Where soldiers come from

Filmmaker Heather Courtney follows three friends as they go from teenagers with few prospects to military veterans in this documentary. Matt Beaudoin, Dominic Fredianelli, and Cole Smith have known each other since they were kids growing up in Hancock, a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Hancock is in an economic slump that's made it difficult to find work and none of the guys can afford college on their own, so not long after graduating from high school, they sign up for the National Guard in hopes of earning money for school. Just as they expected, the three young men are promptly called up for military service, and Where Soldiers Come From follows them as they receive their basic training and are sent to Afghanistan, patrolling roadways looking for improvised explosive devices. The film charts their evolving attitudes about the war and American foreign policy as they see how it works up close, as well as their sometimes tense relationships with their families, who aren't certain the young men will ever come home. Director Courtney also documents the soldiers' return to civilian life and the differences their years in uniform have made. Where Soldiers Come From won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Editing at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival.

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"Filmmaker Heather Courtney follows three friends as they go from teenagers with few prospects to military veterans in this documentary. Matt Beaudoin, Dominic Fredianelli, and Cole Smith have known each other since they were kids growing up in Hancock, a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Hancock is in an economic slump that's made it difficult to find work and none of the guys can afford college on their own, so not long after graduating from high school, they sign up for the National Guard in hopes of earning money for school. Just as they expected, the three young men are promptly called up for military service, and Where Soldiers Come From follows them as they receive their basic training and are sent to Afghanistan, patrolling roadways looking for improvised explosive devices. The film charts their evolving attitudes about the war and American foreign policy as they see how it works up close, as well as their sometimes tense relationships with their families, who aren't certain the young men will ever come home. Director Courtney also documents the soldiers' return to civilian life and the differences their years in uniform have made. Where Soldiers Come From won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Editing at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival."@en
"In Michigan's snowy Upper Peninsula, job opportunities are few, and friends are usually for life. For Dominic Fredianelli and his high school buddies, joining the National Guard offered a $20,000 windfall and assistance with college tuition--all for only one weekend a month. Little did they know. This documentary follows three of these young men over four eventful years: through basic training and a 2009 deployment to an explosives unit in Afghanistan; to visits with their families while they are overseas; and the rocky return home, without commentary. Focusing on the reverberations of war in small, close-knit communities the film offers a commentary on class, as the real cost of distant political decisions are illuminated, as well as the shame of a country with little to offer its less fortunate young people than a ticket to a battlefield."
"In Michigan's snowy Upper Peninsula, job opportunities are few, and friends are usually for life. For Dominic Fredianelli and his high school buddies, joining the National Guard offered a $20,000 windfall and assistance with college tuition--all for only one weekend a month. Little did they know. This documentary follows three of these young men over four eventful years: through basic training and a 2009 deployment to an explosives unit in Afghanistan; to visits with their families while they are overseas; and the rocky return home, without commentary. Focusing on the reverberations of war in small, close-knit communities the film offers a commentary on class, as the real cost of distant political decisions are illuminated, as well as the shame of a country with little to offer its less fortunate young people than a ticket to a battlefield."@en