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There is no greater truth about war than the truth that is told to us by our soldiers. I saw The Telling Project in Portland Oregon and was deeply moved. Hearing their stories about life before, during, and after war, live in a theatrical venue was transforming. The soldiers' stories of war are personal and at the same time universal and epic. Every soldier, family and community member becomes a casualty of war. We have yet to understand the profound effects of war on all of us. We should have learned from previous wars that soldiers need to tell their stories, and we need to hear them. Possibly, if we participate in these kind of homecoming rituals, we may think harder before sending more soldiers into battle, and will feel compassion when they return, and we will truly care for them. The Telling Project performs a great humanitarian service to help soldiers come home.

As a cast member of Telling: Portland, I found the entire experience to be a positive one (even the forth hour of bi-weekly rehearsal at nearly ten in the evening). It gives veterans a chance not only to share their story with the community, but also with other veterans who have had similar experiences. Ironically, some of the things I shared on stage with the general public, I had not even told my family. I first got the courage after interviewing on camera and telling my story to co-writers, Max Rayneard and Jonathan Wei. Their positive feedback made me feel comfortable enough to commit to performing. Secondly, the support of the other cast members made it that much easier to get on stage and say what I’ve wanted to say. I definitely have no regrets and would gladly do it all over again. I recommend being a part of this project for any veteran from any community.

As the spouse of a vet, an interviewee, an audience member, and a writer/performer at the Service Nation event in DC, I am deeply grateful for my involvement with Telling. I think it would not be hyperbole to say that the Telling Project has the capacity to save lives. In the age of the volunteer army and the polarized homefront, Telling provides a venue for veterans to be heard and civilians to be challenged and moved. Perhaps more importantly, it allows veterans and loved ones to navigate the haunted terrain of life in wartime with compassion, grace, and, yes, levity.

I worked closely with The Telling Project last fall when they joined us for a performance in Washington, DC. The organization I am a part of - ServiceNation - was launching its civilian-military initiative, known as Mission Serve, last Veterans Day. The Telling Project volunteered their services to perform for our audience at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, sharing the stage with First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and Mrs. Alma Powell, among others. The cast and crew of The Telling Project were truly a joy to work with. They were professional, flexible, punctual, and extremely competent. Most importantly, however, they were incredibly inspiring. They do such an amazing job of communicating the veteran and military family experience to civilians, which is at the heart of the Mission Serve experience. It was an honor to work with The Telling Project, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again.

This project began a series of good things that continues to echo and multiply far beyond the play itself---effects that reach as far inside as out. Psyches are permanently modified by the Telling. Anyone who has the capacity for compassionate insight will be a quantum leap ahead in understanding far more than just the military or combat experience. This is a microscope, and fisheye lens into aspects of life that far too many never allow themselves to glimpse. Those who do see, really see, what the Telling evokes are wiser to a degree far beyond the energy they invest. This is not to say it is easy. Being in the play was devastating for me, took me back to feelings long buried, and it was as though they were ripped from my psyche with pliers. Others saw them though, and the response has been overwhelmingly Good. It is terrible irony that in this time of unprecedented capability for communication, young people are being sent off to war by the hundred-thousands without any real concept in their minds, or the minds of the population who underwrite their military experience, what the hell they are getting into and what it portends for the rest of their lives. The commonly accepted figure at present is that we spend $1,000,000 per average soldier per year to keep them in Iraq and Afghanistan. But when they return, almost certainly wounded with PTSD if not physically, they are cut loose and have to fight disgusting, protracted bureaucratic infights for years, for the government to oh-so-reluctantly surrender any benefits. It is the continuing curse of the Vietnam war, it projects into the future of the young women and men who serve now. It is a cancer on our society, bringing conflict home to visit our families and our social fabric. The Telling Project provides an extremely effective way for us to continue to serve our country and our fellow citizens. It should be required for every one of us.