JulieHera Destefano: Journey of Purpose at

JulieHera DeStefano conceived the project "Journey to Normal" in 2009. She was committed to an idea: to tell the story of American women serving in combat. Yet like the birth of any idea to which we commit ourselves fully, she could not know where this calling would take her. Her journey of purpose took her on a four-month stay in Afghanistan, as she filmed interviews with over 100 women serving in the combat zone. Their conversations spanned their experiences in the military, their lives back home, and their visions for their return. The journey returned to the U.S., and DeStefano covered tens of thousands of miles -- Alaska to New York, Oklahoma to Idaho -- documenting in detail eight remarkable women during their experiences of reintegration. Slated for theatrical release in 2014, the documentary recognizes the strength and resiliency of our women in uniform and explores the unique challenges they face rejoining their families and communities after a deployment to the combat zone. When we choose a mission - military or otherwise - we don't know where that choice will lead us, but in embracing the journey and the purpose that inspires it, we allow it to transform us.

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