Goldendoodle Productions, LLC

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Short Synopsis:  After returning from his tour of duty in Vietnam in 1969, helicopter pilot Mark Garrison suffered the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It wasn’t until he visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2014 that he began to heal from those emotional and psychological wounds. Veterans, families, the founders of The Wall, all share their experiences of catharsis resulting from a unique connection and release they all discover at this sacred place.

 

Long Synopsis: Mark Garrison was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. For years following a nearly fatal mission during his tour, he suffered PTSD. That is not, however, what it was called at the time, when Vietnam vets were not welcomed home with respect and appreciation. Like many others, Mark was unable to expose and deal with his emotional and psychological pain until the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built.

Jane McCarthy was an army nurse in Vietnam. Unlike combat veterans who may not have seen active battle regularly during their tour, nurses faced it daily. She too suffered from PTSD. From her unique perspective, she is able to provide a psychological explanation that leads to an understanding of the cathartic power of The Wall.

 

Kelly Coleman Rihn’s father was killed in Vietnam when she was six months old. Having never known her father, she didn’t understand the feeling that something was always missing in her life until she connected with other sons and daughters at The Wall. Mothers, children, wives, grieved the loss of so many taken so young. What they all have in common is the ability to finally heal, thanks to The Wall, which gave them a place to connect, to grieve, to reflect, to finally feel acknowledged for their sacrifice. Founder Jan C. Scruggs notes the longevity and continuing lure of this memorial, saying "It will always be an extraordinary place”.

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SUMMARY: The Wall's Embrace explores the psychological impact of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its enduring power to heal. Like The Wall, which honors without political reference the 58,000 men and women who died or remain missing in action, this documentary does not present the politics or controversies surrounding both the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the design of The Wall, but rather its emotional and psychological impact. 

 

The power of The Wall is on full display through the emotional narratives of those that served and those that stayed home. Their deeply stirring and painful recollections emotionally draw you in just as The Wall physically draws you in. Through their eyes and hearts, you will feel their pain and understand their catharsis.