/ Soldier On: Life After Deployment

SOLDIER ON: LIFE AFTER DEPLOYMENT follows three women as they confront the challenges of readjusting to civilian life after their post-9/11 military service.  The women in SOLDIER ON  are forthright about their many problems, while simultaneously managing to find moments of humor amidst their struggles and gradually reconnecting with the inner strength and resilience that has always defined them. Forever changed by their military service, the women adapt to find a new place in the civilian world.

The film presents these women’s compelling and illuminating stories in the context of a civilian population that has little appreciation for the experiences and sacrifices of female veterans, who are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. veteran population. The complete integration of women into the armed services as well as their full access to veterans’ benefits and the veteran community is a challenging work in process for the United States. SOLDIER ON  is part of that conversation and effort.

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We are very proud that Senator Patty Murray and the Women In Military Service For America hosted a screening and discussion of Soldier On: Life After Deployment on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Russell Senate Office Building.

Speakers:
Senator Patty Murray, Veterans Affairs Committee
Major General (Retired) Dee McWilliams, U.S. Army, President, Women In Military Service For America Memorial and Museum
Kayla Williams, Director, Center for Women Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs
Dr. Patty Hayes, Chief Consultant, Women’s Strategic Health Care Group, Department of Veterans Affairs
Natasha Young, USMC Veteran and Veteran Advocate
Susan Sipprelle, Soldier On Director and Founder, Tree of Life Productions

 

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Soldier On: Life After Deployment, official selection of the Nov. 2016 San Francisco Veterans Film Festival.

“Sue Sipprelle is an incredibly talented documentary filmmaker, and she’s really shed a light on the sacrifices that female service members and veterans make through this film, Soldier On.” – Senator Patty Murray, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee

Documentaries like Soldier On are an invaluable part of efforts to raise awareness of the legacy of sacrifice and service by women in defense of our nation. Thank you, Susan, for your vision and your efforts in bringing these women’s stories to light. – Kayla Williams, Director of the VA Center for Women Veterans

“Soldier On – Life After Deployment. The film provides a vivid depiction of serving in the military through the lens of its female service members. The women in Soldier On highlight the social, physical and mental dissimilarities as compared to their male counterparts. Soldier On takes a critical look into female service members transitioning from military life back to the civilian world; emphasizing the importance of: gateway programs for women and  female veteran advocacy. The Rhode Island Office of Veterans Affairs is unwavering to ensure that every female veteran as an opportunity to make it in Rhode Island.”  –  Kasim Yarn, Director, Rhode Island Office of Veteran Affairs

A brave and honest look at the modern “woman warrior”—this film will be familiar to those who lived it and an eye opener for those who have not and seek to understand the contributions and experiences of women in combat.      – Dawn Halfaker, founder of a software company and a retired U.S. Army captain, who lost her right arm after a 2004 ambush in Iraq.

Soldier On: Life After Deployment shows the exact reason why ‘cookie-cutter solutions’ will not work for female veterans. Just because a solution may have worked with male veterans, female veterans internalize their emotions and experiences differently. –  Kimberly Mitchell, Easterseals Dixon Center president and co-founder and former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander.


Soldier On: Life After Deployment had its broadcast premiere in March 2017 during Women’s History month. It has aired over 14,000 times on public television across the United States.

Soldier On: Life After Deployment follows three women as they confront the challenges of readjusting to civilian life after their post-9/11 military service. Female veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. veteran population. The complete integration of women into the armed services as well as their full access to veterans’ benefits and the veteran community is a challenging work in process for the United States. Soldier On is part of that ongoing conversation and effort.