thedrifter
11-16-07, 04:10 AM
NBCSanDiego.com
Wounded Warriors Get New Hope
Expressive Veterans Eager To Learn New Craft
POSTED: 8:37 pm PST November 15, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- A local media and film school is getting ready to open, and the student body will be exclusively comprised of wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen.
Marine Lance Cpl. Josh Frey was just two weeks away from coming home when he was shot by insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004.
Frey is now medically retired from the Marines -- and he's about to embark on a new career.
He is one of 25 wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen about to start a new film and media school on the Stu Segall Productions Backlot in Kearny Mesa. The students will learn about filmmaking, photojournalism, editing, and writing.
The first class doesn't start until Jan. 14, but a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday.
"I just want to say that these people that came from Connecticut to basically give us a second chance -- that means a lot, you know," Frey told the audience gathered for the dedication.
It was a sentiment shared by other wounded Marines.
Matthew Zbiec said he was hit by an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq. The IED was only 8 feet away, he said. He is on the Board of Directors for the new school.
"What we're going to do here is not just train them in the media, but help them heal," Zbiec said. "Why it's so important for me -- it helps me heal. I'm wounded and very much in the healing process," he said.
The program's official name is "The Forget Me Not: Wounded Warrior Foundation for Careers in Media program."
Wounded Marine Jamil Brown said: "I don't want them to forget us. There was a sacrifice -- whatever their views on the war may be -- just don't forget about us."
NBC 7/39 was told the program is financed by corporate and private donations.
If you would like to contribute, go to www.woundedmarinecareers.org and click on "contact" information.
Ellie
Wounded Warriors Get New Hope
Expressive Veterans Eager To Learn New Craft
POSTED: 8:37 pm PST November 15, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- A local media and film school is getting ready to open, and the student body will be exclusively comprised of wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen.
Marine Lance Cpl. Josh Frey was just two weeks away from coming home when he was shot by insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004.
Frey is now medically retired from the Marines -- and he's about to embark on a new career.
He is one of 25 wounded Marines and Navy corpsmen about to start a new film and media school on the Stu Segall Productions Backlot in Kearny Mesa. The students will learn about filmmaking, photojournalism, editing, and writing.
The first class doesn't start until Jan. 14, but a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday.
"I just want to say that these people that came from Connecticut to basically give us a second chance -- that means a lot, you know," Frey told the audience gathered for the dedication.
It was a sentiment shared by other wounded Marines.
Matthew Zbiec said he was hit by an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq. The IED was only 8 feet away, he said. He is on the Board of Directors for the new school.
"What we're going to do here is not just train them in the media, but help them heal," Zbiec said. "Why it's so important for me -- it helps me heal. I'm wounded and very much in the healing process," he said.
The program's official name is "The Forget Me Not: Wounded Warrior Foundation for Careers in Media program."
Wounded Marine Jamil Brown said: "I don't want them to forget us. There was a sacrifice -- whatever their views on the war may be -- just don't forget about us."
NBC 7/39 was told the program is financed by corporate and private donations.
If you would like to contribute, go to www.woundedmarinecareers.org and click on "contact" information.
Ellie