About:
For the last three years, we have been documenting the lives of the men of Apache Troop 1/9 for our feature documentary, APACHE BLUES: Welcome Home. We thought we were making a film about the soldiers' experiences during the war compared to what we, as two filmmakers born after the war, were taught in out history books. We were wrong. The story is much deeper.
As the interviews started, it quickly became apparent that many of these men had never spoken of their experiences during the war, not even to family. What had been held inside for nearly fifty years began to pour out. It was raw, it was emotional... it was surprisingly healing.
When the cameras turned off, it was as if a weight had lifted from their shoulders. Gone was the man gripping his chair with white knuckles as he spoke about the war. In his place was a man smiling and thanking us for being the first people to just sit down and listen. It was an amazing moment to witness.
But a moment is just that, a moment. Would it last? One year later, we followed up with these men to see if there were any changes in their lives after our talks. The results were even more dramatic than we hoped for. They have begun dialogues with their families and co-workers. They have fewer bad dreams and their families say they are laughing and joking more. Most importantly, they said they were much more comfortable with their feelings about the war. The power of being able to speak freely about their experiences is undeniable.
But this is not just a story about these soldiers. By focusing on these specific men who served together in a specific area, at a specific time, we are able to tell a very personal story that many soldiers can relate to. It does not matter what conflict they have served in, the soldier's experience in war had proven to be universal going all the way back to the Pelopponesian War. It is our true hope that not only will seeing the positive change talking about their experiences has had for our veterans encourage more soldiers to share their stories, but also that we, as a society, will be willing to listen.
As the interviews started, it quickly became apparent that many of these men had never spoken of their experiences during the war, not even to family. What had been held inside for nearly fifty years began to pour out. It was raw, it was emotional... it was surprisingly healing.
When the cameras turned off, it was as if a weight had lifted from their shoulders. Gone was the man gripping his chair with white knuckles as he spoke about the war. In his place was a man smiling and thanking us for being the first people to just sit down and listen. It was an amazing moment to witness.
But a moment is just that, a moment. Would it last? One year later, we followed up with these men to see if there were any changes in their lives after our talks. The results were even more dramatic than we hoped for. They have begun dialogues with their families and co-workers. They have fewer bad dreams and their families say they are laughing and joking more. Most importantly, they said they were much more comfortable with their feelings about the war. The power of being able to speak freely about their experiences is undeniable.
But this is not just a story about these soldiers. By focusing on these specific men who served together in a specific area, at a specific time, we are able to tell a very personal story that many soldiers can relate to. It does not matter what conflict they have served in, the soldier's experience in war had proven to be universal going all the way back to the Pelopponesian War. It is our true hope that not only will seeing the positive change talking about their experiences has had for our veterans encourage more soldiers to share their stories, but also that we, as a society, will be willing to listen.
Who Are These Men?
It took The Blues less than two minutes from the first rescue horn sounding to be fully armed and skids up on the way to the rescue.
The First Squadron of the Ninth Cavalry Regiment (1st of the 9th) was one of the first air assault units in history. They were made up of gunships (The Reds), scout helicopters (The Whites) and infantry (The Blues). They all worked together in concert to find and fix the enemy. The Scouts would head out at first light looking for signs of hostile activity. If encountered, The Blues would be inserted to engage with support from the gunships above. The Blues were also a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) that would rescue downed helicopter crews as well as Ranger teams that were being overrun. With their dangerous tasking, it is estimated that The Blues averaged five enemy contacts a week over the course of their one year tour. It is also why the 1st of the 9th is one of the most decorated units of the Vietnam War.
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There is an excellent chance you have seen these men before and didn't know it. On March 25th, 1970, these men were captured by CBS News Cameras in the middle of an intense firefight. Sgt. Kregg Jorgenson was shot and taken away by medivac as the cameras rolled. He even stopped to give an interview to the news after getting shot. He credits his ability to do that more due to the morphine than his own bravery.
The video was hailed by Walter Cronkite as some of the most important footage to come from the war and it currently has over 5,000,000 views on YouTube. It has also been licensed to numerous TV shows, feature films and documentaries. Sgt. Jorgenson likes to joke that depending how the footage is used, he has been shot in nearly all corners of the country, in several different years, for both the Army and the Marines. Below that is an interview Sgt. Jorgenson sat down for a couple years ago to talk about that day. It was the impetus that eventually led us to make this film. |
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The Day They Should Have Died
What is not known about the day the CBS firefight was captured is that was not the first time Apache Troop had run into trouble in that particular area. Six days earlier, on March 19th, Apache Troop had been sent into the area that looked like it had been previously occupied by North Vietnamese Forces. "Previously occupied" turned out to be only partially right as the bunker complex was actually still occupied... by a Battalion sized element of NVA soldiers.
The firefight waged for hours, one 20 man platoon versus hundreds of NVA fighters. Wave after wave of enemy attacks were repelled and at the end of the day, countless enemy lay dead or dragged away from the battle. Apache Troop did not lose a man. But that doesn't stop any of them from admitting that was the day they probably should have all died.
So, six days later, when the Army needed the news to get some footage, they knew who to call and they knew where to send them. 5,000,000+ views later, the rest is history.
So, six days later, when the Army needed the news to get some footage, they knew who to call and they knew where to send them. 5,000,000+ views later, the rest is history.
Pictures From The War
APACHE BLUES: Welcome Home is a fiscally sponsored project of the International Documentary Association (IDA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions on behalf of APACHE BLUES: Welcome Home are payable to IDA and are tax deductible, as allowed by law