Synopsis:  "One More Christmas - The Shadow Man"

A Top 10 Finalist at the GI Film Festival 2015, “One More Christmas” is a coming home story that explores important themes around Post Traumatic Stress and recovery.  The story also investigates the generational aspects of war and manhood while representing a return to family values. It also brings a strong morale message; that helping others is a way of helping yourself.

            Leo Harper is a wounded warrior who struggles with recovery until he finds a connection with some Tejano veterans who make it clear that, “PTSD ain’t no excuse bro.” "You can't drink your problems away. You've got to find a new purpose for your life Mijo!"  Leo gets it and begins speaking with his doctor about his life.  We go back in time as he explains the story of his mother and how he was raised by his grandfather Vernon Bode.

Bode is a grizzly ole veteran with a soldier’s heart who grieves for his friend from Vietnam “Sugmanitu Tonka” (Big Wolf) who was a full blood Lakota warrior and is now the Guardian Angel who watches over the family.  Bode lives by the tradition of the Wolf’s Code and after Leo’s mother passes away, Bode uses the code to teach Leo and his older brother to be men of their word, to treat others with respect and dignity.  Bode teaches the young boys frontiersman-like self-reliance, to recognize love and what it means to be a warrior.  “Did you know there are no orphans among wolves?”

After showing signs of improvement, the Army allows our wounded warrior to come home for Christmas.  Surrounded by family, he finds love and starts to overcome the emotional scars of war as he and Bode explore their connection as fellow soldiers. They come to understand that part of themselves, the warrior within who is always there. “The Shadow Man is what the Indians called him.” 

The extended Bode family gathers around fire and decorated tree in a visionary Christmas scene of long ago and images of those loved and lost appear faintly around them like after a summer rain, in the palest edges of a rainbow. Leo has come full circle having discovered his true purpose in life is to help others.

Smoke swirls from the chimney as cold wind howls and snow flurries shift across an icy pond.  On the hillside, under snow draped evergreens, amorphous and diffused remembrances are shaped in stone. The sun sets; lights flicker and sparkle around farm and distant village.   “We all pray for at least one more Christmas with those we love, with those who live in our memories, our hearts, and our soul.”  

111 Pages

It is Official!

"One More Christmas" 

Top Ten Finalist.  

Top Ten Finalist!

Well, looks like I"ll need to add "Award Winning Screen Writer" to my resume.  I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself so I'll just through it out there.  My screenplay, "One More Christmas" has been selected as a Top Ten Finalist at the GI Film Festival, 2015!  My wife and I will be traveling to Washington D.C. for the festival and celebration.  

The reality of this hasn't really sunk in and I have a feeling this is a big deal, but I don't want to get to overly excited.... Oh hell, who am I kidding!  We are in the Top Ten!  

Thanks everybody!  

Steve

"Seven Six Five"

Now available for review on InkTip.com and The Black List, "Seven Six Five" is a true story about a team of Green Berets in combat.  

Logline:

A battle-tested team of Green Berets and their Afghan National Army brothers fight to the last bullet against a hardened Taliban force. A true story with rights as revealed on CBS News 60 Minutes.

Synopsis

In June of 2006, Captain Sheffield F. Ford III led his unit into a contested region southwest of Kandahar. They entered a Spartan Afghan village of mud huts where a Taliban force of unknown strength was hiding.  The Taliban had one thought on their minds: to kill or capture Americans and the Afghan soldiers with them.

As darkness fell, all hell broke loose from all directions enemy rifle, machine gun, and rocket-propelled grenade fire landed and exploded.   The adversaries fought so close to one another the Taliban called out to the Afghan soldiers, "We can forgive you; just put your weapons down and walk away. We want the Americans alive." The Afghan soldiers alongside the Americans responded to the Taliban’s offer with well-aimed shots and an unbreakable defense. 

That’s when forty-seven-year-old Sergeant First Class, Brendan O’Connor, the team’s senior medic, disregarded three enemy machine-gun positions, removed his body armor, dropped to his stomach and began an arduous 200-foot crawl under constant enemy fire to where Staff Sergeant Matthew Binney and Sergeant Joseph Fuerst lay wounded.  Sergeant O’Connor singlehandedly moved the two soldiers to safety, but not before Master Sergeant, Thom Maholic, the Team Sergeant, was mortally wounded.

During the two day battle, the team defeated a multitude of determined enemy attacks; Captain Sheffield F. Ford III devised an astonishing plan and led the team and their Afghan brothers to safety using an AC-130 gunship to illuminate their route with an infrared spotlight, allowing the friendly element to slip away under cover of darkness.

For his actions Sergeant O'Connor was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Captain Ford received a Silver Star.  In addition, four other men on the team were also awarded Silver Star medals, Sergeant Joseph Fuerst and Sergeant Thom Maholic received the Silver Star posthumously.

This is a true story as revealed by CBS News 60 Minutes.

The Wannabe Phenomenon

By my Friend and Fellow Author 

John R. Barney Barnes  

                      

Renowned author, educator, and cultural commentator Dr. William Bennett recently made an amazing observation of the “wannabe” phenomenon. He had somehow gleaned the fact that, on any given week-end in the bars and nightclubs across America, several thousand young men would claim to be navy SEALs. Since there are only about 2500 SEALs total one can only conclude…there must be a lot of SEAL wannabes.

Recently there have been numerous stories in the news of men who would assemble military uniforms of a combat unit in order to assume an identity in public, an identity that was patently false. The new leader of the Veteran’s Administration was recently caught in a lie claiming that he had served in Special Forces. Although he had completed Ranger School and had served in the 82nd Airborne, he had never served in a Ranger Battalion or in Special Forces. A Green Beret wannabe.

A few years ago I was serving as a ministry leader in a local church and came to know a young man about 32 years old. He often wore a navy blue cap embroidered with “Navy SEAL Instructor” on the front. I used to work with SEALs in combat so it was not unusual that I was drawn to him with the idea of discipleship. His story was that, while serving as a navy SEAL, he was injured in a training accident and was then temporarily re-assigned as a SEAL instructor.

Though plausible, the more I thought about his story the more specific questions I began to ask like, “what was your BUDS Class Number?” etc. Then one day he asked to meet with the men’s ministry leader and me where he tearfully confessed and asked for forgiveness…he just wanted out from under the lie he had been living. This man had served in the navy, had a wonderful wife and two lovely children, and had started a thriving business. However, the lie was stealing, killing, and destroying all that was really life to him.

Why would any man want to be a “wannabe” when he can be a “can be”? I am reminded of several scriptures that speak to this reality…If any man be in Christ he is a new creation…do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…you are God’s artistic masterpiece, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do…I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength…for openers.

While we might occasionally day dream about some movie character like Maximus, or some historical figure like William Wallace, the reality is that our wives, our children, our friends, our neighbors, our churches…all are looking to men to be their “real life action hero” every day. That is exactly what I told the young navy SEAL wannabe. He became and remains today a “can be”…an active Christ follower…the real life action hero that he was born to be. Truth always trumps fantasy.

Barney Barnes, 3-15-15

After I read Barney's thoughts, this was my reply. 

I left Charleston , South Carolina in the summer of 2012 and toured the country with my books. I visited approximately 60 military installations across the country, performing book signing events at the Exchange. Additionally, I set up tables at various gun shows from Alabama, Texas, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma. I met hundreds of thousands of people; all of them had a story to tell, many of them blatantly false. Many said they were veterans.

Like the guy in Denver at a gun show who was selling tickets to his "Special Forces High Risk Adventure Camp" for troubled teens. He was considerably overweight and wearing BDU's that were too small.  He was also sporting a Green Beret over his flat top, high and tight. He had the Special Forces Tab on his left and right shoulder and he wore the Combat Infantry Badge (2nd award) and the rank of full bird Colonel. He started to sweat profusely after he approached my table where a half dozen "Brothers" had gathered and they started to question him. He quickly disappeared, but was later seen behind the building, hot boxing a cigarette.

I decided early on not to become a self appointed "POSER" detective for two reasons.

1. I don't have time. There are just too many.

2. I already know of several groups who specialize in that and if needed, I will collect the necessary info and turn over the problem set to them. I learned of these groups when I released my first book  almost five years ago, when they went through the process of "Vetting" me.

I have also learned that often, when a reader brings up the subject to me at one of my events they are probably over compensating for their own actions or lies. Like the gentlemen in Fort Worth who briskly walked up to my table and screamed, "WHAT GROUP WAS YOU IN?" I smiled and replied, "Mostly 7th." He shouted, "MAC-V-SOG... VIETNAM!" and stormed off. No need to call the poser police. You see, every SF Brother knows what the V stands for; and besides, a true Brother would naturally be a little more subtle and glad to meet the other.  The encounter usually includes a man hug and our secret handshake.  ;)  

Earlier this year, a rather overtly plump... Okay let's be honest, a very obese man, approximately five-foot four and 350 pounds came to my table and described himself as a former police officer and proudly asked if I had heard of the "Stolen Valor Act." I smiled and handed him my business card, and suggested that if he had any questions about it or me then he should check out Professional Soldiers.com. He walked away without saying a word, sat at a table in the food court, retrieved his lap tap and started intently surfing the web. I never heard from him again.

I do appreciate the policing members of our respective military communities provide, and unfortunately my mission doesn't allow me the time to focus on that.  Still, like you I often wonder why men feel the need to exaggerate the truth about their service or lack there of. I also wonder about the "Former Police Officer" and his kind who feel the need to "Self appoint."    I realize now that only God knows the answers and so I don't let it bother me, much. Out of necessity, I choose to stay focused on other things; like being creative in a way that will bring honor and credit upon all those who serve or have served while honoring God in my own subtle way. 

Bottom line, I appreciate your thoughts on the subject Barney and the way you expressed your feelings through scripture. 

Be blessed my friend.


Steve Newman

http://www.amazon.com/S.-B.-Newman/e/B004FVNJOE

Seven Six Five

My latest screenplay, "Seven Six Five"is a true story of Green Berets in Combat. It is now available for review by industry professionals on The Black List!  Please download and leave a review!

Best

Steve

"Fury"

I watched the movie "Fury" last night on DVD and overall I liked it, despite some obvious technical errors. Like soldiers wearing Vietnam era Bonnie hats and Sun Wind and Dust goggles, not to mention the really bad or unrealistic military hair cuts and such. It's just a haircut for crying out loud... get it right.

After I got over that, I was impressed by the way they depicted the strengths and weaknesses of the Sherman and Tiger tanks. Although the tank battles were not epic in scale, they were probably more realistic to the way things actually were.

The relationship of Top with his crew was interesting although TOP is a term of endearment usually reserved for Master Sergeants not Staff Sergeants. And the attitude of our boys towards the Nazi's was probably the most accurate depiction I've ever seen.

In reference to, "Saving Private Ryan" I once spoke with a WWII, 101st Airborne, Battle of the Bulge Vet who said he thought S.P.R. was hogwash. I asked him why? "They let that damn German go... You never let them bastards go." So in Fury, I found that it reflected his sentiment to the "T."

To bad this one got buried under by the latest Navy Seal Movie to hit the bricks. Is there any other unit in the military now days? Doesn't appear to be. "Fury," worth a trip to the Red Box, a buck fifty and a chicken dinner if you ask me.

Update on One More Christmas

I started work on a screenplay titled, "One More Christmas" back in August of 2014 and I am now on Version 5.  Each version I start, I'll do four rewrites; some minor, some major.  For instance, I run like this, 1.a.b.c., 2.a.b.c., so forth and so on.  So being on version five is pretty amazing thing for me. I think that is the highest number of rewrites I've ever achieved on any of my projects.  Is it ready for prime time? Let us hope an pray; because, if not I'll be flipping burgers or locked up soon.  :)  

Title: “One More Christmas” 

Genre: Drama – Romance:  Central Hero, Character Driven, Faith Based, Family Friendly, Love Story.  Overcoming Obstacles, Rural Setting, Strong Male Lead, Teens, Wide Audience, Tragedy, War - Military.

Author:  Steven B. Newman

               sbnou@live.com

Logline:  Leo Harper is a wounded warrior who prays for “One More Christmas” with those he loves, with those who live in his heart, in his memories, and in his soul.

Synopsis: Leo Harper is a wounded warrior who learns to reconcile who he was with the reality of his new capabilities. Set with the back drop of “Bode’s Christmas Tree Farm,” the story explores important themes around PTSD and recovery.  It investigates the generational aspects of war and manhood and represents a return to family values.  It is a story about living in the real world, in a world where children are not coddled and spoiled.  The story also brings a strong moral message:  that helping others is a way of helping yourself. 

After becoming a wounded warrior, Leo opens up to Dr. Birmingham about his life and how his mother passed away.  He explains that he was raised by his great grandfather, Vernon Bode, a Vietnam Veteran who lives by the tradition of the Wolf’s Code.  Bode uses the code as a teaching tool after taking on the responsibility of raising Leo and his older brother, Brian.  He shows the teens how to become men and how to treat others with respect and dignity.  He teaches them frontiersman-like self-reliance and more importantly, how to recognize love and what it truly means to be a warrior. 

Leo returns home and begins to balance his expectations for himself against the certainty of his injuries and although he struggles to overcome the debilitation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder he finds peace through God, surrounded by family.  He learns that in life, what he truly wants for Christmas simply cannot be bought.  Bottom line, we all pray for one more Christmas with those we love, with those who live in our hearts, in our memories, in our soul. 

Bio:  Steven B. Newman’s perspective as a Veteran brings truth and realism to his writing.  He reveals the heart and spirit of our nation’s greatest warriors and shows them for who they really are; the young men and women who grew up next door and went on to become something extraordinary. Steve is a graduate of Columbia College and a published author.  He currently resides in Midwest City, Oklahoma where he continues writing screenplays and novels about life as a soldier and helping others, especially veterans, achieve their creative dreams.