The War at Home,a documentary made by the Norwich University television studio, will be broadcasted on both Vermont and New Hampshire Public Television near Veterans Day weekend, according to a professor of communications.
“The War at Home will air several times around Veterans Day on Vermont and New Hampshire Public Television. New Hampshire Television is paying for it to be professionally close-captioned. We have also created several commercials for New Hampshire Public Television to air,” said Bill Estill, professor of communications at Norwich.
In the documentary, “most of the veterans and soldiers are either from Vermont or are an alumni or students at Norwich,” said Suzanne Whitaker, a 21-year-old junior communications major from Chelmsford, Mass.
“Although Norwich has lost students and graduates in the War on Terror, the story of The War at Home is critically important to our students, graduates and alumni,” Estill said. “Norwich has sent many students to Iraq and Afghanistan.”
It is the student producers hope that The War at Home will help veterans and families everywhere.
The War at Home is a follow up to the award winning Vermont Fallen, which covered the subject of families who had lost a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The War at Home is the most ambitious documentary we’ve ever produced. On Vermont Fallen, we were really driven by the families and became a vehicle for their expression of personal grief and tribute to their loved ones,” Estill said.
This documentary focuses more on adjustment and issues that veterans may have, instead of a tribute.
“The War at Home took two years to complete. This project has attracted very little media attention compared with Vermont Fallen. We spent the summer trying to get people interested in it,” Estill said. “It was picked up by the Pentagon Channel and aired approximately 10 times to military bases all over the world and 50 cables systems in the United States.”
“It is estimated that it has been viewed by 7 million people on the Pentagon Channel,” Estill said.
In December, there will be 1,500 Vermonters returning from service in Afghanistan, including about 75 Norwich students.
To learn more about The War at Home or receive a copy, contact the NU television studio at 802-485-2022.