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Sales of Iraq documentary DVD will benefit Fisher House
Stars and Stripes
Leo Shane III
05.11.05
WASHINGTON - Retired Army Capt. Jonathan Powers said he was moved by the
documentary "Gunner Palace," which followed his 2nd Field Artillery Battalion
through Iraq in May 2003.
And in his eyes, it's even more emotional now that proceeds from the DVD will
help families of soldiers injured in war zones.
On Tuesday, the film's production company announced it would donate $10,000
and a portion of the DVD sales to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides
housing for families of wounded and ill soldiers.
James Weiskopf, spokesman for the Fisher House Foundation, said the pledge is
the first his group has seen from a production company and praised the donation
as an important aid for injured soldiers.
The foundation currently has 33 housing facilities, and five more that are
planned will be set aside for OIF and OEF families only, Weiskopf said. Ground
has been broken for houses in Washington, Florida and Kentucky, and construction
is expected to start in California and Texas later this year.
The DVD will sell for $24.99, with 25 cents from each movie sold donated to
the Fisher House. Palm Pictures' general manager Lisa Nishimura said the company
is currently in negotiations to sell the DVD at military exchanges, including
those in Iraq.
The film contrasts the lavish living quarters of the battalion ‹ based at
Odai Hussein's Azimiya Palace ‹ with the harsh realities of life in a war zone.
Filmmaker Michael Tucker spent two months with the unit, and has spent the last
year touring the country with the documentary.
Tucker said so far the film hasn't been screened for troops in Iraq ‹ a few
media- only screenings have been held in the Middle East ‹ but he is excited for
the chance for those servicemembers to see the documentary.
"When we screened the film at Fort Benning (Ga.), the soldiers there were
very moved but they also saw things that no one else did, and laughed at things
that other people didn't think were funny," he said. "It's an honest portrayal.
"Civilians, when they see this film, they still aren't really connected to
it. The families and soldiers, this is their life."
The DVD will reach stores June 28.
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