until
many, many years later

475
00:23:03,900 --> 00:23:07,300
{\an8}that I really
recognized the power

476
00:23:07,333 --> 00:23:08,666
{\an7}of what I brought to the table,

477
00:23:08,700 --> 00:23:11,700
{\an1}because I was a Hispanic
and because I was a woman.

478
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,700
{\an1}I went to a wedding, it was
a second cousin on the left,

479
00:23:16,733 --> 00:23:19,133
you know, I mean,
we hardly knew anybody there,

480
00:23:19,166 --> 00:23:21,533
but it was a really
traditional Mexican wedding.

481
00:23:21,566 --> 00:23:22,900
You know, they get
the microphone,

482
00:23:22,933 --> 00:23:26,000
{\an1}and they were recognizing people
that had attended,

483
00:23:26,033 --> 00:23:27,733
and my sister said,

484
00:23:27,766 --> 00:23:29,042
{\an1}"You know they're looking
at you."

485
00:23:29,066 --> 00:23:32,000
And they said,
"Lieutenant Colonel Salinas."

486
00:23:32,033 --> 00:23:37,566
{\an1}And so I got up, and I'm looking
at all these incredible faces,

487
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,566
{\an1}and it was like my epiphany.

488
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:42,566
I realized

489
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,033
{\an1}that I represent everything

490
00:23:46,066 --> 00:23:48,600
that they invest
in this country.

491
00:23:48,633 --> 00:23:51,900
That I,
I represented our culture,

492
00:23:51,933 --> 00:23:54,966
{\an1}I represented our pride,
I represented our honor.

493
00:23:55,000 --> 00:24:01,566
That, to them,
was the American dream.

494
00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,900
{\an1}I mean, if I can give somebody
a little bit of inspiration

495
00:24:04,933 --> 00:24:08,633
{\an1}and be that face that some
next generation can look at,

496
00:24:08,666 --> 00:24:11,933
then I think
I made a difference.

497
00:24:11,966 --> 00:24:14,033
And so that
experience reconnected me

498
00:24:14,066 --> 00:24:18,700
{\an1}to the power of representation.

499
00:24:18,733 --> 00:24:22,433
♪ ♪

500
00:24:24,700 --> 00:24:26,766
{\an8}When people ask me
a question about, like,

501
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,400
{\an8}"What do you
most identify as?"

502
00:24:29,433 --> 00:24:31,866
{\an1}my most common answer is
"husband."

503
00:24:31,900 --> 00:24:35,700
{\an1}It's the most important
relationship in my life,

504
00:24:35,733 --> 00:24:38,066
my marriage,
you know, with my wife.

505
00:24:38,100 --> 00:24:40,366
{\an1}So husband is primary.

506
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,866
{\an1}And usually after that,
it's veteran.

507
00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:46,666
♪ ♪

508
00:24:46,700 --> 00:24:50,300
{\an1}I was 20 years old when
I enlisted in the Coast Guard.

509
00:24:50,333 --> 00:24:52,466
{\an1}I spent the first 39 years
of my life

510
00:24:52,500 --> 00:24:54,733
as a female.

511
00:24:54,766 --> 00:24:57,400
{\an1}When I went to go see
the recruiter, they asked me,

512
00:24:57,433 --> 00:25:00,666
{\an1}"Are you a homosexual?"
and I just stared at the guy.

513
00:25:00,700 --> 00:25:02,300
And he said,
"Do you have a girlfriend?"

514
00:25:02,333 --> 00:25:05,166
And I said "No,"
which was true at the time.

515
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,400
{\an1}So I signed on the dotted line,
I shipped out.

516
00:25:08,833 --> 00:25:11,366
I made my peace with
not being able to be out

517
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:14,000
{\an1}as a lesbian in the military,
and partly that's because

518
00:25:14,033 --> 00:25:17,500
{\an1}I was surrounded by closeted
gay men and lesbian women,

519
00:25:17,533 --> 00:25:20,166
{\an1}so I had a lot of friends.

520
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,500
{\an1}For me, I could differentiate
between who I was at work

521
00:25:23,533 --> 00:25:25,066
and who I was
in my personal life.

522
00:25:25,100 --> 00:25:28,166
The ability to compartmentalize

523
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,366
was part of
my military experience.

524
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,433
But now as a veteran
and trans or transgender man,

525
00:25:34,466 --> 00:25:37,700
{\an1}I could be more present.

526
00:25:39,833 --> 00:25:42,033
MARTINEZ: When I was
an infantryman in Iraq,

527
00:25:42,066 --> 00:25:43,800
{\an1}there were no women in my unit.

528
00:25:43,833 --> 00:25:48,533
Now, they can serve
on the front lines.

529
00:25:48,566 --> 00:25:53,166
{\an1}I've also seen gay men and women
earn the right to serve openly,

530
00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,533
{\an1}and transgender veterans
push for equality.

531
00:25:56,566 --> 00:25:58,166
{\an1}The military has to confront

532
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,400
{\an1}the same issues as the rest
of society,

533
00:26:01,433 --> 00:26:05,666
{\an1}but for some veterans,
reforms have come too late.

534
00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,160
{\an1}BRANDON D. ANDERSON: Do I want
to be seen as a veteran?

535
00:26:16,966 --> 00:26:19,133
That... the reason
I'm having a hard time

536
00:26:19,166 --> 00:26:20,966
{\an1}with that question is because,

537
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,866
I guess it's similar
to asking a question about,

538
00:26:24,900 --> 00:26:27,833
"Do you want to
be seen as a survivor?"

539
00:26:27,866 --> 00:26:31,666
{\an1}Right, I struggle to be
a veteran,

540
00:26:31,700 --> 00:26:35,066
the person who was
in an abusive relationship

541
00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:38,100
with a system
that did not see me

542
00:26:38,133 --> 00:26:39,633
{\an1}and did not value me.

543
00:26:41,500 --> 00:26:44,833
{\an1}Before I joined the Army,
I was 17 years old,

544
00:26:44,866 --> 00:26:47,666
living homeless
with my best friend.

545
00:26:47,700 --> 00:26:50,633
{\an1}And so the thing that I thought
I needed more of

546
00:26:50,666 --> 00:26:52,800
{\an1}was structure, discipline,

547
00:26:52,833 --> 00:26:56,666
and then having
a place to call home.

548
00:26:56,700 --> 00:27:02,900
{\an1}But I served from 2003 to 2008,

549
00:27:02,933 --> 00:27:06,333
and the policy
during that entire period was,

550
00:27:06,366 --> 00:27:08,400
{\an1}"Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

551
00:27:08,433 --> 00:27:10,733
By that time,

552
00:27:10,766 --> 00:27:14,033
I had fallen in love
with my best friend,

553
00:27:14,066 --> 00:27:17,300
{\an1}and so I had a double life.

554
00:27:17,333 --> 00:27:21,066
And it was in 2007
I got that phone call.

555
00:27:21,100 --> 00:27:23,666
{\an1}I talked to my sergeant.

556
00:27:23,700 --> 00:27:26,333
I said,
"My friend has been shot."

557
00:27:26,366 --> 00:27:30,466
{\an1}He said, "If this is just
a friend, like,

558
00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:33,800
{\an1}I'm sorry, but we can't give
you any time off."

559
00:27:33,833 --> 00:27:38,866
{\an1}And it was then that I told him

560
00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:41,300
{\an1}that this was my partner,

561
00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:43,666
{\an1}and that this was my fiancé.

562
00:27:43,700 --> 00:27:47,066
{\an1}And he went to go tell
the commander.

563
00:27:47,100 --> 00:27:49,533
{\an1}My commanding officer said,

564
00:27:49,566 --> 00:27:52,000
{\an1}"You should surrender
your weapon

565
00:27:52,033 --> 00:27:54,500
and expect
a dishonorable discharge."

566
00:27:54,533 --> 00:28:01,966
{\an1}I lost the single most important
person to me

567
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:07,633
to police violence
during a routine traffic stop.

568
00:28:09,466 --> 00:28:12,866
{\an1}I, I wake up every day
without him.

569
00:28:14,900 --> 00:28:22,900
{\an1}I will wake up every day for the
rest of my life without him.

570
00:28:23,166 --> 00:28:29,266
{\an1}What I am the most regretful of

571
00:28:29,300 --> 00:28:34,766
{\an1}is that I spent five years
of my life

572
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:39,966
{\an1}chasing discipline and structure

573
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:44,033
{\an1}from a system that didn't give
a damn about me.

574
00:28:44,066 --> 00:28:46,633
♪ ♪

575
00:28:46,666 --> 00:28:49,000
{\an1}There were some pretty
big reasons for me

576
00:28:49,033 --> 00:28:52,066
not to want
a dishonorable discharge.

577
00:28:52,100 --> 00:28:53,500
You don't get
any of the benefits

578
00:28:53,533 --> 00:28:56,900
{\an1}that had been promised to you...
College education,

579
00:28:56,933 --> 00:29:01,066
the G.I. Bill...
But the most important reason

580
00:29:01,100 --> 00:29:02,676
that you don't want
a dishonorable discharge

581
00:29:02,700 --> 00:29:05,166
{\an1}is because you were not
dishonorable

582
00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:06,300
{\an1}in serving your country,

583
00:29:06,333 --> 00:29:09,300
that being queer
and being honorable

584
00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:12,233
are two things
that can exist together.

585
00:29:12,266 --> 00:29:14,000
WOMAN:
Order!

586
00:29:14,033 --> 00:29:16,733
(simultaneously):
Reach up and grab it!

587
00:29:16,766 --> 00:29:21,400
{\an1}BHAGWATI: I am super proud
of being a Marine.

588
00:29:21,433 --> 00:29:22,873
{\an7}I loved the leadership
opportunities,

589
00:29:22,900 --> 00:29:25,633
{\an7}I loved the younger people
I worked with.

590
00:29:25,666 --> 00:29:28,400
{\an1}I had to assert myself in
terrifying situations

591
00:29:28,433 --> 00:29:31,633
{\an1}and so I found my voice
in the Marines.

592
00:29:31,666 --> 00:29:36,300
{\an1}But the real triumph for
me came from being a veteran.

593
00:29:36,333 --> 00:29:39,900
I was an officer at
the School of Infantry.

594
00:29:39,933 --> 00:29:41,866
{\an1}I spent a year and a half

595
00:29:41,900 --> 00:29:45,266
{\an1}training these Marines
in combat skills.

596
00:29:45,300 --> 00:29:47,366
{\an1}We had such a solid unit.

597
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,566
{\an1}And then I was assigned
a lieutenant

598
00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,400
who began harassing
the women in my unit.

599
00:29:52,433 --> 00:29:55,666
♪ ♪

600
00:29:55,700 --> 00:29:58,933
{\an1}I immediately take action,

601
00:29:58,966 --> 00:30:03,800
{\an1}which meant that I was going
to make enemies.

602
00:30:03,833 --> 00:30:05,966
♪ ♪

603
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:07,366
I was threatened.

604
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:10,933
{\an1}I had to get a restraining order
against the lieutenant.

605
00:30:10,966 --> 00:30:14,433
I was blamed for the
lieutenant's harassment.

606
00:30:14,466 --> 00:30:17,566
He was not punished
in the least.

607
00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,666
{\an1}He was promoted during
the investigation,

608
00:30:19,700 --> 00:30:21,666
he was given command
of my company.

609
00:30:21,700 --> 00:30:25,600
And he stayed in
for several more years.

610
00:30:26,933 --> 00:30:28,466
And so I left

611
00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:31,733
because of that,
because of ongoing harassment,

612
00:30:31,766 --> 00:30:36,833
{\an1}because I saw sexual assault
cases, um, swept under the rug,

613
00:30:36,866 --> 00:30:38,833
{\an1}and I didn't want to be
a part of that anymore.

614
00:30:38,866 --> 00:30:40,233
{\an1}It was, it was breaking me down.

615
00:30:40,266 --> 00:30:42,233
♪ ♪

616
00:30:42,266 --> 00:30:44,233
{\an1}When I was in graduate school,

617
00:30:44,266 --> 00:30:48,100
{\an1}I started meeting women
veterans, mostly women of color,

618
00:30:48,133 --> 00:30:50,433
{\an1}and they were willing
to talk about

619
00:30:50,466 --> 00:30:52,200
{\an1}harmful experiences they had
had.

620
00:30:52,233 --> 00:30:55,000
{\an1}And I realized, okay, like,

621
00:30:55,033 --> 00:30:58,733
{\an1}there's a lot that's broken with
the military, and as a veteran,

622
00:30:58,766 --> 00:31:01,800
{\an1}I have enough experiences
and expertise now

623
00:31:01,833 --> 00:31:03,366
{\an1}to actually do something
about it.

624
00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:06,566
{\an8}So, we formed
an organization called

625
00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,433
{\an7}Service Women's Action Network,

626
00:31:08,466 --> 00:31:10,133
{\an7}tackling the discrimination,
harassment,

627
00:31:10,166 --> 00:31:13,233
{\an7}and assault that women faced
in the military.

628
00:31:13,266 --> 00:31:14,666
{\an8}And within months,

629
00:31:14,700 --> 00:31:17,466
{\an7}we were invited to testify
before Congress.

630
00:31:17,500 --> 00:31:19,700
{\an8}(gavel banging)

631
00:31:19,733 --> 00:31:21,300
{\an8}MAN:
Miss Bhagwati...

632
00:31:21,333 --> 00:31:22,933
{\an8}BHAGWATI:
The impact of sexual violence,

633
00:31:22,966 --> 00:31:24,200
{\an7}on our military is profound,

634
00:31:24,233 --> 00:31:27,300
{\an7}and the pain and damage
to individual survivors is,

635
00:31:27,333 --> 00:31:28,833
{\an7}in many cases, irreparable.

636
00:31:28,866 --> 00:31:31,200
{\an8}Almost overnight,
the conversation changed.

637
00:31:31,233 --> 00:31:34,033
{\an7}A rare unanimous agreement on
Capitol Hill.

638
00:31:34,066 --> 00:31:35,142
{\an8}NEWS ANCHOR:
The Defense Department released

639
00:31:35,166 --> 00:31:36,200
{\an7}new and immediate steps

640
00:31:36,233 --> 00:31:38,600
{\an7}to prevent sexual assault
in the ranks.

641
00:31:38,633 --> 00:31:41,866
{\an7}Acting Defense Secretary Patrick
Shanahan announced a directive

642
00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:45,966
{\an7}that makes sexual harassment
a stand-alone military crime.

643
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,233
{\an8}BHAGWATI:
It was unbelievable,

644
00:31:48,266 --> 00:31:51,166
{\an7}and while sexual violence
is still a pervasive problem,

645
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,266
{\an1}people are more likely
to believe you if it happens.

646
00:31:53,300 --> 00:31:55,866
♪ ♪

647
00:31:55,900 --> 00:31:59,466
{\an1}I find comfort knowing
that even through hardship,

648
00:31:59,500 --> 00:32:01,566
{\an1}I was able to help other women.

649
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:06,033
{\an1}It was also very healing,
because the military itself

650
00:32:06,066 --> 00:32:08,400
{\an1}never provided that healing
for me,

651
00:32:08,433 --> 00:32:10,933
but organizing
with women veterans,

652
00:32:10,966 --> 00:32:14,333
{\an1}that, that was healing.

653
00:32:14,366 --> 00:32:16,000
♪ ♪

654
00:32:16,033 --> 00:32:19,200
(ship horn blares)

655
00:32:19,233 --> 00:32:23,300
{\an7}MARTINEZ: As veterans were
headed home from World War II,

656
00:32:23,333 --> 00:32:25,300
{\an7}the Army sent every one of them
a letter,

657
00:32:25,333 --> 00:32:28,266
{\an7}asking them to take on
a new responsibility.

658
00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:30,166
♪ ♪

659
00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:33,666
{\an1}"You are being discharged today,
it read.

660
00:32:33,700 --> 00:32:35,633
{\an1}"Your country is proud of you.

661
00:32:35,666 --> 00:32:39,333
{\an1}"and you have every right to be
proud of yourselves.

662
00:32:39,366 --> 00:32:40,776
{\an1}"The nation, which depended on
your courage

663
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:42,900
{\an1}"and stamina to protect
it from its enemies,

664
00:32:42,933 --> 00:32:45,266
"now expects you,
as individuals,

665
00:32:45,300 --> 00:32:48,066
{\an1}"to claim your right to
leadership.

666
00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:50,566
{\an1}"Start being a leader

667
00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:52,309
{\an1}"as soon as you put on your
civilian clothes.

668
00:32:52,333 --> 00:32:57,133
{\an1}"If you see intolerance and
hate, speak out against them.

669
00:32:57,166 --> 00:33:00,800
{\an1}Make your individual voices
heard, not for selfish things,

670
00:33:00,833 --> 00:33:06,533
"but for honor
and decency among men,

671
00:33:06,566 --> 00:33:07,900
{\an1}for the rights of all people."

672
00:33:07,933 --> 00:33:11,666
♪ ♪

673
00:33:11,700 --> 00:33:16,400
{\an1}Living up to that responsibility
hasn't been easy,

674
00:33:16,433 --> 00:33:19,100
{\an1}but it's something many of us
continue to strive for.

675
00:33:21,233 --> 00:33:25,066
{\an1}JO ANN HARDESTY: Service isn't
a title or a position,

676
00:33:25,100 --> 00:33:28,366
{\an1}service is just what you do
to be a part of community.

677
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:29,933
{\an1}I, Jo Ann Hardesty...

678
00:33:29,966 --> 00:33:33,566
{\an1}(voiceover): I was sworn in
January 2nd of 2019.

679
00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:36,433
For the first time
in Portland's history,

680
00:33:36,466 --> 00:33:39,433
{\an1}an African-American woman serves
on the Portland City Council.

681
00:33:39,466 --> 00:33:42,233
SECRETARY: Hardesty.
HARDESTY: Here.

682
00:33:42,266 --> 00:33:43,833
(cheering)

683
00:33:43,866 --> 00:33:45,800
{\an1}HARDESTY: But I didn't run
because I wanted to be

684
00:33:45,833 --> 00:33:48,366
{\an7}the first African-American woman
on the city council.

685
00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,000
{\an7}I ran because I was ticked off

686
00:33:50,033 --> 00:33:52,133
{\an1}that we did not have the
leadership I thought

687
00:33:52,166 --> 00:33:53,933
we deserved.

688
00:33:53,966 --> 00:33:57,600
{\an1}My time in the military
confirmed for me

689
00:33:57,633 --> 00:33:59,000
who I thought I was.

690
00:33:59,033 --> 00:34:01,933
{\an1}Someone who would stand up
for the little guy,

691
00:34:01,966 --> 00:34:03,500
someone who would be

692
00:34:03,533 --> 00:34:08,366
{\an1}very bold in my language
and my perspective.

693
00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:12,433
{\an1}And so it's about looking
at my community and saying,

694
00:34:12,466 --> 00:34:14,033
{\an1}"Can I make a difference here?"

695
00:34:16,466 --> 00:34:17,676
{\an8}TALK SHOW HOST:
Talk to us about your process,

696
00:34:17,700 --> 00:34:19,209
{\an7}how you've coped after
coming back from Iraq?

697
00:34:19,233 --> 00:34:21,233
{\an8}MARTINEZ:
I bought into this whole concept

698
00:34:21,266 --> 00:34:23,009
{\an7}of service, I love being able to
do something for somebody else.

699
00:34:23,033 --> 00:34:25,100
{\an7}When that was taken away
from me,

700
00:34:25,133 --> 00:34:27,666
{\an7}I felt, "Well, what service
can I actually do now?

701
00:34:27,700 --> 00:34:29,166
♪ ♪

702
00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:31,533
{\an1}(voiceover): I'll never forget
the day a nurse asked me

703
00:34:31,566 --> 00:34:34,600
{\an1}to talk to another burn victim
at the hospital.

704
00:34:34,633 --> 00:34:36,766
{\an1}It was the first time
during my recovery

705
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:39,100
{\an1}that I told the whole story.

706
00:34:39,133 --> 00:34:43,700
{\an1}Afterwards, I realized that
I might be able to help others

707
00:34:43,733 --> 00:34:46,000
by talking about
what I'd been through.

708
00:34:46,033 --> 00:34:49,666
{\an1}For many veterans, a new mission
can make all the difference.

709
00:34:55,266 --> 00:34:57,866
{\an1}SALINAS: After 39 years
in the Marine Corps,

710
00:34:57,900 --> 00:35:01,600
I had no intentions
of working again.

711
00:35:01,633 --> 00:35:05,133
{\an1}I just wanted to cut the grass,
I wanted to play some bad golf.

712
00:35:05,166 --> 00:35:07,933
{\an1}I wanted to just relax and enjoy

713
00:35:07,966 --> 00:35:10,066
{\an1}the seasoned years I had left
to give.

714
00:35:11,900 --> 00:35:14,333
{\an1}I was getting phone calls from
Fortune 50 companies

715
00:35:14,366 --> 00:35:16,200
{\an1}and just people saying,
you know,

716
00:35:16,233 --> 00:35:18,133
{\an1}"Hey, you know, there's a job."

717
00:35:18,166 --> 00:35:20,900
{\an7}The idea of working in
corporate America

718
00:35:20,933 --> 00:35:24,800
{\an7}and just where profit was going
to be the main, you know,

719
00:35:24,833 --> 00:35:26,800
{\an1}the main indicator of success,

720
00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:29,000
{\an1}I mean, that just wasn't
appealing to me.

721
00:35:29,033 --> 00:35:32,833
{\an1}And then one day I got
a phone call and they said,

722
00:35:32,866 --> 00:35:38,066
{\an1}"Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas
is looking for a new CEO."

723
00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:41,466
{\an1}I will tell you I didn't even
take a breath.

724
00:35:41,500 --> 00:35:44,133
I didn't blink,
I immediately said yes.

725
00:35:44,166 --> 00:35:47,366
♪ ♪

726
00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:49,666
{\an7}The mission of Girl Scouts,
which is to build girls

727
00:35:49,700 --> 00:35:52,233
{\an7}of courage, confidence,
and character,

728
00:35:52,266 --> 00:35:57,233
{\an7}that just seemed like the
perfect match for me.

729
00:35:57,266 --> 00:36:00,500
{\an1}I get very, very excited
for our future.

730
00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:04,333
{\an1}When I was young, I mean,
I was not focused on community,

731
00:36:04,366 --> 00:36:06,033
{\an1}I was not focused on the
environment.

732
00:36:06,066 --> 00:36:08,500
(chuckles)
I was not focused on anything

733
00:36:08,533 --> 00:36:11,100
{\an1}but probably just trying
to figure out

734
00:36:11,133 --> 00:36:12,600
{\an1}what I was going to do tomorrow.

735
00:36:12,633 --> 00:36:13,766
{\an1}And these young ladies,

736
00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:16,233
{\an1}because of their experiences
as Girl Scouts,

737
00:36:16,266 --> 00:36:17,733
{\an1}because they learn early on

738
00:36:17,766 --> 00:36:19,266
about their
civic responsibilities,

739
00:36:19,300 --> 00:36:22,933
{\an1}they're understanding
that we all have a voice,

740
00:36:22,966 --> 00:36:25,566
{\an1}and they have a responsibility
to do something with that voice.

741
00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,233
(applause)

742
00:36:29,266 --> 00:36:31,200
{\an1}For me, I think there is no
greater role

743
00:36:31,233 --> 00:36:33,100
{\an1}than to be able to give back,

744
00:36:33,133 --> 00:36:35,533
{\an1}and that's essentially
what the Marine Corps,

745
00:36:35,566 --> 00:36:36,806
{\an1}I think, really embedded in me.

746
00:36:36,833 --> 00:36:42,333
♪ ♪

747
00:36:44,866 --> 00:36:49,066
{\an1}ANDERSON: I spent two years
just being depressed,

748
00:36:49,100 --> 00:36:53,433
clinically depressed
from all of what had happened.

749
00:36:53,466 --> 00:36:57,100
{\an1}And, um, when I was done crying
and (bleep), I said,

750
00:36:57,133 --> 00:36:59,066
"Okay, where,
where am I going to go,

751
00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:00,609
{\an1}how am I going to spend
the rest of my life?"

752
00:37:00,633 --> 00:37:04,633
{\an1}For what reason did I have an
opportunity to continue my life

753
00:37:04,666 --> 00:37:06,566
{\an1}beyond the life of my partner,

754
00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:09,066
{\an1}and how would I get back
to that?

755
00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:12,000
♪ ♪

756
00:37:12,033 --> 00:37:19,700
{\an1}So in 2017, I founded Raheem,
which is named after my partner.

757
00:37:19,733 --> 00:37:23,233
{\an1}Raheem is an independent service
for reporting police conduct

758
00:37:23,266 --> 00:37:26,900
{\an1}in the United States,
and we use that data

759
00:37:26,933 --> 00:37:30,600
to influence policy
and influence practices,

760
00:37:30,633 --> 00:37:35,466
{\an1}uplifting the voices of people
who are often forgotten,

761
00:37:35,500 --> 00:37:37,066
who are thrown away.

762
00:37:38,966 --> 00:37:40,200
{\an1}I got an honest glimpse

763
00:37:40,233 --> 00:37:42,800
of the world through
my experience

764
00:37:42,833 --> 00:37:47,400
{\an1}with the military, even when
it was not the experience

765
00:37:47,433 --> 00:37:49,566
{\an1}that I would have preferred.

766
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:55,000
{\an1}It taught me much about myself,
taught me much

767
00:37:55,033 --> 00:38:00,200
about this country,
and it taught me that

768
00:38:00,233 --> 00:38:03,500
{\an1}we don't live in a world
by ourselves.

769
00:38:05,333 --> 00:38:07,300
WOOD:
After the military,

770
00:38:07,333 --> 00:38:11,000
{\an1}I didn't really find a calling
or a purpose.

771
00:38:11,033 --> 00:38:12,600
{\an7}Just trying to figure out

772
00:38:12,633 --> 00:38:14,109
{\an7}what that new normal was going
to be like,

773
00:38:14,133 --> 00:38:16,466
I mean, that's...
that was really hard,

774
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:18,000
{\an1}you know, to deal with.

775
00:38:18,033 --> 00:38:20,866
{\an1}(cars honking, people shouting)

776
00:38:24,233 --> 00:38:27,400
{\an1}And then the Haiti earthquake
happened.

777
00:38:27,433 --> 00:38:30,366
{\an1}You know, I felt compelled
to go.

778
00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:32,833
{\an1}I started just calling people
that I knew,

779
00:38:32,866 --> 00:38:34,900
{\an1}seeing if they would go
to Haiti with me.

780
00:38:34,933 --> 00:38:37,500
{\an1}And, uh, eventually we found
ourselves

781
00:38:37,533 --> 00:38:38,933
{\an1}down in Port-au-Prince.

782
00:38:38,966 --> 00:38:42,266
♪ ♪

783
00:38:42,300 --> 00:38:43,576
{\an1}Sitting in the back of
that pickup truck,

784
00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:46,800
{\an1}on top of gear, felt just like
rolling out

785
00:38:46,833 --> 00:38:48,866
of the wire of
a forward operating base

786
00:38:48,900 --> 00:38:50,400
{\an1}getting ready to go on
a mission.

787
00:38:50,433 --> 00:38:52,233
{\an1}This is generally how it's going
to work...

788
00:38:52,266 --> 00:38:53,376
{\an1}soon as they're done,
I'm going to go through

789
00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:55,400
{\an1}and I'm gonna number the beds.

790
00:38:56,333 --> 00:38:58,133
{\an1}So we kind of committed

791
00:38:58,166 --> 00:39:01,266
{\an1}on that first week or two
in Port-au-Prince

792
00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:04,400
that we would try
to actually build

793
00:39:04,433 --> 00:39:07,500
{\an1}an organization that would
harness the skills of veterans

794
00:39:07,533 --> 00:39:11,266
{\an1}to, you know, to, to help people
after disasters.

795
00:39:11,300 --> 00:39:13,300
♪ ♪

796
00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:15,200
{\an1}We draw on a lot of the elements

797
00:39:15,233 --> 00:39:17,700
that veterans miss
from the military.

798
00:39:17,733 --> 00:39:21,400
{\an1}Most of these folks, they join
when they're 18 years old.

799
00:39:21,433 --> 00:39:23,500
They have this pride

800
00:39:23,533 --> 00:39:25,966
{\an1}in who they are for maybe the
first time in their life,

801
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,533
{\an1}and they, they go to war
and they come home,

802
00:39:28,566 --> 00:39:30,766
{\an1}and they get a medal pinned
on their chest,

803
00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:32,966
{\an1}and people shake their hands
in the airport,

804
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:34,209
{\an1}and thank them for their
service,

805
00:39:34,233 --> 00:39:36,700
{\an1}and then at some point they
get out,

806
00:39:36,733 --> 00:39:37,866
{\an1}and all of that's gone.

807
00:39:37,900 --> 00:39:39,866
{\an1}And suddenly they look
in the mirror,

808
00:39:39,900 --> 00:39:41,876
{\an1}six months or six years after
they get out of the military,

809
00:39:41,900 --> 00:39:43,166
{\an1}all they can think about is,

810
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,900
{\an1}"You'll never be as awesome
as you used to be."

811
00:39:45,933 --> 00:39:47,666
♪ ♪

812
00:39:47,700 --> 00:39:49,600
{\an1}One of the things that
Team Rubicon tries to do

813
00:39:49,633 --> 00:39:52,300
{\an1}is re-inject that sense of self,

814
00:39:52,333 --> 00:39:55,866
literally give them
a new uniform,

815
00:39:55,900 --> 00:39:57,709
and a new mission,
that they look at and they say,

816
00:39:57,733 --> 00:40:00,033
"I can actually
look in the mirror every morning

817
00:40:00,066 --> 00:40:02,133
and I'm pretty proud
of what I'm doing."

818
00:40:03,966 --> 00:40:05,766
{\an1}We started with eight
volunteers,

819
00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,166
{\an1}we've got over 100,000 now.

820
00:40:10,066 --> 00:40:11,576
{\an1}I have a lot of people say,
"How can you possibly

821
00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:13,133
{\an1}"ask these veterans to give
any more

822
00:40:13,166 --> 00:40:15,366
{\an1}than they already have?"

823
00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,400
{\an1}And I... my reply is always,
"They need it."

824
00:40:17,433 --> 00:40:19,966
{\an1}"They need, they need to be
asked to give more,

825
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,366
that's what,
that's what makes them tick."

826
00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:25,166
{\an1}And when people stop asking
them to serve,

827
00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,300
{\an1}that's when they feel like
a discarded tool.

828
00:40:29,333 --> 00:40:32,266
{\an1}you know, but that tool still
has utility.

829
00:40:32,300 --> 00:40:35,366
♪ ♪

830
00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:39,000
{\an1}(hammering in distance)

831
00:40:39,033 --> 00:40:42,066
{\an1}(cheers and applause)

832
00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:43,909
{\an1}MARTINEZ: When I was starting
out as a speaker,

833
00:40:43,933 --> 00:40:45,433
I only got booked

834
00:40:45,466 --> 00:40:47,133
{\an1}for military audiences.

835
00:40:47,166 --> 00:40:49,233
{\an1}No one seemed to think
I had anything

836
00:40:49,266 --> 00:40:52,900
to share with people
who weren't in uniform.

837
00:40:52,933 --> 00:40:55,200
{\an1}That just wasn't true.

838
00:40:55,233 --> 00:40:57,033
These days,

839
00:40:57,066 --> 00:41:00,566
with the military
an all-volunteer force,

840
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:01,833
{\an1}there's not a lot of incentive

841
00:41:01,866 --> 00:41:04,766
{\an1}for either side to talk
to one another.

842
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:07,033
MAN:
Attention!

843
00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:09,609
{\an1}SUMMERS LOWE: It's a lot easier
for Americans

844
00:41:09,633 --> 00:41:11,500
{\an1}to forget that we're at war.

845
00:41:11,533 --> 00:41:14,433
{\an7}It doesn't necessarily affect
their family the same way.

846
00:41:14,466 --> 00:41:17,766
{\an1}I think not worrying that

847
00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:21,366
{\an1}your son is going to get drafted
makes a huge difference in that.

848
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:22,733
(indistinct chatter)

849
00:41:22,766 --> 00:41:25,266
{\an1}MAN: You got a good ride coming
up here.

850
00:41:25,300 --> 00:41:27,666
MELLINGER:
If this was 1968,

851
00:41:27,700 --> 00:41:30,900
{\an1}we would have been out
of Afghanistan ten years ago.

852
00:41:30,933 --> 00:41:33,366
{\an1}Why? Well, most of America

853
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:37,000
{\an1}is not invested in the military.

854
00:41:37,033 --> 00:41:40,933
{\an1}There's nobody on the street
burning the ROTC buildings

855
00:41:40,966 --> 00:41:43,000
{\an1}and rioting and so forth.

856
00:41:43,033 --> 00:41:45,566
{\an1}But I don't think it's because

857
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:47,800
{\an8}people don't care,
it's just not on their radar.

858
00:41:47,833 --> 00:41:50,333
{\an1}(cheers and applause)

859
00:41:50,366 --> 00:41:53,433
On one hand
we are lucky to have a country

860
00:41:53,466 --> 00:41:57,333
{\an1}with voluntary service,
an all-volunteer force.

861
00:41:57,366 --> 00:41:59,733
I mean, that's...
we're fortunate in that regard,

862
00:41:59,766 --> 00:42:02,133
but there are all
these unintended consequences.

863
00:42:02,166 --> 00:42:03,609
{\an1}You know, one of the things that
we're seeing

864
00:42:03,633 --> 00:42:05,476
{\an1}is that military service
is becoming a family tradition.

865
00:42:05,500 --> 00:42:08,900
{\an1}You know, we're almost forming
a warrior caste.

866
00:42:08,933 --> 00:42:12,333
And so this divide,
instead of getting closer,

867
00:42:12,366 --> 00:42:14,033
you know,
instead of being bridged,

868
00:42:14,066 --> 00:42:16,000
{\an1}I fear, is kind of widening.

869
00:42:16,033 --> 00:42:21,433
{\an1}(cheers and applause)

870
00:42:21,466 --> 00:42:23,400
MARTINEZ:
I recently figured out

871
00:42:23,433 --> 00:42:27,600
{\an1}that I've told my story
more than 10,000 times.

872
00:42:27,633 --> 00:42:32,666
I was 19 years old,
I was in another country,

873
00:42:32,700 --> 00:42:35,100
{\an1}it was hot, it was sandy.

874
00:42:35,133 --> 00:42:36,233
I was tired...

875
00:42:36,266 --> 00:42:37,476
(voiceover):
I've spoken to audiences

876
00:42:37,500 --> 00:42:41,666
{\an1}all over the country,
veterans and civilians,

877
00:42:41,700 --> 00:42:46,100
{\an1}and the two groups are still
miles apart.

878
00:42:46,133 --> 00:42:48,500
{\an8}What I've learned

879
00:42:48,533 --> 00:42:51,266
{\an7}is that veterans need
to share our experiences,

880
00:42:51,300 --> 00:42:54,000
{\an8}to help the rest
of the country understand

881
00:42:54,033 --> 00:42:56,533
{\an7}what we've done in their name.

882
00:43:00,300 --> 00:43:03,233
{\an1}ROWLAND: My father was
a World War II vet.

883
00:43:03,266 --> 00:43:06,666
{\an1}He had been part of the war
to stop fascism.

884
00:43:06,700 --> 00:43:09,000
{\an1}My father was really proud
of the military,

885
00:43:09,033 --> 00:43:11,133
{\an1}he was really proud of America.

886
00:43:11,166 --> 00:43:14,266
{\an1}I kind of grew up in that
sort of environment.

887
00:43:14,300 --> 00:43:17,633
♪ ♪

888
00:43:17,666 --> 00:43:19,500
{\an1}There was a war going on,
the Vietnam War,

889
00:43:19,533 --> 00:43:22,333
{\an1}and I, I really hadn't
challenged the war at all.

890
00:43:22,366 --> 00:43:25,466
{\an1}It only made sense to go talk
to the recruiter,

891
00:43:25,500 --> 00:43:28,333
{\an1}so... and that ended me up
in the Army.

892
00:43:30,166 --> 00:43:34,233
{\an1}I was serving at Madigan General
Hospital in Washington state,

893
00:43:34,266 --> 00:43:37,266
{\an1}on a unit that was full of

894
00:43:37,300 --> 00:43:40,400
{\an8}guys that had caught
a fragment in their spine,

895
00:43:40,433 --> 00:43:42,366
{\an8}and were paralyzed
from some point down.

896
00:43:43,966 --> 00:43:48,900
{\an1}But the thing that really,
really stopped my show,

897
00:43:48,933 --> 00:43:50,442
{\an1}was not a single one of those
guys thought

898
00:43:50,466 --> 00:43:52,633
{\an1}that they had made their
sacrifice for a good cause.

899
00:43:52,666 --> 00:43:56,033
{\an1}That was a wake-up call for me.

900
00:43:56,066 --> 00:43:58,300
{\an1}As soon as I got out,

901
00:43:58,333 --> 00:44:00,800
{\an1}I went right into the movement

902
00:44:00,833 --> 00:44:02,533
to organize G.I.s
against the war.

903
00:44:02,566 --> 00:44:05,066
{\an1}PROTESTOR (chanting):
Hell no, we won't go!

904
00:44:05,100 --> 00:44:07,400
ROWLAND:
I realize that veterans

905
00:44:07,433 --> 00:44:10,700
{\an1}have an obligation to tell
their stories.

906
00:44:10,733 --> 00:44:13,666
{\an1}G.I.s and veterans oftentimes
are the ones who can tell

907
00:44:13,700 --> 00:44:15,766
{\an1}whether a war is good or not,

908
00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:17,633
who can tell whether
or not things are going

909
00:44:17,666 --> 00:44:19,166
{\an1}the way they're supposed to go.

910
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:21,300
{\an1}Who is going to know better
than the soldier

911
00:44:21,333 --> 00:44:22,800
{\an1}whether that's true or not?

912
00:44:22,833 --> 00:44:26,033
{\an1}The truth doesn't make you free,
it compels you to action.

913
00:44:26,066 --> 00:44:31,400
♪ ♪

914
00:44:31,433 --> 00:44:33,700
{\an1}We are often just told what
is happening

915
00:44:33,733 --> 00:44:37,500
from people we trust
who we elect into office,

916
00:44:37,533 --> 00:44:40,166
{\an1}and it's difficult to understand
what that is,

917
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:44,066
{\an1}unless you are a part of the
half-percent of people

918
00:44:44,100 --> 00:44:46,766
{\an1}in this country who serve
in the military.

919
00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:49,700
{\an1}And so if you don't have those
half-percent

920
00:44:49,733 --> 00:44:51,633
{\an1}of people having conversations

921
00:44:51,666 --> 00:44:56,166
with the rest of the
99.5 percent who do not serve,

922
00:44:56,200 --> 00:44:57,966
{\an1}then there's no way they can

923
00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:01,566
{\an1}actually be well informed about
how we're spending our time,

924
00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:03,366
{\an1}and how we're operating
as a country,

925
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:05,866
{\an1}and on what principles
we're operating on.

926
00:45:05,900 --> 00:45:07,933
{\an1}(dog barking distantly)

927
00:45:07,966 --> 00:45:10,500
{\an1}SCRANTON: When I talk
to civilians about war,

928
00:45:10,533 --> 00:45:14,700
{\an1}I hope to help them think a
little bit more critically about

929
00:45:14,733 --> 00:45:18,333
{\an1}the stories they've been told,
about what war is and means.

930
00:45:18,366 --> 00:45:21,033
{\an7}Especially in the U.S.,

931
00:45:21,066 --> 00:45:26,066
{\an7}we tend to tell stories
that leave out most of the war.

932
00:45:26,100 --> 00:45:29,733
{\an1}We tell stories about Iraq,
about American soldiers,

933
00:45:29,766 --> 00:45:31,633
{\an1}we don't talk about the Iraqis.

934
00:45:31,666 --> 00:45:33,833
{\an1}We tell stories about
Afghanistan,

935
00:45:33,866 --> 00:45:37,400
{\an1}about American soldiers, we
don't talk about the Afghanis.

936
00:45:37,433 --> 00:45:40,233
{\an1}PHIL KLAY: It's not just
veterans who have

937
00:45:40,266 --> 00:45:44,800
{\an7}the right and obligation
to speak about military policy.

938
00:45:44,833 --> 00:45:46,509
{\an1}It's not just that we need
to listen to veterans.

939
00:45:46,533 --> 00:45:48,666
{\an1}It's that we need to talk back,
right?

940
00:45:48,700 --> 00:45:50,033
{\an1}At the end of the day,

941
00:45:50,066 --> 00:45:53,166
{\an1}what I want is just for people
to be engaged.

942
00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:55,033
♪ ♪

943
00:45:55,066 --> 00:45:58,433
{\an1}WOOD: If our country is
functioning as it should,

944
00:45:58,466 --> 00:46:01,100
{\an1}our citizens should be really
thoughtful about

945
00:46:01,133 --> 00:46:04,166
{\an1}how and why and when and where

946
00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:06,466
{\an1}we send our sons and daughters
to go and fight.

947
00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:09,966
{\an1}Part of that responsibility is
also in helping us to come home,

948
00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,433
{\an1}you know, and sharing
in that moral burden.

949
00:46:12,466 --> 00:46:15,433
{\an1}Every time I tell a story
about something terrible

950
00:46:15,466 --> 00:46:17,433
{\an1}that happened overseas,
I actually feel like

951
00:46:17,466 --> 00:46:19,366
I'm unpacking part
of that weight

952
00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:22,200
{\an1}and putting it on somebody
else's shoulder.

953
00:46:22,233 --> 00:46:24,366
{\an1}And people often don't want
to hear those stories,

954
00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:25,600
{\an1}because they either think,

955
00:46:25,633 --> 00:46:27,076
{\an1}"Jake doesn't want to share
that story with me

956
00:46:27,100 --> 00:46:30,233
{\an1}because I'll never understand
and I wasn't there."

957
00:46:30,266 --> 00:46:32,733
{\an1}Or they'll say, "I don't want
to hear that story of Jake's,

958
00:46:32,766 --> 00:46:35,400
it'll make me really
uncomfortable."

959
00:46:35,433 --> 00:46:37,533
{\an1}Too bad, it's your job.

960
00:46:37,566 --> 00:46:40,400
{\an1}You think you're uncomfortable
hearing my story?

961
00:46:40,433 --> 00:46:43,666
{\an1}Imagine how uncomfortable
it was living it.

962
00:46:43,700 --> 00:46:47,200
♪ ♪

963
00:46:47,233 --> 00:46:49,400
{\an1}PACANOWSKI: For years after
I came home from the war,

964
00:46:49,433 --> 00:46:52,400
{\an1}my general state of being
was anger,

965
00:46:52,433 --> 00:46:54,000
{\an7}because I didn't get to do what

966
00:46:54,033 --> 00:46:55,566
{\an8}I thought my mission
was gonna be.

967
00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:56,720
{\an7}I didn't get to help people.

968
00:46:58,333 --> 00:47:00,533
{\an1}I ended up just being another
gun in the convoy,

969
00:47:00,566 --> 00:47:04,733
{\an1}which is not who I wanted to be.

970
00:47:04,766 --> 00:47:09,466
{\an1}Eventually, I was able to get
rid of the anger by writing.

971
00:47:09,500 --> 00:47:13,133
♪ ♪

972
00:47:17,933 --> 00:47:20,700
{\an1}I started to do research
and be taught about rituals

973
00:47:20,733 --> 00:47:24,266
{\an1}and how the Romans, the Greeks,
and the Native Americans

974
00:47:24,300 --> 00:47:27,933
{\an1}in these warrior cultures
had a way to transition home

975
00:47:27,966 --> 00:47:30,000
{\an1}to reintegrate into society,

976
00:47:30,033 --> 00:47:32,333
and the main ritual
was storytelling.

977
00:47:32,366 --> 00:47:35,066
{\an1}So the community would gather,
the tribe would gather,

978
00:47:35,100 --> 00:47:36,966
{\an1}whatever the language
you want to use is,

979
00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:39,033
and these veterans,

980
00:47:39,066 --> 00:47:41,800
{\an1}these service members
would tell their stories.

981
00:47:41,833 --> 00:47:44,300
And there would be
that moment of, I believe,

982
00:47:44,333 --> 00:47:46,100
connection, empathy.

983
00:47:46,133 --> 00:47:49,866
We sent you there,
this is the cost of war.

984
00:47:49,900 --> 00:47:52,300
{\an1}MAN: We were sent there to find
the Taliban.

985
00:47:52,333 --> 00:47:54,566
{\an1}Instead, we found after we
bombed the village,

986
00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:55,966
{\an1}all that was left were children.

987
00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:59,166
{\an1}PACANOWSKI: I decided to start
facilitating writing workshops

988
00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:01,133
{\an1}for my fellow veterans.

989
00:48:01,166 --> 00:48:03,833
{\an1}WOMAN: I no longer need them
to believe me.

990
00:48:03,866 --> 00:48:05,942
{\an1}PACANOWSKI: I think the biggest
thing that veterans fear

991
00:48:05,966 --> 00:48:08,266
{\an1}when they share something
about themselves

992
00:48:08,300 --> 00:48:13,133
is to be ridiculed,
or more shame, or more guilt.

993
00:48:13,166 --> 00:48:14,633
One of the prompts
I would give was,

994
00:48:14,666 --> 00:48:17,800
{\an1}"Well, what do you want your
community to know about you?

995
00:48:17,833 --> 00:48:19,042
{\an1}What do you want to tell them?"

996
00:48:19,066 --> 00:48:25,000
And in that desert,
my humanity dried up.

997
00:48:25,033 --> 00:48:26,933
(voiceover):
Writing and performing

998
00:48:26,966 --> 00:48:31,366
{\an1}kind of gave me a bridge
to civilians.

999
00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:33,009
{\an1}After a show I can just walk
around the room

1000
00:48:33,033 --> 00:48:36,133
{\an1}and I see it's not just the
veterans talking to veterans,

1001
00:48:36,166 --> 00:48:37,576
{\an1}it's the veterans talking
to the civilians,

1002
00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:40,966
{\an1}or the civilians feeling, um,
okay enough to come up

1003
00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:43,733
{\an1}and ask questions or have
a conversation.

1004
00:48:43,766 --> 00:48:45,900
And like this is
the communal moment.

1005
00:48:45,933 --> 00:48:48,100
WOMAN:
I wish that anybody

1006
00:48:48,133 --> 00:48:52,300
{\an1}who is thinking about sending
anyone to war,

1007
00:48:52,333 --> 00:48:54,266
{\an1}would hear these stories first.

1008
00:48:54,300 --> 00:48:57,233
PACANOWSKI:
A very good reflection.

1009
00:48:57,266 --> 00:48:58,309
(voiceover):
I'm really trying to break down

1010
00:48:58,333 --> 00:48:59,933
{\an1}that whole "us and them thing."

1011
00:48:59,966 --> 00:49:02,933
{\an1}We had it in the war,
and now we have it at home.

1012
00:49:02,966 --> 00:49:05,242
{\an1}You know, veterans are over
here, civilians are over here.

1013
00:49:05,266 --> 00:49:08,500
Well, how can we,
how can we do this together?

1014
00:49:08,533 --> 00:49:12,866
♪ ♪

1015
00:49:12,900 --> 00:49:15,133
MARTINEZ: For me,
it took a long time,

1016
00:49:15,166 --> 00:49:17,833
{\an1}but I finally feel settled
in my life as a veteran.

1017
00:49:17,866 --> 00:49:21,100
{\an1}I'm a husband and father now,

1018
00:49:21,133 --> 00:49:24,500
and that day in Iraq
is just one piece of who I am.

1019
00:49:24,533 --> 00:49:27,333
{\an1}And the more I talk to people

1020
00:49:27,366 --> 00:49:30,266
across the country,
the more convinced I am

1021
00:49:30,300 --> 00:49:32,733
{\an1}that we are in it together.

1022
00:49:32,766 --> 00:49:33,733
ROWLAND:
We all have

1023
00:49:33,766 --> 00:49:35,933
{\an1}an obligation to serve,
you know,

1024
00:49:35,966 --> 00:49:37,200
{\an1}to pay back to our community,

1025
00:49:37,233 --> 00:49:38,676
to pay it forward,
to be the decent people.

1026
00:49:38,700 --> 00:49:41,700
{\an1}You know, that's our obligation,
all of us,

1027
00:49:41,733 --> 00:49:44,966
{\an1}and the fact that soldiers had,
you know, went into the military

1028
00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:49,366
{\an1}is one piece of that puzzle,
but that's not the only one.

1029
00:49:50,900 --> 00:49:52,700
{\an8}BHAGWATI:
In a perfect world,

1030
00:49:52,733 --> 00:49:54,242
{\an7}we would all be responsible
for one another,

1031
00:49:54,266 --> 00:49:55,642
{\an7}you know, we would all
be neighbors.

1032
00:49:55,666 --> 00:49:58,700
{\an7}If you're not participating

1033
00:49:58,733 --> 00:50:00,966
{\an1}actively in your own community,

1034
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,966
{\an1}how can you call anything
democratic? (chuckles)

1035
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:05,433
{\an1}Like, how can you, right...

1036
00:50:05,466 --> 00:50:07,900
{\an1}Like, how can you call yourself
a citizen?

1037
00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:13,033
{\an1}AYON: Think about it this way,
it's service.

1038
00:50:13,066 --> 00:50:16,333
{\an1}Service to your community,
to your state, your country.

1039
00:50:16,366 --> 00:50:17,709
{\an1}It doesn't have to be in
a uniform.

1040
00:50:17,733 --> 00:50:19,600
Get engaged.

1041
00:50:19,633 --> 00:50:22,800
{\an1}Be part of this big machine
that America is.

1042
00:50:22,833 --> 00:50:25,866
{\an1}Then you can truly understand
what it's like to be a veteran.

1043
00:50:25,900 --> 00:50:29,766
{\an1}Raise your right hand,
repeat the oath after me.

1044
00:50:29,800 --> 00:50:32,666
{\an1}OFFICER: I, state your name.
(recruits reciting)

1045
00:50:32,700 --> 00:50:34,166
{\an1}OFFICER: Do solemnly swear.

1046
00:50:34,200 --> 00:50:35,566
Do solemnly swear.

1047
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:37,300
{\an1}OFFICER: That I will support
and defend.

1048
00:50:37,333 --> 00:50:38,776
{\an1}RECRUIT: That I will support
and defend.

1049
00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:40,342
{\an1}OFFICER: The Constitution
of the United States.

1050
00:50:40,366 --> 00:50:42,300
{\an1}RECRUITS: The Constitution of
the United States.

1051
00:50:42,333 --> 00:50:44,076
{\an1}OFFICER: Against all enemies
foreign and domestic.

1052
00:50:44,100 --> 00:50:46,666
{\an1}RECRUITS: Against all enemies
foreign and domestic.

1053
00:50:46,700 --> 00:50:48,642
{\an1}OFFICER: So help me God.
RECRUITS: So help me God.

1054
00:50:48,666 --> 00:50:51,866
{\an1}OFFICER: Congratulations.
(cheers and applause)

1055
00:50:51,900 --> 00:50:54,500
{\an1}You know, when I took
the oath I was, what, 21?

1056
00:50:54,533 --> 00:50:55,933
Um...

1057
00:50:55,966 --> 00:50:58,600
I felt proud.

1058
00:50:58,633 --> 00:51:01,433
♪ ♪

1059
00:51:01,466 --> 00:51:04,200
{\an1}It's actually something that
I've thought a lot about,

1060
00:51:04,233 --> 00:51:08,933
{\an1}because, you know, we don't...
you don't swear an oath

1061
00:51:08,966 --> 00:51:11,233
{\an1}to a king or queen or
an individual person.

1062
00:51:11,266 --> 00:51:15,266
{\an1}You don't swear an oath to a
flag or, or a patch of land.

1063
00:51:15,300 --> 00:51:17,233
{\an1}You're swearing to the
Constitution.

1064
00:51:17,266 --> 00:51:18,442
{\an1}You're swearing, ultimately,
to ideas...

1065
00:51:18,466 --> 00:51:21,633
{\an1}democracy, freedom, equality,

1066
00:51:21,666 --> 00:51:24,600
{\an7}that we're always eating
and regurgitating, and so it is

1067
00:51:24,633 --> 00:51:27,233
{\an7}an important reminder

1068
00:51:27,266 --> 00:51:29,166
{\an7}that being in the military,

1069
00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:32,500
{\an7}it's not just about protecting
a homeland.

1070
00:51:32,533 --> 00:51:35,000
{\an1}It's, it's about protecting
the American project

1071
00:51:35,033 --> 00:51:37,866
{\an1}moving forward, uh, and
I think that that's something

1072
00:51:37,900 --> 00:51:40,833
{\an1}that, that a lot of veterans
take to heart.

1073
00:51:40,866 --> 00:51:43,866
♪ ♪

1074
00:51:43,900 --> 00:51:45,300
{\an1}I was a member of the military.

1075
00:51:45,333 --> 00:51:48,166
{\an1}I was a member of something
that was bigger than myself.

1076
00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:50,933
{\an1}When I put on that uniform,

1077
00:51:50,966 --> 00:51:53,100
{\an1}I represented the United States
of America.

1078
00:51:53,133 --> 00:51:55,166
{\an1}I represented the whole country.

1079
00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:58,400
And you know what,
that's still who I am inside.

1080
00:51:58,433 --> 00:52:00,500
♪ ♪

1081
00:52:00,533 --> 00:52:03,733
{\an1}MCEACHIN: The military made me
what I am today, period.

1082
00:52:03,766 --> 00:52:06,600
{\an1}I was in part of this
great machinery,

1083
00:52:06,633 --> 00:52:08,500
this huge
and this invincible thing

1084
00:52:08,533 --> 00:52:10,866
{\an1}called the Army of the
United States.

1085
00:52:10,900 --> 00:52:14,933
{\an1}I mean just saying the words,
"The Army, I'm a soldier,"

1086
00:52:14,966 --> 00:52:18,466
{\an1}my God, it doesn't get
any better than this, you know?

1087
00:52:18,500 --> 00:52:20,766
♪ ♪

1088
00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:23,600
{\an1}ENNIS: I gained a perspective,
and I gained values that

1089
00:52:23,633 --> 00:52:25,500
{\an1}a lot of other people would
never understand,

1090
00:52:25,533 --> 00:52:28,200
{\an1}and it's all because of my time
in the Marine Corps.

1091
00:52:28,233 --> 00:52:31,700
{\an1}I'm forever grateful for it,
I'm grateful for every moment...

1092
00:52:31,733 --> 00:52:34,966
The good, the bad,
the miserable.

1093
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:38,466
{\an1}BHAGWATI: I don't regret
anything about the Marines,

1094
00:52:38,500 --> 00:52:39,700
{\an1}I'm thrilled I did it.

1095
00:52:39,733 --> 00:52:43,866
I think it, like,
opened my world up to realities

1096
00:52:43,900 --> 00:52:47,400
that maybe I needed
to be aware of.

1097
00:52:47,433 --> 00:52:52,266
{\an1}HICKS: It seems like a whole
different lifetime

1098
00:52:52,300 --> 00:52:54,633
{\an1}and it's something that I would
not do over again

1099
00:52:54,666 --> 00:52:56,400
{\an1}if I had the opportunity
to go back.

1100
00:52:56,433 --> 00:52:59,733
{\an1}So the one thing I'm proud of
is that I found,

1101
00:52:59,766 --> 00:53:03,666
{\an1}I found the courage to start
being vocal

1102
00:53:03,700 --> 00:53:06,300
{\an1}against what we were doing.

1103
00:53:08,033 --> 00:53:11,033
{\an1}MELLINGER: I don't know how
to measure how it changed me.

1104
00:53:11,066 --> 00:53:13,966
{\an1}I know there are some things
that deeply impacted me

1105
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:16,666
{\an1}and that will be with me
all the days of my life.

1106
00:53:16,700 --> 00:53:19,766
{\an1}There are things that I saw
that can never be unseen.

1107
00:53:19,800 --> 00:53:21,600
{\an1}There's smells, there's sounds.

1108
00:53:21,633 --> 00:53:25,000
{\an1}I know in my heart of hearts
I gave it everything I had.

1109
00:53:25,033 --> 00:53:26,633
{\an1}I gave it the best I knew how.

1110
00:53:27,866 --> 00:53:29,609
{\an1}HARDESTY: People see me today
and they're like,

1111
00:53:29,633 --> 00:53:31,866
{\an1}"I just can't imagine you
in the military," right?

1112
00:53:31,900 --> 00:53:35,166
{\an1}And how wonderful that I could
take all that learning,

1113
00:53:35,200 --> 00:53:37,133
all that experience
from the military,

1114
00:53:37,166 --> 00:53:39,366
{\an1}and have it just be who I am

1115
00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:41,533
{\an1}through every other aspect
of my life.

1116
00:53:44,833 --> 00:53:47,966
{\an1}MEEKS: I'm so proud that
I served.

1117
00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:52,066
{\an1}I didn't sit on the sidelines.

1118
00:53:52,100 --> 00:53:55,400
{\an1}I was an active participant
in history,

1119
00:53:55,433 --> 00:53:58,033
and I believe
that's what we all were,

1120
00:53:58,066 --> 00:53:59,433
{\an1}that joined the service.

1121
00:53:59,466 --> 00:54:02,366
{\an1}We were active participants
in history.

1122
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:10,166
♪ ♪

1123
00:54:22,966 --> 00:54:25,300
♪ ♪

1124
00:54:27,366 --> 00:54:32,500
♪ ♪

1125
00:54:42,100 --> 00:54:44,266
{\an7}ANNOUNCER: For more about
"American Veteran,"

1126
00:54:44,300 --> 00:54:47,733
{\an7}pbs.org/americanveteran.

1127
00:54:47,766 --> 00:54:51,533
{\an7}"American Veteran" is available
on Amazon Prime Video.

1128
00:54:51,966 --> 00:54:57,200
♪ ♪