Embedded Files
Outside the Wire
"The Forgotten Children of Afghanistan"
Executive Summary
Images by Keith P. Lepor, Anthony Hornus and Gregg B. McNeill
Photo reuse
© All rights reserved
Writer, Producer and Director: Anthony Hornus
Editor, Producer, Composer, Sound Design, Mix and Mastering: Dennis Therrian
Producer: DJ Perry
Director of Photography: Gregg B. McNeill
Still Photography Contributions: Keith P. Lepor
Contact
Anthony Hornus, Scar Tissue Filmworks, Inc.
422 W. Corunna Avenue, Corunna, Michigan, 48817 | (517) 719-4635 |Email: tonyhornus@theredwhiteandblueproject.org
DJ Perry, Collective Development, Inc.
110 Desander Drive, Lansing, Michigan, 48906 | (517) 719-6097 | perrydj@aol.com
“This is the war you won't see on network news. It’s the truly heartwarming story of U.S. soldiers bringing relief aid to children, widows and refugees living in the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan. Despite living ‘Outside the Wire,’ these children will charm you with their smiles, laughter and eternal optimism. An inspiring story of a grass roots effort and some very brave soldiers trying to bring these children a better tomorrow.”
- W. Clark Bunting, President and General Manager, The Discovery Channel
“Outside the Wire is somehow beautiful, stunning and scary all at the same time.”
- Diane Carey, New York Times Bestselling Author
“The best documentary of what’s really taking place between our troops and the Afghan people, especially in aiding and empowering women and children. The film’s honesty reinforces the role of education in promoting tolerance, understanding and ultimately, peace. You will laugh and cry. I did.”
- Raymond Harris, #1 Billboard Country Music Artist
BACKGROUND
Since the terrorist attacks on 9/11, veteran U.S. Air Force Colonel Victor Kuchar has more than 900 days on the ground in the
Middle East region, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The highly decorated leader is respected both inside the Pentagon and with troops in the field.
For the past five years, the Colonel has undertaken a special personal project, “Operation Care,” that has grown into a significant
and trusted humanitarian aid program for the children, widows, orphans and refugees in Afghanistan.
Thousands of Afghans, from the heat of Helmand and the heights in the Hindu Kush to the volatile Korengal Valley near Pakistan
and Herat on the west border with Iran, have benefited from the Colonel's compassionate, grass-roots mission. Going above
and beyond the call of duty to help people of
the war-torn country who have suffered under the grip of oppression, displacement, famine and
illiteracy for 30 years, the Colonel has dedicated
his service to helping “the Little Ones,” the
innocent casualties of war.
Only U.S. forces and those of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) can get this
desperately-needed humanitarian aid “Outside
the Wire” and into villages so isolated and
dangerous that non-governmental organizations
or U.N. relief agencies dare not venture.
It is these U.S. and ISAF soldiers who compose
small combat units and Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRT), who risk their lives daily by going
“Outside the Wire” to interact with Afghans.
In addition to confronting Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist factions, U.S. and ISAF troops undertake daily missions across the country with the end game of helping Afghans to help themselves. From assistance in the construction of schools, roads, bridges, health clinics, orphanages and women's affairs structures to providing governance and training to the Afghan National Army and Police, this is the story that doesn't get TV sound bites or newspaper/magazine headlines.
Colonel Kuchar has had schools, church groups, service
clubs, private donors and other charitable organizations
collect clothes, shoes, boots, blankets, sleeping bags, basic medical supplies and other aid for distribution in the field where it’s needed most.
On many occasions Colonel Kuchar has accompanied PRT and other combat units into the field to distribute humanitarian aid.
He has been wounded twice in Afghanistan, first in an IED blast and then when a troop transport helicopter came under enemy
fire. U.S. and ISAF units carrying out these daily “under the radar” missions are, until now, the unsung heroes of the war in
Afghanistan, who are on the front lines nonetheless.
“Afghanistan’s children are the single most forgotten human tragedy in the world.”
- Amnesty International
PROJECT OVERVIEW
• We gained unprecedented embed access to live
and travel with these small military units as they try
to make a difference by going above and beyond
the call of duty in the name of empowering Afghans,
especially women and children.
• No western news or film crews generally spend
more than a day or two in the field with military
units. The “Outside the Wire” team spent two
weeks on missions with the Bagram PRT, another
week in Kabul and its still photographer Keith P.
Lepor, a professional conflict photojournalist, did
an additional six months in Afghanistan.
• Identities or other images/information considered
sensitive to U.S. and ISAF security in the region
were not revealed. However, the film crew and
integrity of the project were never edited, nor compromised through any means by any party.
• The film is 96 minutes in length (including end credit roll) and was shot on broadcast quality Sony HDV cameras.
• We take viewers places they’ve never seen in this ancient Muslim land. The film has a very touching, personal feel to it.
From interaction with members of the 838th Military Police Company out of Youngstown, Ohio, with whom we traveled on
missions, to Afghan children, women, teachers, soldiers, doctors, students and governmental officials, the work is one of honesty
and hope.
• This is the story America and the world is not seeing. U.S., ISAF soldiers, as well as civilian contractors are teaching Afghans
skills in construction – schools, housing, women’s shelters, roads, bridges, dams and water filtration plants. Also, Afghans
are being taught 21st century skills in medicine, dentistry, computer technology, and farming, including crop planting
and animal husbandry. Afghan Army and police training/mentoring are also vital services instituted by NATO.
• This is the story America and the world is not seeing. U.S., ISAF soldiers, as well as civilian contractors are teaching Afghans
skills in construction – schools, housing, women’s shelters, roads, bridges, dams and water filtration plants. Also, Afghans
are being taught 21st century skills in medicine, dentistry, computer technology, and farming, including crop planting
and animal husbandry. Afghan Army and police training/mentoring are also vital services instituted by NATO.
• Bringing balance to the war in Afghanistan, “Outside the Wire: The Forgotten Children of Afghanistan” is a story of
hope, where for years, largely due to the switch in attention to Iraq, there was none. War is war, and the film does not attempt to downplay the fact that people suffer (in the theater of operations and on the home front) and death is a constant companion, among soldiers and indigenous people alike.
“Outside the Wire” is a story of honor and humanitarianism carried out with courage and compassion under some of
the most difficult and dangerous circumstances on earth.
Management
• The project is produced by The Red, White and Blue Project, Inc., in association with Scar Tissue
Filmworks, Inc., Therrian Productions, Inc., and Collective Development, Inc.
• This is “real reality” TV and filmmaking. The
documentary easily lends itself to development
of a one-hour continuing program or
future 90-minute specials in the “Outside
the Wire” series.
• Accolades among test audiences from a wide-ranging demographic have included comments from “educational and inspiring”
to “powerful, heartwarming and heartbreaking.”
THE FILMMAKERS
ANTHONY HORNUS, Writer, Producer, Director, is an award-winning journalist, having been honored 14 times by The Associated Press during his previous 32-year career with a Michigan-based daily newspaper. Hornus was honored for writing in the categories of human interest, investigative reporting, profiles, breaking news and commentary.
Also an accomplished actor, director, producer and screenwriter, Hornus has twenty feature films and documentaries under his belt in various production capacities.
Hornus' book, the true-crime An Ordinary Killer (Based on a True Story), was a 2009 release through Alexander Books of Asheville, N.C. The movie version, which stars Dan Haggerty, Charles Matthau and Terrence Knox, was an award-winner at the East Lansing Film Festival and is now in world-wide distribution.
A graduate of Northwood University (Midland, Michigan), Hornus has three grown children and lives in the Great Lakes State with his wife Betsy.
DENNIS THERRIAN, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer, Producer is a gifted classically-trained pianist.
He is credited with scoring and editing/sound designing more than a dozen feature films with Collective Development Inc. and now The Red White and Blue Project Non-Profit.
Dennis works out of his state-of-the-art studio in the Lansing, Michigan area.
DJ PERRY, Producer, has built an amazing career in the entertainment industry. As CEO of Collective Development Inc. and in his work in association with other production companies he has overseen or assisted in the overall production of 30+ feature films in a variety of genres and formats.
His films have been distributed throughout the world market and have earned DJ a reputation for delivering high quality product on a modest budget. He has also produced major commercials for companies such as Toyota and JBL.
A graduate of Michigan State University, DJ is a well-rounded talent—including
extensive experience in both screenwriting and acting. Everything he does comes with a humble, appreciative attitude that makes him a draw in front of and behind the camera. While his work takes him across the country and around the globe, most recently to India, DJ calls Lansing, Michigan his home base.
GREGG B. McNEILL, Director of Photography, is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, native who now resides in Alexandria, Virginia.
During his career Gregg has worked on many features, documentaries and commercial spots. He is well-versed in HD shooting,
as well as being an accomplished still photographer.
KEITH LEPOR, Still Photographer, is making his name around the world as a fearless combat photographer and journalist.
The Boston native and published author is well-traveled and has worked at great personal risk in several of the world's hotspots,
including three African nations, Iraq and Afghanistan. His work has been published by several news services and newspapers,
including Reuters and The New York Times.
MARI SADDAT, Advisor, was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. She came to the United States in 1987 and is a U.S. Citizen. Mari speaks Farsi, Dari, Pashto and English fluently. Her formal education is in computer science and she has been a computer programmer for Fairfax County, Va. (Washington D.C. Area) for the past eight years. Mari is an experienced reporter and television news anchor, working with Ariana Afghanistan Media (AAM) since 1998. Now based in Orange County, Calif., AAM broadcasts over cable TV in the U.S. and both satellite TV and the Internet to reach viewers in Afghanistan and around the world.
Mari, who has returned to Afghanistan several times, and at considerable risk to
herself, has recorded compelling stories on women's rights and concerning the
war-torn country's thousands of orphans who have been denied their childhoods.
She has also arranged and presented live programs to the Afghan community in
the U.S. with recognizable guests and small groups, including political figures,
entertainers, sports stars, and non-profit organizations who are interested in
furthering development and assistance for Afghanistan through fund-raising and donations of clothing and other goods.
As a recognizable Afghan news anchor, Mari has been a regular guest at Afghanistan Embassy functions in Washington, D.C.
MOHIBULLAH ISRAR, Advisor, resides in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He is finishing his
Master's Degree at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and San Diego State University.
He will teach English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL) at Nangarhar University when he returns to his homeland.
Israr speaks Pasto, Dari, English, Urdu and Arabic fluently. He is a graduate of Kabul University, has worked for USAID, the Afghan Refugees Commission in Pakistan, the Pakistan International Human Rights Organization and has reported and written for The Mail on Sunday (London, UK) magazine.
Israr’s father, Mohammad Younas, is a well-known and respected Mujihadeen, who fought all ten years against the Russians, but who quit Jihad (struggle) at the outset of the Taliban regime, openly calling the Afghan peoples' oppressors “murderers who violate the word of the Quaran.”
SIDDIQ ANSARI, Associate Producer and Advisor, resides in Kabul, Afghanistan with
his family. Mr. Ansari speaks several languages, including English, and has a deep love for his homeland.
Founder and President of Afghan Media International and AMN Institute, Mr. Ansari
has a deep desire to assist his country on the road to social, cultural and economic
advancement following more than thirty years of war and oppression.
Mr. Ansari has worked for Nangarhar (Afghanistan) Radio & TV, Al-Jazeera Satellite
TV, the Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK), the Daily Saudi Gazette, and had contracts
for programs on Ariana TV, National Radio & TV of Afghanistan (RTA), Noor TV-Kabul and several magazines and newspapers.
He is the President of Afghan Media-International and Director of the Peace Humanitarian Organization and has trained hundreds of students in media and journalism, photojournalism, Public Relations, Political Science, Leadership and Languages/Literature in Pashto, Dari and English.
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