Operation Homecoming Directed by Richard E. Robbins, 2007

This pioneering film illuminates the extraordinary experiences of American servicemen and women through their own powerful stories. Based on the acclaimed NEA-sponsored book of the same name, this “eloquent and moving” (Entertainment Weekly) film offers a profound look at the lives of those serving in America’s armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Distinguished actors like Robert Duvall, Beau Bridges, and Aaron Eckhart give voice to the poems, stories, essays, letters, and journal entries of people on the frontlines. Weaving these dramatic readings with interviews with their authors, OPERATION HOMECOMING transforms the written word into a living, breathing look at the human side of America’s current military conflicts. An honest and intensely personal look at war through firsthand accounts, this groundbreaking documentary adds depth to individual experiences by looking at them within the context of the long and venerable tradition of war writing. By turns “poetic, comic, and chilling” (Variety), this film gives voice to those heroes who have served and wish to share their experiences with the world.