Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Cory Grogan | Filmmaker Suzanne DeLaurentiis pauses for a photo while touring an Oregon National...... read more read more
SALEM, Ore. - Hollywood has produced a plethora of big-screen films, made-for-television movies, short films and shows about the nation's men and women in uniform.
But few Hollywood insiders really take to heart the stories behind the real lives of America's military members.
For Suzanne DeLaurentiis, an accomplished writer, producer and director of short-films, commercials and music videos, the devotion to the nation's uniformed service members comes from a genuine appreciation for their service and sacrifice.
“Nobody knows what our soldiers go through in Iraq or any other global confrontation – nobody other than the men and women who are on the front lines,” she said.
In 2007, DeLaurentiis was preparing for her annual Cinema City International Film Festival when a movie, called “This Is War: Memories of Iraq,” was submitted for competition. The film had a tremendous impact on DeLaurentiis, who has sacrificed much of her time and energy to philanthropic ventures.
The movie, “This is War: Memories of Iraq,” is based on the intense combat experiences of the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment of the Oregon National Guard. It documents their quest to return to normal life following a year of duty in Iraq.
The film, directed by Gary Mortensen, isn’t the only documentary about America’s involvement in the Iraq War. However, it is one of the most moving, and to say that it moved Ms. DeLaurentiis would be an understatement, said Freelance Writer Chris Hlad.
DeLaurentiis formed a special bond with one of the soldiers in the film, who witnessed the death of one of his soldiers during an improvised explosive device attack. Master Sgt. Vinnie Jacques, who was himself along with two others, wounded in the attack used his tragic experience as motivation to help start a reintegration program in Oregon which now leads the nation in the support of service members, veterans and their families.
An account of Jacques’ experience written by Kim Lippert, of the Oregon Military Department Public Affairs Office, paints a vivid picture of the incident and how it inspired Jacques to start the program:
Sgt. 1st Class Vince Jacques dangled upside down with his legs trapped under the dashboard of the Humvee in which he'd been riding. The vehicle was a mangled mess after running over an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
Jacques' gunner, Pfc. Ben Ring, was seriously wounded. His driver, Pfc. Kenny Leisten, was dead.
But on that fateful day, July 28, 2004, despite his own injuries, Jacques had only one thing on his mind, his soldiers, "his boys," he said.
Jacques survived the blast, but his injuries prevented him from returning to Iraq with his unit, the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry.
"Knowing they were over there, and I wasn't, was really hard," said Jacques.
After struggling to find Ring a doctor for his injuries, Jacques noticed many resources for veterans were going unseen by those who needed them the most. Jacques gathered influential members from the Oregon National Guard and started a groundbreaking reintegration program.
The team now includes 16 team members placed strategically throughout the state of Oregon that constantly networks with other veteran health groups in the state focusing on health care, education and employment, he said.
The team, sponsored by the Oregon National Guard, and called the Joint Transition Assistance Program, now has the ability to serve any service member, veteran and their family members across the state of Oregon.
Jacques has been amazed with the number of organizations and individuals like DeLaurentiis who are motivated to help veterans. The biggest issue, he said, is helping people find out where to focus their resources and energy.
“I look forward to working with these people—it’s like a family reunion,” he said.
After hearing Jacques story and meeting him in person, DeLaurentiis turned her inspiration into action to help with the struggle many veterans face upon return from deployment.
Delaurentiis has staged five events focusing on veteran’s charities, including the Marine Corp Association and the Oregon National Guard Reintegration Team. She then opened her home to numerous gifting suites in order to raise awareness for the cause, and has attended numerous job fairs for veterans.
“She’s made it a priority to pick up the phone and call her celebrity friends to get them involved too,” Hlad said. “If you have a conversation with Ms. DeLaurentiis, you’re going to hear about the Reintegration Team, guaranteed.”
DeLaurentiis invited Oregon soldiers to attend her Cinema International Film Festival in 2007, where she held a fundraiser for burn victims in Iraq, Afghanistan and public service workers when she showed the film. In 2008, she brought troops to the Oscars and introduced them to Ed McMahon.
For her work, DeLaurentiis was recently presented with the Oregon Commendation Medal award by the adjutant general, Oregon, Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees for devotion to Oregon’s troops. It is an honor rarely bestowed to civilians, Jacques said.
She continues to visit Oregon to promote the reintegration program. On her recent visit for a Career and Benefits Fair March 10, DeLaurentiis helped secure a $10,000 donation for the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund. She is also scheduled to hire two female veterans who recently returned from Afghanistan to work as medics on her movie sets—she is looking to help another soldier get into the acting business.
"It was a pleasure and an honor meeting and talking with these brave men and women,” she said. “I had a few soldiers, in particular, that I'm taking under my wing including one who wants to be an actor. I told him to come down to LA. I met a couple of women who are medics that I want to bring down to LA to be medics on my film set. I feel like I'm not even making a dent, but I know every little bit helps," DeLaurentiis said.
While the toll of deployments has been high on service members, veterans and their families since 9/11 (there have been more than 13,000 individual deployments in Oregon alone) the perception about veterans in the U.S. has changed since the Vietnam War, said Jacques.
“Thanks to people like Suzanne, we won’t have to struggle in some of the ways veterans have in the past,” he said.
When asked what inspires her to help military members in the Oregon National Guard, DeLaurentiis answered, “Simply put, I love them.”
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2012 19:06 |
| Story ID: | 86036 |
| Location: | SALEM, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 273 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hollywood producer making a difference for Oregon National Guard soldiers, by MSG Phillip Jacques, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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