A film called "The Ground Truth"

Dear Friends and Family,

Next weekend, September 15, 16 and 17th, a film called "The Ground Truth" will premier at the Landmark-Kendall Theater in Kendall Square, Cambridge. It is about the hidden toll of the war in Iraq, and features returned Iraq War Veterans and military family members telling "the ground truth" about the war. The film played to rave reviews at the Sundance and other film festivals around the country. The film's director, Patricia Foulkrod, is a friend of ours. Many of those featured in the film are also dear friends. The Ground Truth is being released by Focus Features (they released Motorcycle Diaries, Brokeback Mountain, The Constant Gardner, 21 Grams).

Here is an excerpt from The Ground Truth's promotional materials:

"Hailed by Sundance filmgoers as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching, " Patricia Foulkrod's searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stun audiences. The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans, articulating their stories on-camera - stories that must be heard.The stories are those of a half-dozen American heros, ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service. The Ground Truth charts recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home - with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all -- the truth."

This is an excerpt from what the film's director wrote about the film:

"I tried to create a film that might blow the yellow ribbons off...and encourage people to really wrap their arms around our soldiers and their families. I wanted us to sit with the broken hearts and troubled minds of these young veterans, so we can take responsibility for their suffering that is being experienced in our name. And most important, I wanted to share with all Americans the profound wisdom these young men and women have to impart. Their first step to healing is our listening."

The address of the theater is:

Landmark Kendall
One Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 499-1996

In the next day or two, Landmark-Kendall' s website http://movies. aol.com/theater/ landmark- kendall-square- cinema/2081/ showtimes will have the specific show times for The Ground Truth for the weekend of September 15-17.

We urge everyone we know to see this film, and to tell everyone you know about it (feel free to share this email), and encourage them to see The Ground Truth on opening weekend. It will be premiering in several other cities across the country -- for more information see www.thegroundtruth. net

If you would like to purchase the DVD of The Ground Truth, you can do so at www.groundtruthstor e.seenon. com/?pa=mfso, and a donation will go to Military Families Speak Out for each DVD sold through that web address.