Less than a dozen of US soldiers, Pentagon’s so-called bastard stepchildren, undermanned and under funded are racing against
time trying to stay alive in one of the most dangerous countries on earth.  Right at the doorsteps of Osama bin Laden, in the hotbed
of war on terror against Al-Qaeda on Khyber Pass, these part-time citizen soldiers despite lack of numbers and often second rate
equipment are risking their lives every day in order to build a future for a forgotten people betrayed by the rest of the world.  Today,
these unheralded Civil Affairs soldiers are being tested as never before in the streets and villages of Afghanistan – where the future
of the nation could depend on whether or not they succeed.  Nevertheless, most Americans today are barely aware of Civil Affairs
whose mission is to restore power grids and sewer lines, get hospitals and schools up and running, and bring order to devastated
lands while winning the hearts and minds of people they get to live amongst, never mind their own lives being shredded to pieces
as their families and careers fall apart in the process.

Yet, they are persistent; they don’t give in and don’t give up on the mission – never, even if it means emptying their own pockets,
which they often do.  Seeing what they accomplish is like a true revelation, like a lightning flash out of nowhere in the darkness,
showing what a handful of men and women can do to make a positive impact, when matched up against the problems of billions of
people, weapons of mass destruction, mega-famines and plagues, and wars that never seem to end.  They are everyday
Americans, regular Joes, your next-door neighbors and mine, but through true grit and sheer nerve they had become heroes, the
stuff of myths and legends.  They are an American invention, like the cheeseburger, the Harley-Davidson and the multiplex, masters
of winning minds by putting hearts to work, waiting for their story to be told.

Back in the day, right after  World War II, Civil Affairs operated in Germany helping to establish democracy and to revive the economy
of the war-torn country.  The years that followed showed that they have succeeded and now after many decades passed these true
heroes are almost all forgotten.  We don't want the deeds of our, modern day heroes to be forgotten and we have decided to commit
ourselves to making a film dedicated to them.  US Army Civil Affairs Teams work in Afghanistan and Iraq on reconstruction of the
provinces, building schools & hospitals, digging wells and installing sewage systems, improving lives of people and winning their
hearts and minds in the process. We have decided that our film crew will follow one of these teams (for duration of few months),
working in remote locale in Afghanistan, on their everyday routines and will show the contribution they make to people whom they
live among, through series of interviews (with team members & locals) as well as day-to-day challenges and obstacles that may
stay in the way of Winning Hearts and Minds.

The importance of making this documentary film will simply be understated unless we mention why is it so important what our
troops accomplish while risking their lives.  In reality, the more locals in less fortunate countries like Afghanistan are helped, the
less terrorist fanatics the world will have because the lesson of love will stay with these people forever and they will think twice
before bombing United States of America or any other nation for that sake.  The Afghanistan itself is a country that seems to be
forgotten by the mass-media since the US campaign in Iraq commenced, yet there’s a story happening everyday that is waiting to
be told.  Only in past two years US-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams have brought to life hundreds of projects that serve millions
of local nationals.   We believe that there’s a clear need to leave the documented facts of US and Coalition Forces soldiers making
change so that their work does not go unnoticed to people.

Through series of fortunes we have met a Civil Affairs soldier, Sgt. Steven Kling that joined US Army at the age of 32, abandoning
his high-paying job because he felt passionate about Civil Affairs role in modern world.  After being sent to Afghanistan, Steven
began online blogging at Fortunateson.org where he would write about his Civil Affairs Team.  Later, Steven asked how he can be
helpful to our project and we asked him to shoot some footage for WinningHearts in the field.  
The result of his work is soon to be posted online.  

Please visit us again within next few weeks for more to come.     
WINNING HEARTS
Winning Hearts and Minds project is fiscally sponsored by Film/Video Arts, a registered 501(c)(3) since 1968, and all contributions are
tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.  For more information on Film/Video Arts please visit fva.com or call 212-941-8787.

To make an online donation to Winning Hearts and Minds please contact us for link.  After you donate, you will automatically receive a
receipt via email confirming your contribution to Film/Video Arts.  There is a $100 minimum for each online contribution.