Jeremy Glazier is proud of his father, a Vietnam War veteran. As the Vietnam veteran population continues to age, Glazier didn’t want stories like his father’s experience to fade into distant memory. So, Glazier decided to do something about it.
He filmed a documentary sharing their stories.
Specifically, the filmmaker’s documentary, “From Iowa and Back,” is about Iowa Vietnam War veterans, focusing on soldiers from Glazier’s home state.
Glazier’s father, John Glazier, was in the U.S. Air Force, and Glazier was born on a base in Japan. He’s had a desire for some time to discover more about his dad’s military service. Whether he’s interviewing a Marine Corps “grunt” who endured heart-wrenching battles in the jungles of Vietnam or those who didn’t fire a rifle, serving in the rear, Glazier believes each story is worth preserving.
“My father served during that time. He wasn’t in combat, but I was always really proud of his service,” Glazier told KCRG in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Like many veterans, Glazier’s dad hadn’t talked much about his wartime experiences. However, his father’s silence only prompted Glazier to want to learn more. The filmmaker reached out to Brucemore’s Artisan Studios, a historical preservation society in Cedar Rapids, to help create his documentary.
“I just kind of wanted to tell the story of what it’s like to go, as the title is, from Iowa and Back, which is, you know, a lot of these guys grew up in really small towns,” Glazier said.
A Film Inspired By Tragedy
After getting the green light to produce the film, Glazier was all set to interview the first veteran, his father.
Then tragedy struck.
His dad endured a medical emergency akin to a stroke, stripping away his ability to talk.
“Once that episode happened, you could tell that he wanted to say what he wanted to say, but he just couldn’t get it out,” Glazier said.
Through rehab work, however, his father’s speech slowly returned. It gave Glazier the opportunity to hear his father’s story and get it all on tape.
In March 2024, Glazier’s dad died.
“Thankfully, I got to record him,” Glazier said. “He didn’t actually get to see the film finish, but he is in there. So that’s great.”
Filing a Void in Veteran Appreciation
Once he was able to record his father’s story, Glazier was inspired to talk to other Iowa Vietnam veterans. The interviews also provided an opportunity for him to thank these former soldiers for their service, a moment of praise most didn’t receive after returning home from an unpopular war more than five decades ago.
“Everybody talks about World War II, they talk about Korea, and then they hop over and go to Desert Storm. And we’re still kind of forgetting those Vietnam era veterans,” Glazier said. “A lot of those guys are in their seventies and eighties. And so, it’s really way past time, but it’s really time to capture as many of those stories as we can.”
Unique Experiences
Glazier’s film runs two hours, sharing tales of Iowa veterans who volunteered for military service. The documentary focuses on the challenges of being deployed overseas, coming back home and trying to reassimilate into civilian life.
“Some of the guys were in Hawaii, some were in the Philippines. My dad was in Japan. And then a good number of the guys were actually in Vietnam,” Glazier said.
Glazier’s documentary gives these aging veterans a voice. It shows someone caring to hear their story, which many veterans kept bottled up for decades. Studies have shown that sharing stories of trauma can improve mental health.
“If they never had an opportunity or nobody ever asked them about it, I want to be the person that says, ‘Hey, let’s just talk about your experience,’” Glazier said.
The Next Step: A Book
It turns out Glazier’s work couldn’t be contained in one film. He’s currently writing a book highlighting more veteran stories.
“I offer a portrait, which the portraits are scattered throughout the film. And then what I’m going to do is put those into a book and then just use that as a way to kind of preserve our Iowa veterans’ history,” Glazier said.
Veterans interested in being interviewed for his book project can contact Glazier through his website.
