Thunder Road: Actors Travel The U.S. Raising Awareness of PTSD

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) isn’t exactly a fun topic to discuss. We understand that it’s not “fun” to talk about the side effects of war, but the reality is many of our brave defenders are dealing with PTSD when they return home. Not only is it affecting them, but also their families and friends. We want to talk the talk, while we walk the walk with BOOTS ON!

In the past 48 hours, we had the awesome surprise of getting to know three Hollywood Actors who understand that PTSD must be discussed– and they’re making a movie about it! Our new BOOT friends — Steven Grayhm (White Chicks and The Five People You Meet In Heaven) – Matt Dallas (Kyle XY) – and Charlie Bewley (Twilight and Vampire Diaries) — are traveling the country spreading awareness and encouraging Americans to get behind them in the quest to make the film, Thunder Road. (We now affectionately refer to them as the Thunder Road Boys)

For the past two years, these three actors and film makers have immersed themselves in researching the hidden world of veteran life. They’ve traveled across the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. They’ve talked to active duty soldiers, veterans, their families, VA doctors, clinicians and anyone that could give them a little bit more insight on the life of a veteran.

Using their celebrity platform they have gone above and beyond! In talking to them about their journey to make this film, we quickly realized they embody the three most important pillars of Boot Campaign… Cultivating Awareness, Promoting Patriotism, and Providing Assistance. Getting their BOOTS ON already, and they didn’t even know it!

I’m constantly amazed at the way social media has united the Boot Campaign team, and brought on countless new supporters. Let me take you back just a few days to how we met our new friends….

Boot Campaign Celebrity Supporter, Jesse Garcia, sent me a message on Facebook asking me to check out a project that his friends were working on. As soon as I saw the video that Steve, Matt, and Charlie had put together explaining their project, their goals, and their vision…. I knew I had to reach out to them! I sent a message back to Jesse asking him to put me in contact with the “Thunder Road Boys”… but if you know me at all, I got impatient, and went straight to Twitter! Blasted out a few tweets to the boys, and they responded right away. Score! SMALL WORLD, as it turns out they were meeting with one of our Charity Partners, Military Warriors Support Foundation, at that very moment.

It was already a little late in the afternoon so I figured I would wait until the next morning to reach out to them. Not even 30 minutes went by and Matt was leaving me a voicemail telling me they were on their way to Austin from San Antonio and would love to meet up with us. We grabbed a bite to eat. Chatted all things Boot Campaign and Thunder Road. The next day, they were walking through the doors of Boot Campaign HQ to have their first official “Boot Shoot.”

The Thunder Road Boys were only here for a few hours, but we all felt a common bond to share this story. As they hit the road to Dallas, BOOTS in tow, we agreed to help them promote their mission to get this film made. We’d LOVE for you to read more about their Thunder Road KickStarter Campaign, and their schedule of stops throughout the U.S. as they build support and much needed funds for the film.

**Click here to BUZZ now for their tour dates and more!