A short documentary film, “Defending the Homeland: Native American Veterans in the United States Armed Forces," has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award. The film was created by Kilma Lattin, Pala Band of Mission Indians.

While serving on the tribal council for Pala Band of Mission Indians, Lattin told the La Jolla Light, he had the chance to hear the story of a World War II veteran, who was also on the council. “He was the motivation for me because I realized these veterans won’t be alive forever and it was imperative we get their story out,” Lattin said. “Thinking about him, I realized we needed to do a film.”

More than a dozen veterans from different reservations were interviewed about their experiences in the military and their reasons for joining. And the film, which airs on PBS (check local listings), has been nominated for a Regional Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter. The Pacific Southwest Chapter of the Emmys will be held June 15 at the Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

"I know the experience that some of the vets have had can be hard to share [but] these vets that I interviewed all were really willing to open up about their lives and experiences and motivations for serving — they were a special group of people,” Lattin told the newspaper.


To learn more and to watch the entire 27-minute film, go to DefendingTheHomeland.com. Here you can watch a preview:
Source


Defending The Homeland from Harris Craig on Vimeo.