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The Chris Traumer Project

"Our Father"

(coming soon)

Executive Producer
Tom Hanks

Written and Directed by
Jocko Sims

A Message from Jocko Sims

With your support, we can create a film that that inspires the country.

As an actor and filmmaker, my greatest privilege is to touch the lives of others by sharing the

stories of people who have made a profound impact on me. In 2023, I had the fortune of

meeting one such person whose personal story changed me forever. He is Chris Traumer, an

NYPD officer who retired early from the police force to care for his father, James, a veteran of

the Vietnam War. Chris spent most of his life feeling disconnected from and fearful of his father,

but the moment James began relying on Chris for his care started an unexpected journey of

healing and understanding between a father and son.

Chris’s story is special and compelling. At the same time, it resonates with everyone who has

hoped to repair a torn relationship, and all of us who will one day find ourselves caring for

someone we love. That is why I am proud to be developing my next project about his life, a film

that I have written and will direct, telling the story of Chris’s childhood, his fractured connection

to his father, and how his time as a caregiver to a veteran opened a new chapter in their lives

together.

I am thrilled to share that Tom Hanks has signed on as Executive Producer. As someone who

recognizes the value of telling such stories, I hope you will join us by supporting the project as

we develop it into a feature film for audiences nationwide.

Tom and I feel a strong personal connection to Chris and the 14.3 million other Americans who

care for someone who served in the Armed Forces. Tom chairs Hidden Heroes, a campaign of

the Elizabeth Dole Foundation which has awakened the nation to the service and sacrifices of

those caring for wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. For the last five years, I

have been proud to join the campaign as a Hidden Heroes Ambassador.

I first met Chris at last year’s Foundation gala, Heroes and History Makers, and he has since

invited me into his home, where he opened up about his life, starting from when he was born in

the Philippines during his father’s tour in Vietnam. While still deployed, his father married

Chris’s mother, Lourdes, and brought the family back to the United States. Together, James and

Lourdes raised three kids in New York where they lived a difficult and poverty-stricken life.

 

Chris recalls his father often being emotionally “checked out.” James was not attentive to the

children and couldn’t hold down a consistent job. The family mostly relied on his mother, who

worked as a housekeeper. Over the years, Chris and James’s relationship was strained nearly to

the point of estrangement. Then, in 2015, James suffered a stroke. Knowing his father had no

other options, Chris retired early as a New York City police officer to become his father’s

caregiver.

Chris was soon living full-time with the father that had felt so distant for most of his life, taking

care of his every basic need. In the process, James felt a love from his son that he did not think

he had earned, and Chris’s eyes were opened to the military service that his father rarely

discussed. In sorting through his father’s military and veteran records, Chris discovered that his

dad was a war hero who had extended his difficult tour in Vietnam to wait for Chris to be born.

James also suffered devastating post-traumatic stress that was left untreated and caused many

of his father’s emotional struggles and inability to care for his family.

Chris’s story is one that everyone should know. With your support, we can create a film that

shares his life of sacrifice, perseverance, humility and grace. I would love the opportunity

to share more about this project with you, and my contact info is below. Thank you for your consideration and hope we that you will join Tom and me in telling this inspiring story!

Let’s Connect

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