The movie, Faith of Our Fathers, is set in the middle of the Vietnam War, which waged for nearly 30 years. Find out if it is appropriate for your kids to see.
I grew up in an era where the headlines were always centered on a bloody conflict in a far away, little known Asian country called Vietnam. In school, we learned where Vietnam was on the world map. And, every night on the news, there it was again. It became almost like a buzzing fly in the background – barely noticed, ignored, but always present. So like many others, I disregarded the war as something that had no bearing on my life. In high school, the draft lottery became the focus of young men’s lives. High number, low number, what would it be? And after high school, many of my friends and boyfriends were conscripted to serve in the Armed Forces, and eventually sent to Vietnam.
Vietnam was a hard, dangerous war. As America began to lose more and more sons, our country began to question our role in the conflict. And the servicemen became a symbol of a hated war. So while Hollywood continued to produce good, well-loved movies about WWII, stories about Vietnam were unthinkable, taboo, and out-of-bounds. And a whole generation of service veterans were shunned and shamed. But now, finally after 50 years, the stories about the Vietnam era are finally being told and our veterans can finally hold their heads up and be proud of their service to our country and the world.
I was invited to attend the media screening of Faith of Our Fathers, a Christian faith-based movie. Set in 1969, in the middle of some of the worst fighting in the Vietnam jungle, the actions and emotions of our fighting soldiers have not been sugar coated or shrouded with smiles and jokes in this movie. In a theater full of former soldiers, the scenes of hard conditions, hard battles, and hard deaths stirred up long buried emotions and memories. I was moved to tears as I remembered friends returning with missing limbs, wounded souls, and damaged minds, or lying in flag draped coffins.
While these same emotions may not be evoked in younger generations, the hard conditions, hard battles, and hard deaths are powerfully told. Faith of Our Fathers is the story of two war buddies who support each other through brutal battles for their lives in the jungle and through heart wrenching struggles for their souls in heaven. Many years later, the stereotyped sons of these ill-fated soldiers meet; and together, they undertake a clichéd, harebrained journey to find their fathers’ names on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington D.C. Their eventual visit to the Wall is sterile and anti-climactic. Children will find the antics of the sons funny; but the depictions of the war might be hard.
Synopsis from website:
About Faith Of Our Fathers
With the Vietnam War raging in 1969, two young fathers report for duty. A man of great faith and a doubtful cynic. A quarter-century later, their sons, Wayne and John Paul, meet as strangers.
Guided by handwritten letters from their fathers from the battlefield, they embark on an unforgettable journey to The Wall—the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Along the way, they discover the devastation of war cannot break the love of a father for his son. FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: a story of fatherhood; a journey of brotherhood.
Starring Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Downes, David A.R. White, Rebecca St. James, with Si Robertson and Candace Cameron Bure.
FAITH OF OUR FATHERS opens in theaters Wednesday, July 1, 2015.
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend the media screening event as a representative of East Valley Mom Guide.
