The Weight of Honor

Filmmaker Stephanie Seldin Howard's documentary explores the emotional burden that is placed on the families of military service members when they are forced to become full-time caregivers for severely injured loved ones. The Weight of Honor details the struggles faced by five women—four spouses and a mother—who abruptly found themselves in situations for which they were unprepared when combat-wounded men returned home with either disfiguring physical injuries or PTSD. The pursuit of a “new normal” becomes an overwhelming challenge for the wives whose own lives have been put on hold. They manage to keep up a strong front despite dropping hints about how they never anticipated that their wedding vow of “in sickness and in health” would be stretched to such a fraying point. The film offers casual criticism of military healthcare being provided for the vets—playing up the remarkable breakthroughs in medical care that save those with catastrophic injuries, but playing down the significant gaps in nursing care that have turned the families of the injured into 24/7 aides. Shining a personal light on a tough situation faced by many military families, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)