A documentary about the injury and recovery of a Fort Bragg soldier who lost his limbs in Afghanistan will be shown on Fort Bragg as part of a larger film festival.
GI Film Group will air "Travis: A Soldier's Story" and several other military films Oct. 4 before showing "GI Joe: Retaliation."
The screening, part of the group's Military Base Road Show, will be on Fort Bragg's Main Post Parade Field.
Other films that will be shown, starting about 7:15 p.m., include "Last Call," "Nothing Real," "The Jockstrap Raiders" and "Spitfire 944."
Food and drinks will be sold on the parade field.
"Travis: A Soldier's Story" will be shown at 8:15 p.m., just before the feature film.
The movie tells the story of Staff Sgt. Travis Mills, an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper who lost his arms and legs in Afghanistan in 2012 while serving with the 4th Brigade Combat Team near Kandahar.
Mills helped debut the movie in Fayetteville last year, when it was shown at Carmike 12 theaters in Westwood Shopping Center.
The wounded warrior received a hero's welcome at that premiere, with hundreds attending.
At the time of the premiere, Mills was one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The soldier has insisted that he is not a hero and that he does not deserve any more praise than other soldiers, but he received a standing ovation when he was introduced before the film.
"My story's just one of so many," Mills said at the time. "But I was really nervous about showing it here."
He said he hoped his story would not discourage anyone from joining the Army or deploying.
"I'm one of five out of the millions and millions who served overseas," he said.
The film, an hourlong feature, was produced by the nonprofit organization Fotolanthropy.
Those who saw the film last year called Mills' recovery inspiring and deserving of the local and national support it has garnered.
Some soldiers said Mills has reached "legend" status on Fort Bragg.
In the film, soldiers describe Mills as being fearless in a gunfight, selfless and "always happy."
He was wounded during what was meant to be a quick, routine mission after setting off the bomb when he laid down a bag. The blast severed his limbs and wounded other soldiers with shrapnel.
The film also shows the reaction that Mills, his wife, Kelsey, and his friends had to his injuries and chronicles his rehabilitation.
It was filmed over five days near Fort Bragg and in Texas and also features a re-enactment of the blast and family videos shot with Kelsey's cellphone.
Mills was medically retired from the Army and has since started his own nonprofit organization, the Travis Mills Foundation, with the goal of assisting wounded and injured veterans.
©2014 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Visit The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at www.fayobserver.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
No comments:
Post a Comment