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Veterans
Day DC screening of award-winning documenta ry
Austin, Texas – “In The Shadow of The Blade” will screen on Tuesday,
November 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Women In Military Service To America
Memorial in Arlington. The award-winning independent documentary will
be the centerpiece of an evening’s tribute to Vietnam veterans and
families. Combat journalist Joe Galloway and Vietnam veteran Jim
Scheuckler, founder of The Virtual Wall, will speak. Brigadier General
Wilma Vaught (USAF, Ret.) will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. A
reception will follow. The event is sponsored by The Women In Military
Service for America Foundation, the Vietnam Veterans of America, and
Bell Helicopter.
“In
The Shadow of The Blade” follows the 10,000-mile cross-country journey
of a restored Vietnam combat UH-1 “Huey” helicopter to the backyards and
farmyards of war veterans and families to hear their stories. The Huey
helicopter is the icon of the Vietnam War, used by all branches of
service for troop transport, re-supply, medical evacuation, and combat
assault. Three decades after the war, the arrival of the iconic symbol
was a catalyst for shared memories, moving reunions, and “healing”
experiences. The independent film won “Best of Show” and “Gold
Documentary” at the WorldFest International Film Festival in April, and
a Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award for Outstanding
Documentary. It is being distributed by Fabrication Films and is
scheduled for home video release Veterans Day 2004 and American
television broadcast by Discovery Wings in 2005. The aircraft used in
the documentary is on permanent display in the Smithsonian Museum of
American History.
Admission to the screening is free. Advanced reservations are strongly
recommended by contacting
pr@womensmemorial.org or 703-533-1155.
Film
producers, Vietnam veteran crew members, and veteran subjects will be
present at the DC screening.
For
more information, please visit
www.intheshadowoftheblade.com .
FACT
SHEET
• In
The Shadow of The Blade (ITSOTB) is produced by Patrick and Cheryl Fries
of Austin, Texas’ Arrowhead Film & Video. Patrick Fries is the film’s
director.
•
Fries had the idea for ITSOTB after a day of aerial cinematography, when
the pilot told him about his time in Vietnam and every veteran’s love
for the Huey helicopter.
• The
UH-1 “Huey” helicopter was used in Vietnam by all branches of service
for troop transport, medical evacuation, and resupply. According to
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association statistics, 7,013 Hueys flew in
Vietnam and nearly half—3,305—were destroyed.
• The
UH-1’s 48-foot rotor blade makes a distinctively loud WHOP WHOP WHOP
sound, often described by veterans as “the sound of freedom.”
• The
Huey used in the documentary film is tail number 65-00091, or “091,” an
aircraft which served in the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company, “The
Robin Hoods,” in Vietnam. It was damaged by enemy fire three times in
1966-67. Robin Hood veterans repainted the restored aircraft’s
distinctive nose art during the film production. The aircraft is now on
permanent display in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
• In
The Shadow of The Blade visited 8 states and made more than 42 landings
during film production, gathering more than 200 hours of footage for the
90-minute documentary. Landing Zones included backyards, farms, city
parks, schools, church lots, memorials, universities, and a VA hospital.
•
Veterans of all branches of service, all jobs, and all ethnicities were
filmed, including helicopter crew members, infantry soldiers, nurses,
Red Cross and USO civilians, and a Vietnamese pilot who is now an
American. Two former Prisoners of War are interviewed in the film.
• Ten
families of Vietnam’s 58,000+ missing and/or killed were filmed,
including 3 children of helicopter pilots killed in action who flew in
the captain’s seat during the film production.
• In
The Shadow of The Blade is in distribution by Fabrication Films.
More
information:
www.intheshadowoftheblade.com . |
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