Educational Media Reviews Online

The Iraq War has been noted for its advancement in medicine and surgery in the field that has spared many more soldiers’ lives than would have occurred in previous wars. However, that advance has also come with a price that of enormous numbers of severely injured veterans who must somehow adjust to life minus limbs or in the case of the soldier featured in this excellent documentary, with somewhat more “hidden disabilities” of head injuries and blindness. In addition, the families of these veterans must cope with a loved one whose prospects in life are greatly altered.

The Feldbusch family of western Pennsylvania is shown to be a patriotic, loving, supportive family, for whom the close brush with death of their son and brother has deeply affected them all. Particularly, the parents, who care for Jeremy in their home, are prone to overprotectiveness. At one point, Jeremy jokes that if he ever gets married it will probably mean merely adding a wife into the tight family circle in his parents’ home. This is an important film, providing a human face to an all too often overlooked part of war’s complications. It should spark discussion in any group showing, from high school social science classes to civic organizations and veterans groups.