To Rajiv Joseph and Robin Williams,

I am a Marine Veteran and attended last Thursday evening’s performance of Bengal Tiger. In my party was an active duty Marine Captain who will be medically discharged by the end of the year due to wounds received in Afghanistan (we sat next to each other). Also in our party was the Captain’s wife, an active duty Marine general and a Vietnam Marine veteran along with their wives. I was with my girlfriend who is retired from the Air Force.

You may not be aware of this, but veterans who have served in combat countries have a very difficult time finding their first civilian job after being discharged. The most frequent reason given to Veterans Administration staffers for not hiring these veterans is because the hiring managers believe EVERYONE who serves in a combat country leaves with serious emotional issues. As a result of this public perception, the unemployment rate for veterans who served in combat areas is higher than that of the national average.

Unfortunately your play conveys that myth and because of Robin Williams headlining, you will reach a very large audience. The message your play delivers goes one step further by portraying every living creature in a combat zone leaves with mental problems. Robin Williams has a great reputation as both a patriot for his country and supporter of our troops. Because of that reputation I was very disappointed to see him deliver and convey that message to the general public. Unfortunately because of his reputation, it adds credibility to the myth.

Next year Wounded Nature – Working Veterans will be traveling the East Coast attending port festivals and various public events. Part of our mission will be to convince employers to give these veterans a chance and I am afraid that your play will make our mission a little more difficult. I am sure this was not your intention and for whatever reason did not see your play as having this negative impact on our veterans.

On a positive note, the play was very well written with clever sophisticated humor scattered throughout. The performances were also great and Robin was flawless and very believable in his role. He convincingly sold his role as a tiger. I only wish that you could have written some balance into Bengal Tiger without losing any of the humor and drama you have brought to New York City with your play.

Semper Fi,

Rudy Socha
CEO
Wounded Nature - Working Veterans
www.woundednature.org
rudy@woundednature.org