Had to Be Productions

Written and performed by
Anthony Curry and Carrie Gibson

Directed by John Vreeke

Into the Fire is an exploration of our returning vets with disabilities and combat related trauma and their stories as they integrate into their families, communities, educational institutions and the workforce. Many employers and educators are anticipating the opportunities as well as the challenges that may occur when including our returning veterans. The actor/playwrights will recreate the stories of both male and female Veterans who have returned from Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. There will also be an exploration of the generational effects of the war experience on the children and families of our veterans. Specific disabilities include: post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, loss of limbs, chronic pain, and mobility challenges. Humor and music will be interspersed throughout the play allowing the participants to digest and process these powerful stories. The audience will meet people who will elicit a wide variety of emotional responses and thoughts designed to create awareness, empathy, and new ways to respond to veterans as they rejoin our workforce and communities.

The Workshop:

Following the play the actor/playwrights will facilitate an interactive discussion with the participants using their emotional reactions to the play as a springboard to examine the effects of war on their communities and ways to create meaningful opportunities for our returning veterans.

[Show as slideshow]

The Objectives:

To gain an understanding of the challenges that face our veterans with disabilities
To eliminate the barriers in the workplace and the community that permit exclusion
To explore issues of access and inclusion
To encourage the participants to take an active role in the reintegration of our veterans with disabilities
To explore and affirm the concept of human dignity

The following people were interviewed for the play:

Chili Hicks

Dr. Mike Colson

Kelly Lanctot

Mandy Martin and Mike Friend

Michael Braden

Richard Rolls

Robynn Murray

Ryan Herring*

Steve and Lisa Tice

National Internet Resources for Veterans

The National Resource Directory:
An Online Partnership for Wounded, Ill and Injured Service Members, Veterans, Their Families and Those Who Support Them.http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.org

TheFrontlines.com
A comprehensive website for veterans that includes resources and forums for veterans for veterans to share their stories.

Veterans Village San Diego
VVSD is the only program of its kind and is nationally recognized as the leader in serving homeless military veterans. Comprehensive long term treatment for addiction and co-occurring disorders.

http://www.vvsd.net

Battlemind Training:
This is an excellent website that assists our transitioning warriors as well as provides a framework for understanding behaviors that may appear in our classrooms and on our college campuses.
https://www.battlemind.army.mil/

Wounded Warrior Programs:
Wounded Warrior resources for Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and more.
http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/combat2college/WoundedWarriorResources.html

Transition Assistance Program:
You will find many handbooks and resources to include the newly DOD/VA released, compensation and benefits handbook.www.transitionassistanceprogram.com/register.tpp

US Dept of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC, VA Medical Center:
www.washingtondc.va.gov

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the Uniformed Services University Health Sciences, Center for Traumatic Stress Studies, have teamed up to develop a website to provide important resources and materials to assist active duty and veterans and their families make successful transitions throughout deployment and returning home. http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=ctr_top_military

Military OneSource link
http://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/home.aspx

US Department of Veterans Affairs
National Center for PTSD Transitional Page
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.jsp
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/videos/emv_newwarr_vets.html
See the streaming video narrated by Jane Pauley

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
http://www.dvbic.org/
http://www.dvbic.org/cms.php?p=Education

Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF)
http://www.oefoif.va.gov/

Brain Injury Association of America
“TBI – The Invisible Injury”
http://www.biausa.org/elements/pdfs/invisible_dod_qxp.pdf
http://www.biausa.org/media.htm#position

The Soldiers Project
Free, confidential psychological counseling for soldiers and their families
http://www.thesoldiersproject.org/

Treating the Invisible Wounds of War- an online course
www.aheconnect.com/citizensoldier/ code: AOSNCA25