Brothers After War Movie and Seminar Coming to Fort Smith
Join us for an unforgettable experience that gives Service Members and their families tools to navigate the unique stressors of military life, all while honoring the resilience, sacrifice, and hope of our warfighters.
Brothers After War, a film from Executive Producer Gary Sinise, follows Jake Rademacher as he reconnects with his brothers and the elite Soldiers and Marines he embedded with during the Iraq War. Through past and present footage, the film offers an insightful, humorous, and deeply moving look at warfighters navigating loss, meaning, and hope as they transition from warfighter to veteran.
The Brothers at War Workshop, created by Jake Rademacher, gets ahead of the stressors Service Members and their families face, focusing on post-traumatic growth through an insider’s perspective. Since 2011, over 40,000 Service Members and Families have participated.
“Brothers at War” Resilience Workshop
The documentary film Brothers at War, in which Jake Rademacher risks everything - including his life - to tell the story of his two Soldier brothers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan serves as the catalyst. In addition to providing an up close and personal view of our Service Members at war, the film is a deeply personal view of a family divided, but ultimately profoundly bonded by the crucible of war. The Brothers at War Resilience Workshop integrates multimedia, journaling, instruction and group participation to break down barriers and start the reintegration process for Service Members and their Families.
Emotional Ice Breaker
The film makes tough subjects easier to talk about. Brothers at War and its DVD extras emotionally jumpstart the Workbook session by allowing participants to get to the heart of the matter quickly. The Companion Workbooks provide a place for Veterans and Family members to record their thoughts and feelings privately. During the group conversation, Service Members and Families learn they are not alone in the issues they face.
Effective Healing Tool
“I can categorically state that the Brothers at War documentary is the most honest, effective and comprehensive overview of the individual and family experience as it relates to the modern deployment cycle. The idea that this movie “softens the target” to erode barriers and decrease the stigma of seeking help is an important outcome. The Companion Workbook takes it a step further and acts as a catalyst to stimulate in-depth discussions potentially to prevent illness from beginning in the first place.”-- Major Scott Williams, MD, Psychiatrist for 1ID, US Army
Extremely Popular With Participants
Service and Family Members find the program “honest, worthwhile, engaging, deep, powerful, strong, sympathetic, and energized”, with 94% willing to recommend it to others.
Stigma Reduction
For those who need it, the sense of “uniqueness” and stigma are dissipated so that the individual feels that their emotions, and thoughts are common and can be helped by the Psychological, Medical, and Spiritual resources available. They are primed with greater awareness, and counselor utilization has increased after workshops.
Healing Extends Beyond the Workshop
The DVD is taken home to help educate extended family members, co-workers, and other members of the community who constitute the Service Member and their Family’s support groups. The Companion Workbook can be used at home, and accessed in any needed counseling sessions, and preserved as a keepsake from this critical period of their lives.
Customization & Collaboration
We have a Pre Deployment, Post Deployment, and Resilience Workshop, which we customize as we collaborate with your team to fulfill the needs of your organization and event.
Workshops Conducted for:
• Workshops conducted for 10 National Guard States Jake Rademacher has conducted Post-Deployment, and Pre-Deployment Workshops since 2012 for over 15,000 Service and Family Members, working with the Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Virginia, and Missouri National Guard & National Air Guard
• Air Force Special Operations & Air Force Resiliency Workshops conducted for hundreds of Airmen and their Families of the 137h Special Operation Wing and at Shaw AFB.
• Marines Workshop conducted at Camp Pendleton
• Army Reserves Integrated into the Army Reserve’s Yellow Ribbon Program serving a seven state region. Rated by participants an average 4.8 out of 5 (Excellent), their highest rated program ever.
• 18th Airborne Command Leadership Jake Rademacher conducted workshop for LTG Joseph Anderson, his Command Staff and their spouses during their post deployment retreat
• Army Pilot Program sponsored by Gary Sinise and TriWest. Over 2000 Service and Family Members participated in events at FT Riley, FT Hood, FT Campbell, FT Bliss and FT Carson. Multiple Workshops conducted at FT Belvoir for Wounded Warrior Brigade & Cadre.
• Veterans Administration, Los Angeles Jake Rademacher conducted workshop for Veterans with severe PTS & Alcohol/Drug Issues
• USO NC sponsored Workshops for Army, Marines, Air Force & National Guard Jake Rademacher conducted multiple workshops every for every branch of the military.
• Navy Naval Combat and Operational Stress Control Conference screening of Brothers at War and Q&A with Jake Rademacher, and one-hour interactive session
• Defense Centers of Excellence Warrior Resiliency Conference evening program, panel discussion & subject of DCoE Study
Highlights:
• DOD sponsored Baghdad screening for General Petraeus’ Public Affairs and National Guard
• Awarded “Best Documentary” at the GI Film Festival
• Samuel Goldwyn Films theatrical release expands to over 60 cities generating 900 Press hits
• Screenings of Brothers at War raise $250,000 for Veteran and Military Family Causes
• Brothers at War DVD sells out on Military bases in its 1st week in release
• Brothers at War DVD becomes the #1 best selling war documentary released in six years
• Showtime Television début on Memorial Day, 2010, due to its popularity, airs a hundred times
• Released in the UK, Middle East, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Indonesia
• Keynote Speaker at UTARI Symposium on PTS, and Speaker at numerous conferences on PTS
• Awarded an Innovation Grant by USC Center for Innovation and Research
Companion Workbooks:
In writing the Brothers at War Companion Workbooks, Jake collaborated with his producing partner, Norman S. Powell, and utilized techniques developed during interviews with over 43 deployed Service Members, and his family members at home. The graphic design and editing were done by Ellen Levine, M.S., Mental Health and Art Therapy.
