WHAT I WANT
YOU TO KNOW
A gripping, intimate documentary film about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
With searing candor, veterans share personal stories from their deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and explore the tragedy of their wars.
Read our newest review in the Journal of Veteran Studies:
“In less than 90 minutes, the documentary presents the often-overlooked perspectives of 13 American veterans, who critically reflect on their lived experiences in post 9/11 warzones. Interspersed with frequent cuts to raw wartime photos and videos, the film transports viewers in a right-seat-ride alongside veterans as they recount a shared quest for truth and justice in the backdrop of traumatic overseas experiences. Early on, participants describe an unflinching sense of pride in joining the military in response to political narratives about the mission to defend the nation’s core democratic freedoms in the wake of 9/11. This conviction is soon tempered by contrary realities on the ground overseas.”
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“This film is essential viewing for everyone, but it is particularly important for young adults who may have little ‘lived memory’ of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Dr Jennifer Yoder
Professor of Government and Global Studies
Colby College
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“Good strategy should lead to a better state of peace. What this amazingly powerful film puts into question is whether the US wars of the last 2 decades ever came close to that goal”
Gregory Daddis
US Army veteran (Colonel, retired)
Command Historian to the US Multi-National Corps-Iraq, Baghdad
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“As a psychotherapist, I have worked with multiple veterans who have suffered physical, psychological and moral injuries as a result of their deployments… This film can help those veterans understand that they are not alone.”
Robyn Belcher, LCPC
Maine
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“As a veteran of the Afghan War, What I Want You To Know is now my go-to for explaining to my fellow citizens and veterans that the GWOT [Global War On Terrorism] was deeply unjust and wasteful.”
Sergeant Zachary Guiliano
US Army 2011-2016, Jalalabad, Afghanistan 2013
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“…the film shows that many veterans still care deeply about the military and its mission of defending America. They simply hope that policymakers will think more deeply about the suffering that results from our country’s wars of choice.”
Connor Echols
Responsible Statecraft
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“This is a brilliant documentary film. What I Want You To Know embodies what a lot of us GWOT veterans know deep down about our deployments, but haven't said out loud.”
Tom Mannion
Veteran (3/6 Marines, Iraq 2005, 2007)
New Hampshire State Representative
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“This film delivers profoundly honest veteran experiences that are usually spoken about only in private, and are too often drowned out even now.”
Dr Cathal J Nolan
Boston University Professor of History
Author of Mercy: Humanity in War (Oxford, 2023)
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“One of the most important documentaries of our time. It’s the most comprehensive look that I’ve ever seen at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, provided by the soldiers who served on the ground in those wars. It elevates the voices of soldiers from all branches of service, from across the ranks, which is hard to find.”
Dr Ben Schrader
Director, Adult Learner and Veteran Services
Colorado State University
Veteran, 1st Inf Div, Iraq 2004-2005
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“The film's depiction of moral injury provided invaluable perspective on the tragedy of war to students on campus and members of our community."
Elizabeth Buttil
Assistant Director, Ashland Center for Nonviolence
Ashland University
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"What I Want You To Know is an important film that gives civilians a window into the life-changing impact of military moral injury.”
Dr. Nancy Ramsay
Director of the Soul Repair Center
Brite Divinity School
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”A thoughtful, fearless documentary… the stories it features are too important not to be heard.”
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