In The NoCo

This unique program lets military veterans become filmmakers – and learn how to process trauma

By In The NoCo,

Published November 8, 2024 at 5:30 AM MST

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A first Sergeant yells in the ear of an office employee. — A First Sergeant is pictured yelling in the ear of an office worker in this still image from "How to Speak First Sergeant." The short film is a collaboration between veterans who participated in the Patton Veterans Project.

The Patton Veterans Project is a traveling film workshop designed to give veterans who may be suffering from PTSD or depression a communal space to process their trauma.

Vets who participate learn a “narrative therapy” approach to dealing with emotional trauma. Over three days, the vets create a short film about their personal story.

The Patton Veterans Project was created by Benjamin Patton, grandson of the famous World War II General George S. Patton. Earlier this year, Patton and Mike Leeman, the program’s veteran coordinator and former participant, joined ITN's Erin O’Toole to talk about the program.

A selection of films created by participants will be screened from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins.

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In The NoCo Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Military Art mental health colorado

In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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