Educational Media Reviews Online

One of the highest demographics for homelessness is military veterans. One of the highest demographics for suicide is military veterans. Yet, these people who have sacrificed so much for our country often find it hard to find even basic assistance for their needs.

These facts sparked the rise of Veterans Villages. These community-based facilities try to provide one-stop shopping for veterans by offering everything from medical to housing assistance. The Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) goes one step further and holds their Stand Down event each year.

This is a three-day event for homeless veterans. In the specially erected tent city, they offer the basics of food and shelter. There are a wide variety of free medical services including dental and physical therapy. There are even luxuries like massages, haircuts, and music lessons. Special accommodations are made for spouses, children, and pets. Most of all, there is the camaraderie of people who have shared your experiences.

This film is very moving and includes interviews with both veterans and volunteers. The filmmaker does an excellent job of weaving the stories together. The interviews are done on site so there is often background noise from the event, but it is not too distracting. Some of the video of the event was obviously done by someone just walking around with a camera so the picture might jiggle a bit or be a little overexposed in sunlight, but this actually lends an air of realism to the film; this is not a staged event. These are the real lives of real people.

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