SHREVEPORT – Members of the LSUS and Shreveport-Bossier community are invited to attend a free screening of award-winning military documentary “No Greater Love” on Thursday from 6-9 p.m.
The screening, which will include a lecture and discussion by filmmaker Justin Roberts, requires an RSVP to attend as space is limited in the University Center Theatre.
Roberts, a former U.S. Army Chaplain, brought a camera along to capture events from the “No Slack” Battalion, 101st Airborne Division during his tour in Afghanistan.
Roberts didn’t film with the intent of making a documentary, but he wanted regular American citizens to get an unparalleled view into soldiers’ lives from someone who was part of the military.
The Lake Charles resident was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal during his service.
The 2017 documentary won 11 awards at domestic and international film festivals and was screened at the White House, U.S. Congress, and The Vatican.
The documentary highlights the gritty reality of war and the inseparable bonds formed among soldiers with Roberts’ footage from his tour. The 101st Airborne Division was awarded more than 200 Purple Heart medals, given to soldiers wounded or killed in the line of duty.
That footage is intertwined with interviews with soldiers and Gold Star families, families whose relatives died in military service.
Roberts highlights issues veterans face once they return home in addition to the hardships of war.
“The only way that you can really come back from war is with love,” Roberts said. “And it has to come from friends, it has to come from family members, neighbors and the people you were fighting for, and it has to come from each other.
“That is the only way we can fully come home.”
Thursday’s visit is Roberts’ second to LSUS this month.
He brought members of Citizen Ambassadors to campus in an attempt to connect Ukrainian citizens and expats to Americans and build solidarity for a country fending off a Russian invasion for the last two years.
Roberts embedded with a Ukrainian military unit just months after the full-scale invasion and is working on a documentary “Live Free and Do Good” about the resilience and heroism of the Ukrainian people.
A sneak peak of that documentary will be showcased Thursday followed by discussions of Roberts’ experiences in both Afghanistan and Ukraine.
The event is presented by the LSUS Veterans Resource Center.
