The Search
Three days after her high school graduation, Jasmine Lovett joins the Air Force. Initially, she thrives; but soon, she finds herself battling depression. When her commander threatens to discharge her without veterans’ benefits, Jasmine drives to a city park and takes her own life. Three years later, her family still wonders if the Air Force did everything they could to prevent Jasmine’s death.
Thomas Brouns is a 20-year U.S. Army veteran and experienced diplomat who has spent most of his life abroad. He recently fulfilled his long-time dream of studying documentary film at the University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. With his wife, a graduate of the same program, he hopes to launch a media company focusing on international human rights abuses. “The Search” is his first film.
I was researching the non-combat deaths of dozens of women in the military when I tracked down Jasmine Lovett’s mother, Connie Slater. Like many parents, she refused to accept her daughter had died by suicide. During that first conversation, she made me promise to tell Jasmine’s story; the more I learned, the more I felt compelled to do so.
I learned that Connie Slater was far from alone; many survivors, in the absence of complete information, question the military’s explanation of their loved ones’ deaths. At a time when there are nearly 22 military or veteran suicides every single day, the Department of Defense is working to improve its outreach to survivors – but they need to do better.