OC Tavern Holds Movie Fundraiser for Veterans

From a San Clemente Patch Reader:

The plight of American soldiers returning from war with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will be the focus of “Out Of The Fight,” a feature film by writer/director Steve Moon set to go into production May 2016.

Developed for the big screen by Fresh Cats Productions, the film focuses on Marine Specialist Jason Pate who returns home to his wife and 5-year-old daughter after several tours of duty in Afghanistan. Upon joining a support group for veterans, Pate takes a young soldier in the group under his wing. Suffering from PTSD, the young man ends up committing suicide. Pate then finds himself contemplating suicide and wishing to return to Afghanistan where things were more normal for him rather than trying to adapt to civilian life.

“This is a pretty devastating problem,” said executive producer Marc Gold, a service disabled veteran who served two deployments in the Persian Gulf with the US Navy.

“Twenty-two active duty or military veterans are killing themselves every day because of PTSD, and that is unacceptable.”

“Our goal here is to support organizations like Mission 22, a non-profit organization that is putting much needed support systems in place to help returning soldiers stay in the fight. These guys are putting their lives on the line almost every day when deployed, and then come home damaged and either unable or afraid to seek help. Unfortunately, the Veterans Administration - as it presently exists - is not set up to handle this situation. ”

“Out of the Fight” casting has started and so far Richard Tyson (There’s Something About Mary and Black Hawk Down) and Mark Ryan (Black Sails and the Transformers franchise) are signed on.

Executive producers Gold and Ron Chevalier are more than halfway to raising the $500,000 production budget for the film. A crowd funding campaign has been established to help raise the remaining funds. Donations start at as little as $15.

For more information, and to contribute towards the production of “Out Of The Fight,” check out their website.