Thank You for Your Service

Thank You for Your Service is a 2015 documentary film by Tom Donahue that focuses on our superficial understanding of war trauma and the failed policies that result. Observing the systemic neglect, the film argues for significant internal change and offers a roadmap for hope. The film premiered at DOC NYC in November 2015. Synopsis Thank You for Your Service chronicles mental health amongst U.S. military veterans. The film interweaves the stories of four struggling Iraq War veterans with candid interviews of top military and civilian leaders. Among the interviewees are Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Generals David Petraeus and Loree Sutton, Sebastian Junger, Nicholas Kristof, Dexter Filkins, General Peter Chiarelli, Gary Sinise, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, Senator Patty Murray, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Colonels Larry Wilkerson and Dave Sutherland. Called “gut-wrenching” and “important” by The New York Times, the film is an examination of failed mental health policy in the U.S. military. The film argues the creation of a Behavioral Health Corps is necessary to ensure accountability in the military chain of command toward mental health. Release Thank You for Your Service, premiered at DOC NYC in November 2015. A CreativeChaos vmg production, the film was produced by Ilan Arboleda, Tom Donahue, and Matt Tyson in association with the Sprayregen Family Foundation and Regina K. Scully & Artemis Rising Foundation (The Invisible War, The Hunting Ground), executive-produced by Gerald Sprayregen and co-executive produced by Regina K. Scully. It won Best Documentary at the 2016 G.I. Film Festival and the Impact Award at the 2016 Illuminate Film Festival. G.I. Film Festival Co-Founder Laura Law-Millett called it "one of the most powerful, impactful films I have ever seen."