This is a video from April 2009 of 12-year-old Lexxi Saal singing a song she wrote as a tribute to the men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces who are risking their lives every day to protect us and keep us safe.
Lexxi wrote and sang this song for the film MENTAL VALOR being produced by Anita Sugimura Holsapple.
Here's the message that Anita sent out through Facebook:
This morning I received an email from Lexxi and her mother Elaine asking if I knew anyone who would be willing to have her perform for Memorial Day. They are not seeking any compensation, just a desire to say thank you to all our men and women in uniform.
If you would like to be put in touch with Lexxi, email Anita at anita@mentalvalor.com ___
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.
"Mental Valor" is a documentary focused on military psychology and how this impacts troops and families during time of loss, deployment and injuries, including battles with TBI and PTSD.
Anita Sugimura Holsapple, the creator/producer of this in-progress documentary, was the guest on the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com that I co-host with Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com.
While below is the link so that you can hear the entire BlogTalkRadio interview, one aspect was barely mentioned that intrigued me. Thus I asked Anita to write a short guest post about this aspect:
The issues of psychological warfare have been around since war began. From the strategy of the Spartans to the clandestine movements of the Ninjas, warriors have always held an element of psychology in their execution.
Psychology and warfare have long been partners, and in the U.S. it was during the Civil War that psychologists began to study the effects of psychological warfare upon troops. Now known as Division 19 -- The Society for Military Psychology, the early scientists documented various effects of war and trauma.
But it wasn't until 1939 that a psychological committee was actually formed. Known then as the Committee on the Selection and Training of Military Personnel, this was the "birth" of Division 19.
Division 19 is one of the original divisions of the American Psychological Association. It "represents an 'intellectual town hall' for psychologists who share in common an interest in psychological issues pertaining to military personnel and their families.
"The society encourages research and the application of psychological research and clinical methods to military problems. Military psychologists may be either civilians or uniformed personnel, and their academic backgrounds may reflect any specialty area in the broad field of psychology."
The term PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, was first utilized during the Vietnam War. However, it wasn't until 1980 that the term and issue were "formally recognized" and thus listed in the DSM-111. (ptsd.va.gov)
However, the biggest concern today is the issue of TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury. Because of our increased armor and medevac abilities, troops are now surviving what used to cause causalities. Thus the brain injuries are escalating anxiety disorders due to the physical injury that results in psychological injuries.
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She is also an Internet business consultant and the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com.
After a meeting with Anita Sugimura Holsapple, who is behind the documentary Mental Valor, I created a LinkedIn group for films that support our troops.
I did this because I've had the opportunity -- in connection with my co-hosting the BlogRalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com with Nancy Brown of YourMilitary.com -- to screen some of the wonderful documentaries and feature films being made. Yet there's no central point where all these films and filmmakers can connect.
I'm turning my website www.InSupportOfOurTroops.com into a connecting site to the LinkedIn group and offering every filmmaker a page on the site to promote his/her film. As you can read on the home page of the site, I'm hoping to interest corporate sponsors to help with funding for the films that are not yet completed.
I hope that you will spread the word about the LinkedIn group and the website to filmmakers as well as potential corporate sponsors in order to encourage these important projects.
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She is also an Internet business consultant and the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com.
