It’s almost impossible to put into words the complexities of PTSD from a veteran’s point of view. But U.S. Army veteran Jaymes Poling and director of Cleveland’s Tri-C Jazz Fest, Dominick Farinacci, teamed up in 2017 to express it beyond words.
Their project, Modern Warrior Live, is a one-hour immersive film that blends spoken word, personal stories and an emotional original soundtrack that helps bring awareness to the many issues veterans face such as mental health, trauma and transitioning back to everyday life.
Poling, who himself is an 82nd Airborne veteran, shares his own stories of living through three deployments in Afghanistan and his transition back home in Ohio. His words, combined with a series of musical pieces, songs and visual lighting, create a projection of veterans’ stories that are often the hardest to bring forward.
“The other day, my mom asked me how I found peace. Maybe I found it in wanting to share it,” Poling recounts in the film. “I can’t help but think there are individuals out there who need to know that growth is possible. They need to know that society can be wrong when it assigns labels to survivors based on the trauma we survive.”
The production, which was originally staged before the pandemic and was performed more than 120 times across the United States, aims to not only create a space for veterans’ stories to be heard, but also for family members, friends and members of the community to understand the complicated truth many have to go through. The show is available to stream for free between now and through Nov. 14.
For more information: modernwarriorlive.org
