Posted: Tuesday, October 1, 2013

In 2009, Evansville military veteran Erik Goodge lost an eye to an explosive device while serving with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan and underwent extensive surgeries and therapies to recover. The award-winning documentary “Not Yet Begun to Fight” follows Goodge and four other veterans as they learn to fly fish and cope with the physical and emotional wounds of war. The University of Evansville Office of Veterans Affairs, UE VETS student veterans organization, and Showplace Cinemas will host a free, public showing of the documentary, followed by a panel discussion that will explore the struggles veterans often experience as they readjust to civilian life after combat.

The screening will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 20 at Showplace Cinemas East, 1801 Morgan Avenue. Admission is free, but donations for Warriors and Quiet Waters (the organization featured in the film) and UE VETS are encouraged.

“We hope that veterans of all eras and community members of all ages will attend this event, and our hope is that people see the need for, and impact of, Warriors and Quiet Waters and similarly focused opportunities for returning veterans,” said Brandyn Mohr, UE VETS vice president and a U.S. Navy veteran. “We are very excited to be bringing ‘Not Yet Begun to Fight’ to our area for the first time.”

“Not Yet Begun to Fight” follows five traumatically injured veterans, including Evansville’s Erik Goodge, as they travel to Montana to learn the art of fly fishing from Warriors and Quiet Waters, an organization founded by Vietnam War veteran and retired Marine Colonel Eric Hastings. The organization gives veterans a respite from the rigors of combat and rehabilitation and helps them learn a new skill in quiet, peaceful surroundings.

A panel discussion on veterans’ issues, focusing on reintegration after war, will follow the screening. The panel will include Goodge, “Not Yet Begun to Fight” executive producer Steve Platcow, and a veteran counselor from the Evansville Vet Center.

For more information, please contact the UE Office of Veterans Affairs at 812-488-2141.

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