New series brings viewer into stark reality of veteran reintegration

Landing Home takes you right into the trenches, forcing you to acknowledge the impacts of America's 20-year war. Viewers must confront the reality of veterans struggling after they return home.

Douglas Taurel plays Luke, an Army veteran returning home after serving in Afghanistan. Taurel himself is best known for his gripping one-man play, The American Soldier, in which he plays multiple characters, bringing the viewer from the Revolutionary War to the current conflict in the Middle East. The play itself and all of his unforgettable relationships built with veterans of every walk of life inspired Landing Home.

The child of Jewish Argentinian immigrants, he grew up with his father who was in love with America and her promises. A deep love he passed to his son.

"The thing that got me going was being involved in 9/11. I was coming out of the second tower when that second plane hit it," Taurel shared. "I couldn't join [the military] because I was blind in my left eye. But that's what got me involved in working with veterans."

Taurel began furiously reading and following America's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. While researching other wars he read letters from soldiers who'd been involved in all of America's conflicts, describing their experiences. As he was reading, he made a shocking revelation. They were all the same, whether it was written during the Civil War or modern times, the struggles of these veterans couldn't be differentiated. That discovery led him on a six-year journey to creating The American Soldier.

But he wasn't done yet.

"The series really came from the QA we always have after the play. Vets would come up to me after the show and share their stores. Everyone always said 'you have to turn this into a movie'," Taruel said. While he didn't think it was feasible to fit all his characters into a movie, he decided to create a modern soldier who embodied those characters for a web series.

Taurel wanted it to be a real and true compilation of all of the veteran stories he'd been privy to. On set, 17 of the cast and crew were veterans themselves. Launched through Vimeo, the first episode is an immediate poignant reminder of how difficult reintegration is for veterans. Something as simple as a birthday party is overwhelming for a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Landing Home brings viewers along on the journey of a former soldier trying to reintegrate into civilian life. The obvious struggle Luke walks through is a heartbreaking reminder of the cost of war, as his story is an accurate depiction of a true veteran. Each episode is filled with moments that bring you deep inside to feel the effects of combat.

"We have a history as a nation of not taking care of our veterans, that goes back to the Revolution," Taurel said. "It is a beautiful country, but it has been paid in blood. If we honored our veterans more, we'd think about war a whole lot differently. It's easy to go to war when you aren't involved."

There's another scene, in a bar that stands out. Luke is obviously struggling and an older gentleman sits beside him. A quiet and heavy silence sits in the air. Then the man says, "Where did you serve?" This moment stands out because one veteran immediately knew another and their fight, on sight.

"We owe our veterans so much. I think we've become selfish as a country. We've forgotten the people who have given us the liberties and freedoms we have," Taurel explained. He continued, "That's why I do the projects that I have, I want people to understand what service really means."

The series does not hold back. The raw and true compilations of the experiences of America's veterans in Landing Home will move you. Taurel hopes that viewers walk away with a deep understanding of what "Thank you for your service" really means.

You can watch Landing Home by going to Vimeo. To learn about the other work Taurel is involved in, click here.