Phil Donahue and Eddie Vedder â€" a winning team.

Who knew?

I certainly didn’t, and was prepared to unleash my arsenal of Donahue jokes when asked to pen a few words on the tandem â€" that is until I actually read the press release for “Body of War” which came streaming into Volcano World Headquarters today.

“Body of War” is a documentary directed by Donahue and Ellen Spiro, which focuses on the story of Tomas Young â€" a 25-year-old serviceman who enlisted days after the 9/11 attacks (presuming he’d be fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan), only to find himself in an unarmed car in Sadr City, Iraq. After serving for less than a week, Young was struck by a single bullet and paralyzed from the chest down. The documentary looks at a number of issues, including the congressional debate that sent U.S. troops into Iraq and the lack of adequate health care for veterans.

Vedder provided two new songs for the documentary after meeting with Young. According to the press release, Vedder’s songs “soar with the courageous veteran’s soul and spirit.”

“Body of War” will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9/11/2007.

Check out its Web site for more information. â€" Matt Driscoll