Embrace the Suck. A phrase that is often enthusiastically demanded from superior to the subordinate is an important and widely experienced military colloquialism.  It means there is an undeniable fact that life is about to become difficult, and the only option is to lovingly welcome the hardship, and keep moving forward.
I subvert childhood notions of service by presenting mundane, un-heroic, and unsettling moments—cOMMON equipment and the typical valiant exploits  are abstracted and restructured into instants between actions, the hurry up and wait, the catharsis in self-destructive and unprofessional behavior.
My intention is not to critique the individual soldier but to draw awareness to the sacrifice made by few and challenge the viewer’s understanding of warfare, its place in the home as an outlet for entertainment, and its psychological impact on the active participants.