Joe Reynolds, Vietnam Veteran

Your play The American Soldier delivers with passion, clarity and honesty why soldiers look at life differently. War is hell for the families of soldiers also. The true story of the soldiers and family letters you portray leave you numb.

Your passion for the stories you enact helps us realize what the American soldier does and why he does it. Your depiction of the love hate relationship war creates in the mind of the combat veteran is remarkable. How many of us are aware of this?

Douglas, your inspiring portrayal of our veterans remind us of the debt we owe our nations defenders. You pull no punches of the fact that we must remember those heroes killed in action and we must reflect on the living veterans who bear the physical and emotional scars of war.

How they return home to a public that has no skin in the game and are completely oblivious to the effect and sacrifices on their families. The American Soldier and it’s message makes you realize how hard it is for veterans to care about normal things when they come back.

Normal life seems silly and pointless to them. A sign of PTSD. Veterans grow resentful of those who go about their lives indifferent to their experiences and the sacrifices of the brothers and sisters with whom they have served. They are returning soldiers who can not cope with civilian life in a normal world, where there is no similar brotherhood, no bond as strong as the experience of combat and the reliance on one another for survival.

The American Soldier message is a must see for the American public to fully understand and better support our veterans. A wake up call for many of us too busy to notice.  Douglas, your passionate support of veterans and their families is outstanding.

Your performance in Bedford, New York left us speechless. You left a lasting impression on everyone in the audience, as well as myself.

Joe Reynolds, Vietnam Veteran