The Churdan public library will show the documentary film: TERRA FIRMA: A Film about Women, War and Healing on Monday, March 23. The film weaves together the stories of three female veterans who were deployed to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003. After struggling for years with combat-related PTSD they have each found ways to heal their hidden wounds through farming.
The film will be shown in the Paton-Churdan school auditorium at 6:30 pm free of charge. An informational display will begin at 5:30 pm. There will be a question and answer opportunity following the movie. Refreshments will be served at the conclusion.
Through intimate interviews, the veterans share their motivations for joining the service, their experiences as females in the military, and the impact of war on their lives.
One of the women featured in the film, Sonia Kendrick of Hiawatha, will be a special guest for the showing of this film. Kendrick served in the Army and the National Guard as a petroleum supply specialist. One month shy of completing her 8 years, she was sent to Afghanistan in 2003. She served at Bagram Air Field where she guarded the gates and worked on Refuel On The Move operations fueling combat aircraft. After Bagram, she was sent to forward operating bases near Gardez and Kabul.
In 2011, Kendrick founded Feed Iowa First, a non-profit with the mission of feeding the hungry in Cedar Rapids. She began by growing vegetables on donated church property, supplying food banks and homeless shelters with fresh produce. In 2013, she expanded the operation to include a network of gardens and volunteers including plots at Rockwell Collins, GE Capital and three more churches. All of the food grown on these plots goes to Horizons Meals on Wheels.
“I can’t fight in wars anymore but I can fight hunger and I can be a hero to my community by being a farmer.”
Terra Firma is a sensitive film about how some veterans were able to find a way to promote their healing through farming. They did not want to dwell on the tragedies, but instead wanted to transform their experiences into meaningful action in their communities.
Several veteran and agricultural organizations will have information available. For more information call the library at 515 389- 3423. Sponsoring organizations include the Rotary Club of Jefferson and the Greene County Farm Bureau.
