When I Came Home
Encyclopedia
When I Came Home is a 2006
documentary
directed by Dan Lohaus about homeless veterans in the United States
- from those who served in Vietnam
to those returning from the Iraq War. The film won the "New York Loves Film Best Documentary" Award at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
.
The film looks at the challenges faced by returning combat veterans and the battle many must fight against the Veterans Administration
for the benefits promised to them. Through the story of Herold Noel, an Iraq War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
and living out of his car in Brooklyn, When I Came Home reveals a failing system and the veteran's struggle to survive after returning from war. The film reports that as of March 2006, 500 Iraq War veterans are homeless.
In addition to Noel, Paul Rieckhoff
the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
(IAVA), makes several appearances in the film. Rachel Maddow
and Chuck D
, talk radio
hosts of the Air America Radio
network, also make a brief appearances in the film.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Dan Lohaus about homeless veterans in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- from those who served in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to those returning from the Iraq War. The film won the "New York Loves Film Best Documentary" Award at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.
The film looks at the challenges faced by returning combat veterans and the battle many must fight against the Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
for the benefits promised to them. Through the story of Herold Noel, an Iraq War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
and living out of his car in Brooklyn, When I Came Home reveals a failing system and the veteran's struggle to survive after returning from war. The film reports that as of March 2006, 500 Iraq War veterans are homeless.
In addition to Noel, Paul Rieckhoff
Paul Rieckhoff
Paul Rieckhoff is a veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He is the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America . He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from active...
the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , is an advocacy group dedicated to United States veterans of the War in Iraq and War in Afghanistan. The group claims to be the nation's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans...
(IAVA), makes several appearances in the film. Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
and Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
, talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
hosts of the Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
network, also make a brief appearances in the film.
- MPAA rating: not rated
- Running time: 70 minutes
See also
- Veterans AdministrationUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
- HomelessnessHomelessnessHomelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
- VeteranVeteranA veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...