It’s hard to imagine why Sapuro Nena ever wanted to leave his island home in Micronesia. A serene paradise in the middle of the Pacific, Kosrae boasts abundant fish, perfect diving reefs, and several thousand residents who treat each other like family. In the first few minutes of this film Nena returns home. But he arrives in a coffin draped with an American flag, a casualty of the U.S. conflict in the Middle East. In 1986 the United States signed an agreement with the Federated States of Micronesia that boosted local economies and allowed islanders to serve in the U.S. military. Today so many Micronesians enlist they outnumber recruits from any single U.S. state. Filmed over five years from Kosrae to Afghanistan, Island Soldier tells the story of several recruits, including Sgt. Nena, who left home in search of world adventure and a dependable paycheck. Those who return find themselves veterans of a country where they have no citizenship and on an island home with an uncertain future.  RYS

Filmmaker Q&A following screening