🍂 Thanksgiving Update 🍂
As we approach Thanksgiving, I’ve been reflecting on this past year — a year filled with growth, gratitude, and moments that reminded me why I started This Is Not A Draft in the first place.
I’m thankful for the Veterans who opened their lives and shared their stories with honesty, courage, and vulnerability. Every interview, every conversation, and every moment on camera has reinforced just how important it is to tell these stories with care and integrity.
Over the past year, our team has made tremendous progress:
We continued filming across the country, from Washington, D.C. to Arizona, capturing powerful interviews and community-driven experiences.
We deepened the film’s three-act structure — Motivation to Serve, Price of Service, and Life After Service — refining the emotional journey and adding expert insight from Dr. Rebecca Blais, whose research on Veteran suicide brings essential context to the documentary.
We documented meaningful work happening in the Veteran community, including Treks 4 Vets and other organizations dedicated to reconnection, healing, and hope.
We interviewed a Veteran couple who served in Iraq together and later married — a reminder of how service shapes lives and relationships in unexpected ways.
And one of the most exciting milestones of all: This Is Not A Draft was selected for the Florence International Film Festival, where we’ll have the opportunity to share these stories with international audiences.
I’m also grateful to everyone who has supported this project — from the families who attended screenings and shared heartfelt feedback, to the friends, collaborators, and contributors who continue to believe in this film’s impact. Your encouragement has kept this project moving forward, especially during the long nights of editing, planning, and refining.
This journey has reaffirmed something I believe deeply: community gives us hope. Whether it’s Veterans reconnecting with each other, supporters helping lift this project off the ground, or people simply reaching out after a screening — you’ve all helped build a community around this film, and I’m profoundly thankful for that.
As we close out the year, I’m excited to continue editing, scoring, and preparing the film for additional festival opportunities. There’s more to come, and I can’t wait to share every step with you.
Thank you for being part of this story.
Wishing you and your loved ones a meaningful and connected Thanksgiving.
— Jack
Director, This Is Not A Draft
