Challenges military families face spotlighted in TV documentary

In summer 2008, Sgt. Jeannette Tackett, of Tacoma, left behind her 5-year-old daughter, Emma, to spend a year in Iraq with the Washington National Guard. She says the hardest moment was a midyear return home, when she joined her daughter for a sixth birthday and then had to return to her gunner's duty in Iraq.

"I had to leave late at night so she went to sleep and I was home, and then woke up and I wasn't there," Tackett said.

Emma spent that year being cared for by her grandparents, and the challenges the family faced are spotlighted in one of 10 episodes of a public-television documentary, "In Their Boots," which begins airing at 12:30 a.m. Friday on Seattle's KCTS (Channel 9).

The episodes look at a wide range of challenges faced by military families, including a gay man faced with the deployment of a longtime partner and a young widow facing deportation after the death of her husband.

Richard Ray Perez, the executive producer, lets the family members tell their stories without any interruptions from narrators. In an era when less than 1 percent of the population are in the Armed Services, the series shares the struggles of these wartime families with a broader audience. The program also has garnered support from military families.

"The show really appears to have resonated with them," Perez said.

The shooting schedule for the three-year documentary effort — funded by a $4 million grant from a private foundation — will end this year. Some episodes will be produced by veterans, with topics including the difficulties of service faced by a Muslim soldier, and about transitioning from the military to college.

The episode that features Tackett and her family is scheduled to air in Seattle on a Friday morning time slot this year.

Tackett returned home from Iraq in August, and spent a lot of time with her daughter in the months that followed. In the winter, she began looking for a civilian job, but so far employment has eluded her.

Tackett said Wednesday that she hopes to find a job that will allow her to stay at home with her daughter. But if things get too bad, she has thought of volunteering to deploy again with the Guard.

"I don't want to do it, but the thought has crossed my mind," Tackett said.

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com