By Megan Decker
Staff Writer
VASSAR — Vassar’s Hometown Hero, SSG Travis Mills, will return to his roots next week for the Premiere of “Travis: A Soldier’s Story.”
The special premiere engagements of the documentary, which is an intimate look into the life of a wounded soldier as he faces the unimaginable physical and emotional challenges following his life-altering injury, will be held from Aug. 16-18.
Mills and his wife, Kelsey, will be in the city of Vassar from Aug. 15-19 and will attend some of the film’s showings.
The five screenings will be held at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17 and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18 at the Vassar Theatre, 140 E. Huron Ave. Tickets for the showings are available at the Vassar Theatre box office from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., or may be purchased by calling the theatre at (989) 823-4000 with a credit card.
In December of last year, filmmaker Katie Norris of Fotolanthropy, a Dallas-based non-profit organization, began seeking donations for a documentary film about Mills and his road to recovery.
Mills, a 2005 Vassar High School graduate, was injured and lost all four limbs on April 10, 2012 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) while on foot patrol during his third tour in Afghanistan. He is one of only five military personnel members to survive the loss of both arms and legs during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Norris went to Kickstarter.com, an online funding platform for creative projects, on Dec. 20, 2012 to ask for $12,000 in pledges to film her project. When the donation period ended a month later she had surpassed her goal and then some. A total of 272 backers pledged $16,700 toward the project.
“His story has touched hearts across the globe,” Norris explained on Kickstarter.com. “Our goal in creating this film is to inspire and give hope to others as the theme of perseverance despite difficult circumstances is universal.”
According to Kickstarter.com, the documentary was filmed from Feb. 28 to March 3 in Dallas, Texas. The film featured several family members and friends of Mills including his wife, Kelsey, and daughter, Chloe.
“Travis’ story sheds light on the daily inward and outward struggles of our wounded veterans and the difficult rehabilitation processes they face; and Travis’ openness and incredible perseverance will challenge us took at the way we deal with our own personal trials in life,” Norris said.
In the trailer for the documentary, the film’s director, Jonathon Link, explains that the story is about Travis’ fight for his family and fight for his soldiers following his injury.
The trailer’s footage shows Mills learning how to walk again with the help of his prosthetic legs and daughter, Chloe, at his side.
“My goal was to let them know that I’d keep working. I’d keep going hard,” Mills says in the trailer. “If I give up, I’m giving up on my family.
“Every day is a challenge, but it’s not a challenge that you can’t overcome.”
For further information, visit www.travisthemovie.com.