BOSTON, Mass. – A documentary about a 101st soldier will premiere this month at the Boston Film Festival.
The film, No Greater Love, tells the story of Chaplain (Capt.) Justin Roberts’ deployment to Afghanistan in 2010/2011 with the legendary “No Slack” Battalion, 101st Airborne Division.
U.S. Army chaplains do not carry weapons. Instead, Roberts carried a camera and documented hardships that the paratroopers endured. The 800-man battalion came home with more than 200 purple hearts (awarded for injuries sustained in combat) and suffered 18 casualties.
Upon return, Roberts and his associates embarked on a journey around the U.S. to speak with the soldiers, and rally the unit together to heal old wounds.
“I can’t make sense of everything that’s gone on in this war, but I understood America so much more on the mountaintops of Afghanistan; what we stand for,” Roberts said.
“People coming from all types of backgrounds, and all types of races and religions, and all of these different individuals coming together as brothers and sisters, I witnessed that, I saw that. I wish we could have that here somehow, and I don’t know how. But I understood America on those mountain tops. I was proud. I was honored.”
Roberts’ combat footage is layered with honest, gritty, heartfelt interviews with the soldiers of “No Slack,” and the families of the fallen. This footage was shot in combat in Kunar Province, Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.
The film is directed by an active duty soldier, and it is told by the men he served with in their own words. It describes what it was like to serve in Afghanistan, and what it’s like returning to civilian life after serving in combat.
“This film is about what we fought for,” said Sgt. Bob Evans, “No Slack” Infantryman and No Greater Love Production Assistant.
The film premieres in Boston Sept. 19.