New Veteran TV Series Focuses on the Positive

Growing Home is about US Veterans farming, working the land and winning at life.

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As a television and video producer, I think a lot about the power of media to shape our culture. With my work, I have always tried to create content that shows the brighter side of humanity. When I began producing the 13-episode TV doc-series ‘Growing Home’ about US Veterans farming, working the land, and winning at life, I honestly had no idea of the rich treasure of inspiration I was stumbling into.

I expected that the people we would be interviewing would be polite and friendly, but I had no idea that I would find the hearts of true servants among these Veterans. Every single person that we interviewed had a passion for continuing to serve their fellow Veteran brothers and sisters, unlike anything I had ever witnessed. There are a lot of subcultures in our society, but I have never encountered one with such fundamental care, one for another. Most groups seem to have commonality around similar likes or passions. The Veterans we met seemed to have a commonality around – “I got your back.”

Growing Home aired on NBC affiliates across the state of Maine. The response from viewers told us that they too could see this remarkable care. Some called it “The greatest feel-good show around.” Another viewer said, “We are re-watching all the episodes to capture the thread of inclusiveness and care we all talk about.” Each program begins and ends with a message from Clint Bruce, a former Navy Seal & NFL player. Clint is a powerful speaker who travels continuously. He uses talking points from each Veteran story and challenges the viewer to live a more fulfilled life.

Whether it was Paul and Dee House, who lost their son in combat – only to turn their pain into outreach for helping Veterans to heal. Or Robert Foley, a former Navy Seal who has outlived doctors’ expectations and now spends his life helping suicidal Veterans to keep living. Or Walter Green-Morse, who survived a combat injury in Iraq, fought through three years at Walter Reed, re-learned how to use the left side of his body, now has two beautiful children, and operates a homestead farm with his resilient wife Aaron. These people are winners. They are givers. They are inspirational, And, I am sure, they are just the tip of the iceberg among the Veteran community.



You see, I am not a Veteran. I am a storyteller. My father and three uncles all served, some non-combat and some in Vietnam. They never talked much about their experiences and I never prodded. But, I do believe that within them, like with the Veterans we met in making this show, lies a learned lesson they learned of caring for others. This is a lesson the rest of us could use a healthy dose of. It is one that needs to be on our hearts and within our conversations. Our society fights the battles that all others have fought before. We fight the persistent fear that pulls us into a selfish mindset of “looking out for number one”.

I am a big believer in highlighting the positive. What we talk about, becomes our reality. What we bring to the forefront of our attention, we are conscious of. There is a tremendous amount of good inside people if we look. I have seen that the Veterans we met have a sense of selflessness built into their foundation. It is this that makes them successful, even if they struggle. It is this that we need to see more of. It is this ability to care for one another, fight for one another, to stand with one another that makes us special. It is this that makes us people worth telling stories about.

Full episodes of Growing Home can be seen at www.growinghomeshow.com

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Arizona State University (ASU) @ 411 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004 permits Mexican/Hispanic/Chicana/Latino, etc. fascists (who nightly cut/push in front of/force to move for contraptions, etc. Americans in line to an overflow outside of the Andre House) to use it’s post offices to force American postal service employees to suck/lick their genitalia to show the employees who is in charge, and at some point, to force the employees to pay the fascists’ bills, while ASU helps perpetuate the massive cover-up that the above minorities are being profiled by every American mark including the postal service employees and the/authorities.

    The fascists do the same to homeless American Veterans. They are told to have their mail sent to the following address:

    (Veteran Name)
    232 S 12th Ave
    Phoenix, AZ 85007-3101

    so the fascists can withhold the Veterans’ mail from the government as part of an elaborate process to steal/extort/rob them blind of their benefits/savings which includes forcing the Veterans to perform the same sex acts as above; this process not uncommonly resulting in the Veterans’ premature/physical demise, while everyone implies publicly that the Veterans are traitors/fascists themselves/files complaints to this effect – courtesy of Ms Lovato!

    https://veteranstoday.com/2013/09/02/homelessness-among-veterans-self-inflicted-or-government-betrayal/

  2. That is a very good intention. I applaud your work before checking it out and there is a great need for it.
    “This is a lesson the rest of us could use a healthy dose of.”
    How much is a “healthy dose” , is a question not yet answered. I will provide a contrarian response.
    This aspect of humanity is quickly targeted and gobbled up by corporate and military. This is why it is lacking in the community and subtracting it from the fabric of society causes many ills. This group is constantly taken advantage of by politicians who seek to further their gains by way of attachment. There are always a group of leaders, military or corporate who are disproportionately rewarded and advance very deadly agendas by promoting the positive aspects of the people who are serving under them. So, please add a little pepper anytime they are used for production and include the abuses, such as illegal wars, denial of truth to families of the dead, and the malicious recruitment tactics and “control systems” that target their beliefs to gain every ounce of the positive energy they provide to the community. It is a loss in the sense of community, that causes an imbalance when these leave or are lured away. This is precisely why, when examined, it is labeled a “Need”.
    The healthy dose, is the amount every community has before it is taken.

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