A small town struggling, like many communities, with the question of how
to remain vital and vibrant in the 21st century, took on another problem
altogether: that of the difficult homecoming of Iraq, Afghanistan and
other war veterans. Melanie Kline knows a little boy who tenses when his
family goes to the airport. He's sure his father is headed for another
deployment in Afghanistan. The child's father is dearer to him and his
world a little less safe, since his country went to war on terror. No
one in Kline's own family has been caught up in the fighting in Iraq and
Afghanistan, but she has come to see that it affects her entire
community. And she has rallied her small town to respond. Kline founded
the Welcome Home Montrose project to offer mental health support, job
and housing advice and other aid for returning warriors who are burdened
by memories of war and uncertain of what their homecoming will mean.
What she did not count on was how much the men and women who had served
their country still had to give. Home of the Brave is about community
and military service, and the possibilities born of creativity and
commitment.