From War Animal to Civilian - VET TV Docuseries "Let's Talk About The War" Addresses the Systematic Failures of the Global War on Terror
Combat Veterans Speak Out on America's Longest War
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Veteran Entertainment Television (VET Tv), the largest entertainment and streaming platform devoted to military based storytelling, announced the release of the docuseries, "Let's Talk About the War." Launching January 12, 2021 "Let's Talk About the War" features candid interviews with combat veterans discussing the failures of the war on terror and begs the question – "Was it all worth it?"
2021 marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11, a series of the terrorist attacks that shook the world, and a day that will forever be remembered as one of the most devastating and significant events in our country's history. These acts of terror drove the United States into the longest standing war, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), with millions of Americans being called to serve. Twenty years later, multiple invasions, thousands of lives lost, and trillions of dollars spent, a generation of veterans are left wondering "what the hell was it all for"? The tumultuous rapid withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan that began in July 2021, the stunning and swift collapse of local government, and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban, many current and former US Troops were pushed further into anger and depression with military suicide rates reaching an all time high.
"'Let's Talk About the War' marks a pivotal point in VET Tv's history as this is the first docuseries our platform has ever created. As we venture into this genre, we all felt passionately that it is important to let our viewers understand what our brothers and sisters who selflessly serve, protect and defend our country actually experience. We want to let people know the honest truth – as uncomfortable as it may be," said Waco Hoover, VET Tv's CEO.
Counterinsurgency (COIN), a core strategy for the war in Afghanistan, was as much of a psychological war for the servicemen as it was a strategic war for the government. Deciphering enemies from friendlies, training local army and police, dealing with leadership in equal parts omnipotent and mediocre that led to wounded and dead friends, and the acts of war themselves are a short list of examples that barely scratch the surface of the internal struggles U.S. troops endured.
This series includes in depth interviews with:
Army Veteran Nick Betts - 2005-2013, Staff Sergeant, Sniper, Government contractor
Army Veteran Jamie Goldstein - 2004 - 2011 Sergeant, co-writer, co-director – A Grunt's Life Season 2, private military Contractor, private security.
Army Veteran Matthew Griffin - 2001-2006, Captain, West Point Graduate, 2/75 Ranger, Afghanistan/Iraq Veteran, Founder of Combat Flip Flops.
Army Veteran Austin Mandlebaum - 2004-2011 Sergeant, 2/75 RANGER battalion, Government contractor.
Army Veteran Jose Martinez - 2011-2014 Specialist, Triple Amputee, Athlete – World Champion ASL surfer.
Marine Corp Veteran Donny O'Malley, 2009-2015 Captain, Founder of VET Tv and Irreverent Warriors.
Marine Corp Veteran Brandon Rumbaugh, 2007-2012 Corporal, Double amputee, Athlete, Entrepreneur.
We've heard the politicians speak, now it's time to hear our combat veterans speak - "Let's Talk About the War."
Hosted by Nick Betts, who also produced and directed, "Let's Talk About the War'' is a journey to document the unadulterated opinions of veterans who fought in the Gobal War on Terror. The docuseries explores why soldiers signed on the dotted line, the myriad of emotions they felt while serving in combat overseas, the mental and emotional toll that stays with each one of them upon their return, and what they feel now after the hasty and by many accounts, a disastrous withdrawal. "Let's Talk About the War'' is a call out to government and military leadership to closely examine and understand the consequences of their decisions. Hear the warriors, understand their pain.
"Having been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for a combined 45 months, I know what the atrocity of war looks like. I was enraged at the blatant failure of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, a cataclysmic series of events that has led so many of my friends and military colleagues to suicide. Our government needs to be held accountable for repeating the same mistakes of Vietnam. I knew that interviewing my fellow veterans for Let's Talk About the War was the best means of raising awareness, asking the hard questions and holding our country and our government accountable for a 21-year failed war that will last so much longer for so many of us. History doesn't have to repeat itself," said Betts.
The documentary compliments VET Tv's fictional recreation of Marines that fought during OEF – A Grunt's Life, a series about a Marine platoon in 2008 fighting alongside the Afghan National Police in search of a key Taliban leader. Both the docuseries and the fictional series will address counterinsurgency, working with Afghan Nationals, the psychology of killing, racism, misogyny in foreign cultures, post traumatic stress, the assimilation of combat veterans back to their pre-deployment lives, and the withdrawal of US Troops from Afghanistan. Unadulterated passion-filled veterans, share their stories.
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About Veteran Entertainment Television - VET Tv
The company, founded in 2016, is an U.S. based vertically-integrated over-the-top media service that specializes in creating, producing, self-distributing, self-financing, and marketing military comedy films and television series whose primary audience is the military and veteran community. A mission first brand, VET Tv is dedicated to improving mental health and preventing veteran suicide for the military community through humor and camaraderie.
Media Contact
Susan Madore, Guttman Associates, 1 3102464600, [email protected]
SOURCE VET TV
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