I didn't have the privilege of attending the premier of
"Fighting for Life" at the National Air and Space Museum's IMAX Theater
in Washington, DC on May 15, 2007. The film is the brainchild of Mrs.
Tammy Alvarez, the President of "Friends of Uniformed Services
University". Filmmaker, Terry Sanders and his production team told the
story of the dedicated people of the Uniformed Services University of
the Health Sciences (USU) and the importance of the university to the
Nation and the military health system.
From the NMFA, comes the following review:
"Fighting for Life", is a powerful, sobering, and emotional feature
documentary portrait of American military medicine in a time of war,
interweaving three stories:
- Military doctors, nurses, and medics working with compassion, skill, and dedication during war.
- Wounded service members reacting with courage, dignity, and determination to survive and heal.
- USU students on their journey toward becoming military physicians.
The film also follows a 20 year-old Army Specialist Crystal Davis,
from her arrival at the field hospital in Iraq following the loss of
one leg from an Improvised Explosive Device, to her subsequent care in
Germany, and finally recovery and rehabilitation at the Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. She, along with her family,
attended the film's debut. The film's website: http://www.fightingforlifethemovie.com/
NMFA recommends making time to see this emotionally moving
documentary. The initial release of the film will take place in
November in theaters in New York. Other markets will open soon
afterward. I think it's too bad they couldn't have released it in time for Memorial Day or the 4th of July even! But, I'll be interested to see what people who have seen it think about it!
