Updates
Guest blog from retired nurse Sue Nelson
Our wonderful new friend, Sue Nelson, shares her thoughts after viewing I MARRIED THE WAR at this year’s annual reunion of USAF Vietnam Security Police Association members in Phoenix, Arizona. … Read More
Story
"...a nuanced, heart-breaking, and, most of all, magnificently inspiring film.". -- Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know When the Men Are Gone
"A moving, fascinating, informative, haunting, inspiring film. It's utterly stunning.". -- Jean Hegland, author of Into the Forest
I Married the War is a documentary film giving voice to wives of combat veterans from World War II to the present-day Middle East wars. From every corner of our nation, women have waited and welcomed our warriors back from battle, only to discover that the conflict followed their husbands home.
Directed by Betty Rodgers and Ken Rodgers, the candid stories in this film bring to life the ways in which families are impacted and forever changed by the unique personal struggles, victories, and defeats experienced by our country's veterans. Hear about sharing a marriage with a WWII Medal of Honor recipient, a Vietnam War corpsman, an Iraq War survivor.
The wives in I Married the War recognize hyper-vigilance, isolation, the quick temper, and the emotional escape that are manifestations of post traumatic stress. As a result of traumatic brain injury, they have dealt with their husband's memory loss and reduced ability to express themselves. They have battled their spouses' substance abuse and survivor's guilt. They have nursed their veterans' mangled bodies.
Wives feel isolated in their personal struggles until realizing they share experiences with women and families around the nation and the world. Hear how they have learned to adapt, how some have built on their husbands' strengths, and how some have discovered their own strengths and reestablished their identities in the process.
The Wives
Terri Topmiller
I was born in 1950 in Boise, ID, and lived most of my life in the area around Boise. I have one sister (Deb) and one brother (Jim). After graduating … Read More
Sally Doell Jackson
Sally was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1929 to a close-knit, fun-loving family. Her mother was a nurse, her father a hardworking woodsman who also helped build highways, and she … Read More
Laura Daniero Nickel
Born in Athens, Greece, and raised in California, Laura Daniero Nickel is a former Army parachute rigger and former teacher of dance and fitness. A creative soul with an occasional … Read More
Gloria Jabaut
Gloria was born in 1933 in Santa Clara, California, at the home of her paternal grandparents on their 60-acre orchard. She was the only child of James S. Silva and … Read More
Carman Hinson
Carman was born in 1977 in Beaumont, Texas, to Noel and BJ Pryor. She has two younger sisters and was raised out in the country in deep Southeast Texas with … Read More
Sally Zepeda
Soila L. Zepeda (Sally) was born in Rocksprings, Texas. She grew up in this little country town. In 1969, she married Luis, the man of her dreams, and moved to … Read More
Anne Jackson
Anne Potts Jackson graduated from Texas Tech University in 1991 with a degree in Secondary Education, and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Baylor University School of Law in … Read More
Francine Jones
Francine was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she and her siblings were raised in a nurturing environment. Her father worked for the railroad. Francine married her husband, Bruce, after he … Read More
Precious R. Goodson
Precious was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She is the oldest of three siblings and was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She met her husband, Leonard, in 1998 and they were married … Read More
Stacie Vaughan
Stacie Vaughan grew up in Columbus, Indiana, with family roots still deep in Harlan, Kentucky. She was raised by a loving, tight-knit family that valued strong morals and unconditional love. … Read More
Support Us
Your support today will help this important film reach the spouses and families of combat veterans, and the general public!
I Married The War is complete. Eleven wives of combat veterans from several conflicts in American history have told their stories. The next step is distribution.
I Married the War has the potential to help thousands--if not millions--of spouses who have experienced the aftereffects of war returning with our veterans. The film offers encouragement to those spouses and families, demonstrating they are not alone in learning to adapt to the physical and mental injuries brought home from the battlefield. The broader public, which may have little direct experience with war and its aftermath, will also gain an understanding that war doesn’t necessarily end when the fighting stops. Your support now will be a powerful force in this important narrative. Supporters giving $50 or more will receive the I Married The War DVD.
There are two ways to continue to Support Us.
1) Through PayPal by clicking on the banner below. Please make sure to include your mailing address to receive any products due from your support contribution.
2) Or by mail: Please mail your check made payable to:
Syringa Cinema, LLC
PO Box 6
Vail, AZ 85641