American Widow Project: Alone In The Graveyard
It seems like from the time I got the knock on the door, I had no time to process the information I was given. From that point forward, my life became a whirlwind for the next month. Not only was I grief-stricken , I was numb, I was in complete denial. All I wanted to do was sit, stare and think about what had just happened. Impossible. It seemed that not even five minutes later I was bombarded with cards, flowers, food, family, friends, CAO's, phone calls, news media, and funeral directors. I can remember the phone never stopped ringing.
Read more at The Huffington Post
October 2, 2008
American Widow Project: It's Okay To Cry
Everybody has their way of dealing with grief. I'm not the one to tell anyone that there is one "right" way to grieve. I call Taryn at least 3 times a week to cry on her shoulder. But in the last 6 months, 19 days, 4 hours, and 2 minutes, life has been different, unpredictable, depressing, lonelier than words can express, and -- yes, I'm going to say it -- just fucking hard. I cry, Lord, do I cry.
I told a friend today that I measure my life now in Pre-Justin and Post -Justin time frames. A large part of me died with Justin, but the unpalatable truth is -- fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the day -- my body and soul are still alive. I asked Justin what he would have me do if the unimaginable happened and he was killed in Iraq, he looked at me said 3 simple words that resound in my head: Raise our son. Easier said than done, in my opinion.
Read more at The Huffington Post
September 25, 2008
Iraq war widow finds support to cope with her grief
Her mother shook. Her brother's eyes filled with tears. And at the front door loomed the shadows of an Army officer and chaplain.
Nicole Hart, wife of Sgt. David J. Hart, serving a second tour in Iraq, stared in stoney disbelief.
"On behalf of the secretary of defense," the woman officer told her Jan. 8, the day of her husband's death, "we regret to inform you ..."
Hart's grief - and support from an online group of young military widows - is the subject of a documentary that will be screened Monday in Culver City.
"We Regret to Inform You," a three-part interactive webcast produced by the Brave New Foundation's "In Their Boots" series, will then air online starting Wednesday.
Read more at The Los Angeles Daily News
September 6, 2008
Valley man injured in Afghanistan featured in Internet series
After losing his hand in Afghanistan, Jerry Cortinas knew it would take care and concentration to prevent his injury from taking over his life.
Today, the story of this Brownsville man and his family's struggle against pessimism will premiere in the Internet series, "In Their Boots," from Brave New Foundation.
As a Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces, the military defined Jerry's life. In 2003, a rocket propelled grenade exploded in Jerry's arms, taking his left hand, scarring his face, and ending his military career.
"I would do anything to still be in the Army and out there doing what I used to be doing," he said. "It feels like somebody took that away from me."
Read more at The Brownsville Herald
August 26, 2008
Helping War Widows on Road Ahead
When your husband dies at war, the things he carried show up in six black boxes.
Each pair of socks, each T-shirt, each love letter is inventoried on 20 sheets of paper. Everything has been washed, so when you breathe in the scent of a shirt, it doesn’t smell like him.
When a soldier dies, grief is followed by immersion in the somber routines and protocols of a military death.
Read more at The New York Times
August 25, 2008
YouTube circulates 'unfiltered' war views
The hardest thing in the world is to leave someone behind for six months, Senior Aircraftman Paul Goodfellow tells a hand-held camera as he crouches in what looks like a bathroom.
"It's not just saying bye for six months," the young member of Britain's Royal Air Force Regiment says on his way to Afghanistan in April 2007. "There's always the thought that maybe I might not come back and maybe we might not see each other again."
Read more at The Washington Times
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
To Walk In Their Boots
Amanda Raymond knew what it was like to see a loved one deployed to a far-off land. Growing up, she had watched her dad, a career Navy man, grab his bags and leave home dozens of times.
She also knew what it was like to be separated for a long period from her husband, Navy Lt. Gary Raymond. For most of the first three years of their marriage, he was either in school or on a ship.
Read more at The Bangor News
August 11, 2008
THE IMPACT OF WAR
'In Their Boots' Brings Soldiers' Stories To The Web
A Web-based video documentary project highlights the stories of troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan — and their families. Following each weekly documentary, Iraq war veteran Jan Bender, who hosts intheirboots.com, invites veterans and other listeners to join some of the people featured in the segment in an online discussion.
Listen to Weekend Edition
August 10, 2008
KNBC's Cary Berglund reports on a popular new webcast called "In Their Boots."
View the KNBC newscast.
August 6, 2008
A Bridge Over Troubled Water
Rosie and her husband Alain Babin only flirted with each other in high school until a moment before the start of their senior year, when their eyes met passing each other across a bridge. “We made eye contact and motioned for each other to pull over. It was love at first sight for me,” declared Alain. Little did they realize then that nearly 25 years later, their son would fall gravely wounded on a distant bridge in Iraq – an event that would catapult Babin beyond her role as a working mother to become an activist for veteran’s health care rights.
Read more at Austin Woman Magazine
Download a PDF of the article (17 mb)
August 2008
Film follows one family's countdown to deployment
Alyson Mellish and Amanda Raymond understand each other quite well. They're twin sisters, and they're Navy wives.
So it was easy for Mellish to empathize when Raymond juggled emotions and logistical challenges ahead of her husband's deployment.
On Thursday, she got the chance to honor Raymond and educate the public about the sacrifices that military families make during wartime. Mellish hosted a screening of “Departure,” a short documentary about preparations for Lt. Gary Raymond's deployment to Iraq, at a church in San Diego.
Read more at Sign On San Diego
August 4, 2008
What it’s really like to be “In Their Boots”
"The stories are true and unvarnished. This is the stuff you won’t find on network news. It will touch you deep in your heart to hear firsthand from the soldiers and their families. Plus you get the added bonus of experts in their field, such as Murdough, to give advice on where to seek help should you need it. You should check it out."
Read more at The Daily Sentinel
August 3, 2008
These boots are made for filmmaking
BSU student finds himself the unlikely host of a military TV show.
From the time Jan Bender was a combat correspondent in Iraq, he has given civilians insight into life in the "boots" of military men and women. It wasn't until this summer, however, that he had the opportunity to tell the stories of their families on the homefront as well. The Ball State University senior is interning at the Los Angeles production company Brave New Foundation, where he was unexpectedly chosen as the host of the Web television show In Their Boots.
As an aspiring filmmaker, he applied for the internship to get experience in film production, not to become an on-camera personality, he said. Now he considers himself a "versatile member of the team," since he still works behind the scenes whenever he can.
Read more at The Star Press
July 26, 2008
'In Their Boots,' Iraq Vet's Web Doc, Takes A Look At The Battles At Home
A lot of young veterans feel lost when they return home from a war zone. They've often been trained for very specific combat jobs, which don't always translate well to civilian life.
But one 25-year-old former Marine, who was trained to cover fierce firefights in Iraq as a combat correspondent, has found an equally compelling calling as a civilian: He's telling war-related stories that are happening right here at home while the combat continues to rage in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Read more at MTV
July 25, 2008
North Posey grad takes 'In Their Boots' to heart
The concept of "walkinga mile in someone's shoes" is a popular one, but one that Jan Bender the producers of the weekly Web cast "In Their Boots" take to heart.
Bender, a 2001 graduate of North Posey High School, hosts the Web cast dedicated to telling the real-life stories of veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, their families and their communitites.
Read more from The Mt Vernon Democrat
July 23, 2008
Yelm family shows daily lives of military wives
Danny Roy had a morning ritual while his dad was deployed to Afghanistan.
The toddler would watch a DVD of his father, Capt. Justin Roy, reading to him and his younger brother Maddox.
"Sometimes we would have it on repeat all morning long. I guess he needed to hear daddy's voice," said Justin's wife, Kim Roy.
That ritual and many other daily activities are captured in an online documentary airing this week at www.intheirboots.com.
"In Their Boots" is a online video magazine that features Iraq and Afghanistan servicemen and -women and their families. The project is hosted by Iraq War veteran Jan Bender, and it's funded by a grant from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund. The first show aired July 2, although the program has been in production since January.
"What we're really trying to do is show how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan impact life at home, both in the positive ways and the struggles too," said producer Amanda Spain, who found Kim Roy on MySpace.com.
read more at The Olympian
July 18, 2008
Army family shares story on Web site
A new online video series, “In Their Boots,” aims to raise awareness of issues that plague military personnel and their families.
With two episodes already completed, the Roy family of Yelm premiered the first half of their two-part profile, “Homecoming,” this week.
The second half premieres next week.
“It’s for people to know what it’s like for the families at home,” Kimberly Roy said. “It’s to raise awareness to the public, so they know they’re not the only one with these problems.”
Roy, 28, is an Army wife who raised her two young boys alone while her husband Justin was deployed to Afghanistan.
read more at The Nisqually Valley Times
July 18, 2008
Barre native featured on live online tribute to military wives
A Barre native who graduated from Spaulding High School in 1997 will be profiled tonight in an "Internet TV" series that explores the impacts of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on soldiers' home communities. Kimberly Roy, the daughter of Tom and Linda Boyce, will appear in a two-part episode of the online series "In Their Boots."
Roy, who says she is known as "Kimmy" to people at home, has a sister, Katie Boyce, and other relatives in Barre, and a grandmother and aunts in Rutland.
The episode, called "Homecoming," traces Roy's experiences raising two toddlers while her husband is deployed for the second time to Afghanistan. The first part of the episode will be streamed live at 7 p.m. this evening at www.intheirboots.com. The second part can be seen at the same time on Thursday July 23.
read more at the Barre Times / Montpelier Argus
July 16, 2008
On air with Tri-State Marine
Before joining the U.S. Marine Corps where he was trained as a combat correspondent, Jan Bender, 25, grew up playing football and working on his father's grain farm east of Poseyville, Ind.
But during a tour of duty in Iraq, he found himself both a rifleman, armed with an M-16 and 9 mm pistol, and a cameraman capturing powerful footage of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines fighting house-to-house during the November 2004 push through the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.
His footage was used by nearly every major TV network, but eventually he put a highlights reel to music for the men in his platoon.
"I felt a responsibility. This was their own history," he said recently from Culver City, Calif., where he's the host and moderator of "In Their Boots," an innovative Internet TV series.
read more at the Evansville Courier & Press
July 13, 2008
Internet-based show tells stories of military families
In a sunny courtyard in Culver City, Kim Roy was laughing at the role reversal. For the 15 months that her husband, Army Capt. Justin Roy, was serving in Afghanistan, Kim Roy was the parent-in-chief, juggling chores and taking care of their two boys in Yelm, Wash.
Now with Mom in California, Dad was in charge and discovering the joys of being a single parent."Danny wouldn't take a nap today," Kim Roy said, rolling her eyes. "Niiice."
The 28-year-old Army wife had just arrived at the offices of Brave New Foundation for a screening of "In Their Boots," an Internet-based show that will feature the Roys in one of its episodes.
The father-son battle of wills back home was the kind of little home drama the Web documentaries aim to capture. The weekly webcast, which debuted this week, was created to raise awareness about the needs of veterans and active military personnel and their families.
read more at The Los Angeles Times
July 4, 2008
'In Their Boots' a revealing look at wounded soldiers
In the first episode of an innovative documentary series “In Their Boots,” the sister of a wounded soldier explains why the family cooperated with the filmmakers.
"I think it’s important to educate America,” said Christy Babin, whose brother Alan, an Army medic, was gravely wounded during the assault on Baghdad in 2003 and still must cope with the debilitating effects of traumatic brain injury and a stroke.
The story of the Babin family, particularly Alan’s mother, Rosie, is altogether heart-wrenching. Much of the footage was shot by Rosie Babin, who is remarkably resilient and determined.
read more at The Los Angeles Times
July 2, 2008
Alan Babin and his Survival and Struggle
. . . The aftermath of Alan Babin's struggle for recovery is one of the most inspiring role-models of courage, determination, attitude and "guts" that would make any combat infantryman proud to know this young man. Alan Babin, we salute you, and we thank you for teaching us the meaning of the word "hero"–not just in combat, but also for the courage it takes in recovery and success, for we know that you will make it. Airborne! All the Way! . . .
read more at the Austin Combat Infantrymen Association, Fred Castenada blog & podcast
June 19, 2008
Web series highlights Round Rock soldier's struggles
A severely wounded Iraq War soldier is still fighting to find his strength.
"On the count of three we're going to stand up and we're going to pivot okay?" said Alan Babin’s physical therapist, Vance Black.
Black has been going to Alan’s home for physical therapy sessions for more than a year. Now, holding onto Black’s arms for support, Alan, 27, can stand upright and sway from side to side. It’s something he couldn’t do just a few months ago.
read more at KVUE-TV
June 18, 2008
Documentary shows wounded soldier's road to recovery
When Alan Babin speaks about his mother, he smiles.
Because Babin is speaking, his mother, Rosie, smiles.
Alan Babin, a 27-year-old Round Rock resident, was critically wounded in Iraq in March 2003 serving as a medic with the 82nd Airborne Division in the Army. He was shot in the abdomen while treating a wounded soldier near Samawa, Iraq, causing him to lose 90 percent of his stomach, his spleen and part of his pancreas.
read more at the Austin Statesman
June 18, 2008
Babin family to be featured in Web documentary series
Serving as an Army combat medic in Iraq, Alan Babin was shot and critically wounded as he came to the aid of an injured soldier under fire. His injuries were so severe he underwent 70 surgeries. Doctors doubted he would survive. Amidst these circumstances, his mother, Rosie, gave up her career and plans for retirement to become Alan's fulltime caretaker. His father is a Round Rock Police officer.
read more at the Round Rock Leader
June 17, 2008
