‘Guardians’ – A Short Film by Wildlifers
WildLifers 02.07.20
A few months ago, Stephanie told me she had an idea for a short film, which she thought would do well in the Badlands Film Festival. While I was bowhunting in Iowa, Stephanie and our production crew set out to create this very film. She had met Greg Stube previously at a trade show, and was so impressed with him, she decided to cast him as the lead in this film.
Greg enlisted in the Army in 1988, and went on to become a Special Forces Medical Sergeant. His training is extensive; including – but not limited to – surgery, anesthesia, trauma management, pharmacology, and minor dentistry. All of these skills provided Greg a major advantage when working down range in areas where there are no doctors.
Greg was wounded in Afghanistan during the battle of Sperwan Ghar, where a remote IED was suddenly detonated leaving him with injuries so severe that he wasn’t expected to survive. Miraculously, however, Greg did survive and used his experience to help others.
With a resume second to none and the unique ability to translate his thoughts into sound wording, Greg seemed to be a perfect fit for what Stephanie had in mind.
During the filming of this project, I got updates via telephone calls and texts, but in truth, I had no idea of what they were doing. Within a couple weeks, they had wrapped up filming and sent the raw footage to The Production Distillery to begin collaborating and creating what they all had in mind.
About a month or so later, Stephanie came to me and asked if I’d like to see the first rough draft. While I hadn’t been around the project during production, I did have an idea in my head of how it might turn out, so I sat down to watch. As the film unfolded, I think I experienced every single emotion I posses.
First and foremost, my preconceived idea of what this film was going to be couldn’t have been further from what I imagined.
The film is powerful, meaningful and a culmination of thoughts and emotions I’ve been trying to express for years. The message this film sends is likely one of the most important messages any of us need to hear. This film is about truth, what we should expect of ourselves, and how each of us – regardless of status – play a vital role in our communities and country.
