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Thank You for Your Service (2017)
Thank You for Your Service (2017)
2017 | Biography, Drama, War
The words “Thank you for your service” have gone from a meaningful statement of gratitude to an empty platitude. As a veteran, I cringe when someone says it to me when buying groceries, at the gym, or at an event where there is a casual reference to veterans. The film Thank You For Your Service examines the lives of those affected by the war directly and indirectly. In the movie, Miles Teller (Whiplash, War Dogs, Fantastic Four) plays Staff Sergeant Schumann, an Iraq War vet who is returning to his family and hoping to return to some sense of normalcy. Unfortunately, he and his friends discover that the war and the horrors that they witnessed cannot be escaped.

Thank You For Your Service is able to address an aspect of war that many films overlook; how the men and women who are deployed changed by their experiences. Additionally, it tackles the questions of how their families cope with the changes to them, how they go about living a normal existence, and how people understand how they are harmed by war without any visible injuries?

The film is a testament to the men and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It doesn’t sugar-coat or trivialize their experiences. The emotions are raw. The visual representation of their daily terror is present. With depth, the film shows audiences who may be unfamiliar with veterans or those suffering from PTSD what the world really looks like to them and how they struggle with just existing.

The film takes the statement of “Thank you for your service” and gives it greater meaning in able to connect the problems inherent in the military, healthcare system, and how we as a society view mental health. The film allows for an authentic examination of what servicemembers deal with in their return home from war. It becomes apparent that they themselves may be able to leave the battle, but the battle stays with them, tormenting and haunting them as each day passes. The war they face never ceases. Thank You For Your Service will hopefully help foster substantive discussions about what many men and women deal with in their return from the horrors of war.
  
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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Redeployment in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
Redeployment
Redeployment
Phil Klay | 2014
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If there's any one book that will make you thankful for your life this year it's this one. This collection of short stories about the men and women whose lives are affected by their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan is not exactly what one would call "uplifting". That being said, it offers what is perhaps one of the best looks into just what goes through the minds of said soldiers both during and after they experience life in a modern war zone. If you haven't been to war, it will give you a better understanding of some of the things these people deal with, and will make you all the more grateful for their service to your country. Don't get that last statement wrong however, this is hardly a pro-war book, and it makes it clear that just because a soldier is out there serving their nation, it doesn't mean they agree with everything their leaders tell them. But, you know, theirs is not to question why.... This is a very affecting book, and will likely be remembered as a classic in the years to come.