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!