Gene Boy Came Home facts for kids

Gene Boy Came Home is a short documentary film from 2007. It was made by First Nations filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

The film tells the true story of Eugene "Gene Boy" Benedict. He was a First Nations person who grew up on the Odanak Indian Reserve in Quebec, Canada. This reserve is about an hour and a half east of Montreal.

Gene Boy's Early Life

Gene Boy left his home at age 15. He moved to New York City to work in construction. When he was 17, he felt a bit lost. He took a dare and joined the United States Marine Corps. Just a few months later, he was sent to fight in the Vietnam War.

Joining the Marines

The film shares details about Gene Boy's childhood. It shows how he was taken from his family to go to school in Ontario. Later, as a teenager, he left his reserve to work in high-steel construction in the United States.

He joined the U.S. military after a dare from his stepfather. He went through basic training, called boot camp, at Parris Island. The film compares his memories of boot camp with scenes from a modern boot camp. This shows how little has changed in how young people become soldiers.

Experiences in Vietnam

Gene Boy was assigned as a sniper and scout in a place called Da Nang in Vietnam. During his time there, he saw many difficult things happen to his friends. He also fought against soldiers, some of whom were very young.

He was also exposed to a chemical called Agent Orange. He and his fellow soldiers were never told about the dangers of this chemical.

Returning Home

After his time in the military, Gene Boy came back home. Like many who served in Vietnam, he faced a tough welcome home. He felt like he was treated badly by some people. Because of this, he learned to hide the fact that he had served in Vietnam. He also felt that the government had forgotten about him.

Gene Boy suffered from post-traumatic stress. This meant he had troubling memories and bad dreams for the rest of his life.

Finding Peace at Home

To find some relief from his difficult memories, Gene Boy decided to go back to his home reserve in Odanak. Even though he still needed medicine, he found some peace there. He drove the community's school bus and helped young people.

Gene Boy Benedict passed away shortly after the last scene of the film was shot. He was 59 years old.