About His Experience At The DC Premiere of MERITxZOE

We received a surprise this Veterans Day from one of our Legion M Ambassadors, Bret Farritor. Bret is a veteran in the Legion M community who attended the DC premiere of MERITxZOE, the short film by Iraq war veteran Kyle Hausmann-Stokes (which Legion M is developing into a feature film entitled My Dead Friend Zoe). MERITxZOE tells the story of Kyle’s personal journey with PTSD following his time in the armed forces. Bret traveled more than 6 hours from his home in upstate New York to attend the premiere with his father in Washington D.C., and he chronicled his experience in a letter to the Legion. It’s a moving and inspiring piece and we’re proud to share it with you.

It is a rare opportunity to experience something unique, encompassing personal passions and struggles. It is undeniably rewarding when this is a shared experience. As was the case when I had the privilege to attend the east coast premiere of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ movie on military PTS, [MERITxZOE] at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. as a Legion M Ambassador.

The premiere was my first event as a Legion M Ambassador and the first time I attended a premier. I received an email from Ambassadors Program Manager Ramona Snyder inquiring if I would be interested. After working out some logistics, I made the 6-hour drive from my home in upstate New York down to D.C. Ramona had reached out to me as I am medically retired from the US Army, and she thought it a perfect fit given the film’s subject matter. She was right.

[MERITxZOE] is based on writer-director [Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’] real-world experiences as an Army paratrooper in Iraq and his continuing journey home. I say continuing journey home as many of us veterans who have deployed overseas are, even decades later, still on that journey. Too many of us never get there. This is not a war movie, heroic or otherwise, nor is it some dark and foreboding tale of the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life after coming home from war. It is Kyle’s personal story, as he has interpreted it for us to share. It is funny, unique, and hits the right notes. Frankly, it’s fantastic. Morgan Dixon, Haskiri Velazquez, and Tucker Smallwood, himself a decorated Vietnam veteran, turned in outstanding performances.

I don’t talk much about my PTS, even with my family. I have physical injuries that provide me and those around me a daily reminder, and I continue to do the work with my VA providers. I decided ten years ago to focus my professional life on veteran social work, and today I work for the state of New York, helping fellow veterans from the Vietnam War to the present. In helping my brothers and sisters day in and day out, I help myself. Not every veteran who deployed has PTS, nor is PTS exclusive to combat veterans.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the military, PTS, and mental health. Veterans, as well as civilians who contend with behavioral health issues, each have their unique story. Kyle was gracious enough to share his with us in a format that is equally accessible and entertaining. More importantly, it opens the door to dialogue within the veteran space and a bridge between the civilian world. Knowing this, I invited my father to the premiere as my guest. This created an opportunity for the two of us to talk.

I was honored to attend the premiere and am very excited about Legion M’s feature development of My Dead Friend Zoe. As a fan-owned entertainment company, Legion M allows this story to be conveyed to a global audience. It’s exciting, essential, and for many of us, personal. It truly is what Legion M is all about. Legion M allows us to tell the stories we want across the broadest arc possible. We are Legion M!

Thank you Bret for sharing your experience with us, and thank you to all the veterans in the Legion who have served (and continue to serve) in our armed forces.

If you would like to learn more about the feature film My Dead Friend Zoe or to listen to a message from writer/director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes about the film, visit the website here.

If you would like to become a Legion M Ambassador, sign up today!