We are honored to support Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret. Last Out is a gripping play based upon the real-life experiences of writer, lead actor, and former Green Beret, Scott Man and his family and fellow soldiers. The all-veteran/military family cast carefully portrays the heartbreaks of combat, both on the battlefield and in the military home. Upon the tragic collapse of Afghanistan after a twenty-year-long war, we all need these stories in order to mend, move forward, and bind us together.
“Stories, even the painful ones, heal the heart, our brains, our communities, and our nation.” – Scott Mann, Playwright
For generations, stories have been used to help warriors assimilate back into their families and the rest of society after battle, but in America we’ve largely let this art die when it comes to combat. Not only did storytelling provide an outlet for fighters to work through and express their invisible wounds, but it helped civilians better understand what they had gone through, which increased empathy and lead to improved support for the returning heroes. Research supports that our lack of storytelling is leading to increased problems for our warfighters, including exacerbated mental health struggles, drug and alcohol abuse, familial problems, homelessness, and even the ever-climbing veteran suicide rate.
Stories, like Last Out, are vital for our collective healing after decades of war that came to a disillusioning end, and we fully support Scott’s mission to help combat veterans and military families heal through the play, as well as teaching the art of storytelling through workshops around the country.
We encourage you to buy tickets for Last Out as it tours around the US at lastoutplay.com. Whether you are a combat veteran, military family member, or a civilian, you will find increased understanding, empathy, connection, and healing as you journey through the story of main characters, Danny and Lynn Patton, and the many deployments that lead to blurred lines between war at home and abroad.
