When I Came Home

The documentary When I Came Home looks at the challenges faced by returning combat veterans, from those who served in Vietnam to those returning from the current war in Iraq, and the battle many must fight to receive their benefits from the Veterans Administration.

Through the story of Herold Noel, a homeless Iraq war veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and living out of his car in Brooklyn, the film reveals a failing system and the veteran’s struggle to survive after returning from the war. When I Came Home follows Herold’s battle with homelessness and PTSD as he tries to get help from the VA, city agencies, and various veterans organizations. With temperatures dropping in New York, Herold meets fellow vet Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the country’s largest Iraq veteran advocacy organization. What follows is a media blitz that transforms the young, homeless veteran into the leader of a new movement.