Tony Miller | 1/22/2020
1-22-2020. I’m honored to share the story of another important documentary film premiering at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Bastards’ Road follows the healing journey of Marine Iraq War combat veteran Jon Hancock. Jon had the fortunate and unfortunate experience of fighting in the Battle of Ramadi in 2004. Ramadi was the center for insurgency in Iraq, Jon’s deployment troupe was called the Magnificent Bastards and 1 of every 4 members were either wounded or killed. The film follows Jon as he walks 6 thousand miles across the country to visit all of his battalion members or their family as a way to try and begin to adapt to post-combat civilian life. It is a detailed, graphic, personal and revealing look at the sometimes insurmountable challenge of returning to life after combat. Over 60 thousand veterans committed suicide from 2008 to 2017, and Jon attempted suicide, but fortunately, he was unsuccessful.