LANDING HOME, casts a lens on the challenges our veterans face trying to come home after military service. 

It tries to give audiences an understanding of the psychological and emotional challenges our veterans and their families face when transitioning out of the military and adjusting back to normal life. And help those of us who have never served, feel the anxiety and stress a soldier goes through in dealing with the invisible wounds of war. And begin to understand why it can be so overwhelming when they finally hang up the uniform for the last time.

Over the years, I’ve spoken to hundreds of veterans and families, and the one universal truth that I have learned from all of them is how difficult transitioning out and coming home is for them. For those who have never served, we can’t imagine nor understand the loss they go through. We haven’t walked in their boots. When a veteran steps away from the uniform, he steps into a bizarre and unknown world in his eyes. He has no more equipment to maintain, no one to lead or answer to, and the accountability demanded by the military has vanished. He is on his own now. 

It is a very abrupt stop to a lifestyle they and their families have lived for a long time. Their identity has disappeared, and they can feel that everything is collapsing in on them. There is a massive loss of purpose, and many of them end up shutting down emotionally. 

“When you joined the military, you join because you want to be a protector, and then you’re out. It’s like you’re a senior citizen or something, and you’re all washed up.” - Luke, Landing Home.

Landing Home is inspired by my Off-Broadway play The American Soldier.  The series tells the story of Luke, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. He decides to leave the military to end the stress on his wife Carolyn and his family. But he soon realizes that this is much harder than he ever imagined. Something as simple as a birthday party for his five-year-old daughter can quickly become overwhelming and trigger his post-traumatic stress from years in service and from seeing combat.

Many veterans who don’t seek out assistance succumb to alcohol and substance abuse and eventually suicide. In 2019, the Department of Veteran Affairs reported 16.8 veterans to commit suicide, and another 3.8 active-duty service members, guardsmen, and reservists take their lives. 

I’ve had the honor to become good friends with many veterans and military families, and the privilege to interview Master Sergeant Brian Eisch, who saw Landing Home and shared his thoughts around adjusting to civilian life after the military. Brian is a combat veteran featured in the award-winning Netflix veteran documentary “Father, Soldier, Son.” Brian served for over 20 years and saw heavy combat, and struggled with transitioning back. He shared with me three rules that helped him through his difficult transition from military to civilian life. 

1. Find an identity - Find something that you connect with and want to pursue. 

2. Find a purpose - Give back in some way that gives you a sense of purpose. 

3. Do something you love - This can be something as simple as fishing, hunting, writing poetry but find something you love to do.

Wha many veterans have shared with me is that opening up and being vulnerable is terrifying, but it is what a veteran needs to do to begin their new chapter in life. Going to the VA, talking to their brothers and sisters, and using the skills they learned in the military is what begins to shine the light at the end of the tunnel. Talking and surrounding yourself with those who love you can help you transition back home successfully, but talking is the first step.  

Toward the end of the series, Luke realizes that getting help is something he must do. As his best friend says,

“You owe it to those who didn’t come back. It’s time to come home.”

Landing Home is a story that wants everyone to understand what Thank you for your service” truly means.