Private Screening Turns Up the Heat in Washington
The Nation’s Capital was sweltering last week...Or maybe it was the heat turned up by a large gathering of motivated constituents who support women in the military, especially those serving in ground combat.
It was an amazing privilege to be in Washington on a hot summer evening to take part in a special private screening of THE FIGHT TO FIGHT documentary. I am so grateful to everyone who attended the event, especially Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Congressional staffers, veteran’s organizations, and many more.
The private screening took place in the headquarters of the Reserve Organization of America, located at 1 Constitution Avenue, just across the street from the United States Capitol and the Supreme Court.
Enormous thanks must go to the Congressional Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus for supporting the event, and the following sponsoring and co-sponsoring organizations:
· Reserve Organization of America
· American Civil Liberties Union
· Women in International Security
· Women in Service Coalition Inc.
· Service Women’s Action Network
· Military Women’s Memorial Foundation
· Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Enormous thanks also must go to the ACLU, especially Vania Levielle and Bryan Moose, who worked extremely hard to pull together this incredible evening and provide everyone with delicious food and beverages.
For me, it was a great pleasure to reconnect with such a large group of friends who played important roles in making the film, either in front of the camera or behind the scenes. This was an extremely rare gathering and the photo that captures the moment is something I will treasure. (Posted above right.)
It was also tremendously rewarding to see the audience react as they watched stories unfold of extraordinary women who fought to serve in ground combat forces.
A good friend and supporter of the film, Randy Lee, Army Lt. Col. Ret., saw the film for the first time and posted his thoughts on Instagram. I thought Randy perfectly summed up the audience response: “The movie will make you laugh, cry, cheer, boo, and most of all, be damned proud of the tenacity of American fighting women.”
This is exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
All-Star Panel Discussion
Immediately following the screening, the event featured an outstanding panel session that was moderated by Anne Coughlin, Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Coughlin has a major role in the film as the leader of a legal campaign that challenged the Pentagon’s ban on women in combat roles, and she was an ideal moderator.
Seated on the panel was an all-star roster of speakers including:
· Kris Fuhr, graduate of West Point’s class of 1985, who served eight years as a Military Intelligence officer and is featured prominently throughout THE FIGHT TO FIGHT as well as being a Co-Producer.
· Monica Medina, who was commissioned in the Army in 1983 as an Air Defense Officer and served from 2012-2013 as special assistant to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, where she helped draft the rule overturning the ban on women serving in combat positions.
· Emelie Vanasse, one of the first women Army Infantry officers and the fifth woman to graduate from Ranger school, after which she became the first Ranger qualified woman infantry platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division.
· Rita Graham, a former Army Field Artillery officer, is a Tillman Scholar who holds an MS in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and currently serves as the policy director at the Servicewomen’s Action Network.
Topics covered by the panel included the history and evolution of gender-neutral standards (No standards were ever lowered!), and the quality of research conducted by military branches to study the impact of integrating women in combat units.
Monica Medina provided one of the biggest takeaway points in the session. She noted that when the Pentagon team was drafting the rule to overturn the ban on women serving in combat positions, “we dreamed of the day” when women would serve in combat roles. As Medina looked over at her fellow panelists, she said it made her happy to see the “dream” has been realized.
The Future of THE FIGHT TO FIGHT Takes Shape
One feeling I took away from the screening was a tremendous sense of gratitude to all the people and organizations that helped us put on an amazing event in the center of power – Washington, D.C. Clearly, the support from a large cast of talented people was essential to make it a success.
With this kind of support there is no doubt the film’s rollout over the next few months will generate buzz and make waves. The timing couldn’t more critical.
The level of urgency was underscored by recent news coming out of the Pentagon. Not only are women repeatedly being deleted from military branch promotion lists, but, straight out of left field, testosterone replacement therapy suddenly became one of the military’s major initiatives.
I don’t know what to say about the mandate to measure “T” levels among servicemen and women, so I’ll let the internet memes take it from here.
As troubling news keeps pouring out of the Pentagon, please consider making a donation (if you are able) to help us maximize our outreach and education campaign to make sure we keep the doors open for women in the military. (Click here to make a donation.)
Joy Bronson served as a Naval Aviator from 1986 to 1993 and is the Director/Producer of THE FIGHT TO FIGHT documentary feature film.
Help Us Spread the Word
The Fight to Fight documentary is at a pivotal stage and needs to show it can reach a big audience to get the film widely distributed. Donations are critical at this point, and so is sharing our website link, blog and social media posts. So please spread the FIGHT TO FIGHT message to friends, family and colleagues who are veterans or people concerned about the future of our military and fair treatment for women. Click here to donate and here to sign up for our blog.
Cast and Crew Gather at Private Screening in Washington
THE FIGHT TO FIGHT film team traveled to Washington to take part in an invitation-only event on July 22 that included a panel discussion and a private screening of the documentary. Attendees who played major roles in the film either in front of the camera or behind the scenes gathered in front of the stage for a rare group photo. Shown above, from left to right are: Jeannette Gaudry Haynie, Kris Fuhr, Joe Skorupa, Anne Coughlin, Katie Wilson, JoEllen Osland, Michael Wilker, Zoe Bedell, Steve Ellis, Kayla Williams, Erik Hildebrand, Joy Bronson, and Mark Romanov.
Photo courtesy of Randy Lee
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan Kicks off THE FIGHT TO FIGHT Screening
It was a great honor to have Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) take part in the special private screening event in Washington. Rep. Houlahan, who is prominently featured in THE FIGHT TO FIGHT documentary, is the sponsor of the WARRIOR Act, which codifies combat roles and prohibits gender exclusion in the U.S. military. Houlahan’s support for women in the military is personal and powerful. She is an Air Force veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is the founder of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus, which provided essential support for the Washington event.
Photo courtesy of Michael Wilker