IndieFlix In The Media

SEATTLE - They are empty boots that belonged to our fallen soldiers. So many. Too many.

The one Patricia Boiko filmed for her documentary "The Corporal's Boots" belonged to Corporal Jonathan Santos.

He was 22-years-old when he was killed in the war. There's another number to consider: 1,096. When a suicide bomber hit Santos' truck last year, the young man from Bellingham became the 1,096th American killed in Iraq.

"When I first got there, I saw the boots as empty," says Boika, a physician by day and documentarian when she has free time.

The boots of the fallen soldiers are part of a traveling exhibit about the war. A friend of Patricia's told her about it.

"I started crying just from her talking about the boots. The people on my right and left started crying .I thought, 'I have to get this down,' " says Boika who took out her video camera and began shooting.

In the documentary, Jonathan's mom Doris asks: "How as a nation are we going to care for these broken hearts? How are we going to do that?"

The filmmaker saw the boots as a way to get people to care. It's a powerful image, to see the empty boots, and to know the stories behind them.

For screenings, you can e-mail winning_pictures@yahoo.com or to order a DVD of "The Corporal's Boots", go to www.indieflix.com. Each DVD is $2.95.