HOMEWARD BOUND by Armen Pandola
Homeward Bound is the story of three GI’s wounded in the Iraqi War who are stuck in a hospital in Germany, waiting to go home. There are 5 males, ages 25-45 and 1 female aged 25-35 who plays three characters. The play takes place over two days at the hospital, and all of the scenes occur in a ward of the hospital.
Scott, in his 20’s from the South, joined the Army after 9/11 on the advice of...
Homeward Bound is the story of three GI’s wounded in the Iraqi War who are stuck in a hospital in Germany, waiting to go home. There are 5 males, ages 25-45 and 1 female aged 25-35 who plays three characters. The play takes place over two days at the hospital, and all of the scenes occur in a ward of the hospital.
Scott, in his 20’s from the South, joined the Army after 9/11 on the advice of his grandfather who told him that there were always “thems” out there who just won’t leave us alone. His grandfather gave him an abiding faith in America and Hank Williams. Scott plays guitar and sings many Hank Williams’ songs in the play. He use to lead a band, Jambalaya. Now, stuck in a wheelchair, Scott doesn’t want to go home to a life as a “cripple.”
Tim, in his 20’s, newly married to Amelia, joined the National Guard to earn some extra money and soon found himself in Iraq. Wounded in a suicide bombing that claimed the life of his best friend, he suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury. His mind exploded into a thousand pieces, no two of which seem connected. Tim longs for the day when he can go home to Amelia and resume his life, but Amelia has doubts about marriage with a man who can’t even remember her name.
Tex is in his late 20’s, a big man with missing limbs due to an IED attack. He joined the Army because that’s what people did where he came from. He always was a very physical man, defining himself and others based on his ability to intimidate them. He cannot go home to face life without his strength, unable to physically dominate his world. He’s always been Tex and this guy with half his limbs missing is a total stranger.
Dr. Dante Favoriti, in his 40’s, is in charge of the ward where these men are being housed until transportation can be found for them. Divorced, estranged from his only child, he tries to help the other characters find the strength to build a new home for themselves, yet can see no hope for himself. A psychiatrist by trade, he is suffering his own midlife crises and like his namesake, he finds himself in the middle of the road of his life, in a dark wood, lost on the path that leads home.
Two native Iraqis have been sent to Germany for medical care. Haidar, in his late 30’s, was a supporter of the American occupation and acted as a translator for them. The insurgents cut out his tongue in retribution, and killed his wife and children. Farah, in her late 20’s, worked for the occupation, too. She fell in love with an American Colonel. When her brother joined the insurgents, she asked the Colonel for help. Instead, he felt compelled to report her to the Iraqis who arrested her brother and tortured her to get him to talk. Now, she is blind, and her family has disowned her because of her betrayal. Haidar and Farah have nothing to go back to Iraq for. If they are sent back, they are likely to be killed by one side or the other. They are trying to find their way to a new home by seeking asylum in America.
All of the characters have been through the storm of war and terror, but now face their greatest challenge – to go home. As these characters fight and struggle with each other, they find a way to help each other. By the play’s end, they are all ready to go home, not as they left it, but as they have become.