| The filmmakers made a point of assembling a | | | | died alone somewhere in a jungle thousands of |
| crew of Vietnam veterans: | | | | miles from home was very difficult. I had no idea |
| Retired Lt. Col. Bob Baird, co-pilot and mission | | | | what they grieved for. People die and many, |
| logistics coordinator, who served 20 years in the | | | | many years later, the war is as present in their |
| Army with two tours in Vietnam. Bill McDonald, | | | | children's hearts as the day they died. From the |
| mission chaplain, a former crew chief for the | | | | family members to the hardcore veteran who |
| 128th Assault Helicopter Company. Gary Roush, | | | | hadn't shed a tear in 34 years, it was way more |
| mission historian, a former helicopter pilot with the | | | | than we ever bargained for." |
| 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company. Mike | | | | Cheryl Fries remembers a Gold Star Mother who |
| Venable, mission co-pilot, who flew with the 129th | | | | came to a Huey LZ. |
| and 134th Helicopter Assault Companies. | | | | "She talked about her son," she said. "This was a |
| The Fries conducted many interviews with | | | | woman who heard the Huey was coming to her |
| veterans, logging more than 200 hours of taped | | | | town and came out to see it. We'd never met |
| interviews, reunions, and ceremonies. | | | | her before. She was clutching a photograph of |
| "One of our philosophical principles was that we | | | | him. She pointed to her Gold Star and said, ' This |
| wanted to stay as close as possible to the history | | | | is all I have left. ' That family lives with that loss |
| of the veterans at every opportunity," Cheryl | | | | every day." |
| Fries said. "So we involved veterans at every | | | | Fries spoke of a Georgia veteran who held a |
| level. We always had a Vietnam veteran in the | | | | dying comrade in his arms as the man asked the |
| left seat of the aircraft and we had veterans | | | | veteran to tell his wife that he loved her. |
| planning the LZs and doing a lot of the crew work. | | | | Thirty-four years later, through the hard |
| Accuracy was non-negotiable. There was a great | | | | detective work of Gary Roush and what Cheryl |
| deal of respect about this being sacred ground for | | | | Fries called a "series of miracles," the filmmakers |
| the people telling the stories. We were committed | | | | were able to locate the man's widow and put her |
| to being respectful of the veterans and families | | | | in touch with the soldier who held her dying |
| we were interviewing. In the years of | | | | husband in his arms. Each said the experience |
| pre-production, we interviewed hundreds of | | | | helped to heal wounds that had been painful |
| veterans. That's how we formed the philosophical | | | | through all the years. |
| base for the film." | | | | The film ends in Angel Fire, N.M., with the Huey |
| Patrick Fries believed that had they not been | | | | settling in for a landing in a cloud of swirling snow |
| faithful to the experience of the veterans, many | | | | behind the chapel at the Angel Fire Vietnam |
| of the stories would not have been told. | | | | Veterans Memorial. The memorial was built by the |
| "If you're not accurate, people don't want to talk | | | | late Victor Westphall to honor his son, David, a |
| to you," he said. "They don't want to open up | | | | Marine officer killed in Vietnam, and all other |
| their stories and their photo albums and their pain | | | | Vietnam veterans. Westphall peeked out from |
| and suffering only to have it not told accurately." | | | | over the top of the instrument panel as the |
| Accompanied by three support vehicles and an | | | | helicopter landed. The hands of veterans he loved |
| aerial cinematography helicopter, the Fries | | | | reached into the helicopter to pull him out gently |
| estimate they flew 10,000 miles, a figure arrived | | | | and get him into his wheelchair. |
| at by Logistics Coordinator Bob Baird, who logged | | | | "Angel Fire became the perfect ending spot," |
| the miles on his SUV between Ft. Rucker, | | | | Cheryl said. "Here you had so many incredible |
| Alabama, and the flight's final LZ, the Angel Fire | | | | elements, the father on the mountaintop, the first |
| National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the | | | | memorial to honor fallen Vietnam veterans, the |
| mountains of northern New Mexico. | | | | kinds of things people do in the face of |
| They scheduled 25 Landing Zones and guess at a | | | | unimaginable grief, and then this full-circle return to |
| final tally of 42, a number they are unable to nail | | | | Native America, with a Native American veteran |
| down with any precision because many LZs | | | | blessing the helicopter. It was all there in one |
| popped up at the last minute, and all followed | | | | place. In a way, Shadow became a story in itself. |
| Patrick Fries' rule: Don't land on concrete unless | | | | It became a story of reconciliation, of coming to |
| absolutely necessary. | | | | terms.'' |
| So they put down in front yards and back yards | | | | The Fries are entering the film in film festivals, a |
| and farm yards and pastures and open fields. | | | | course of action taken by all independent film |
| Their Web page provides an LZ road map: 3 | | | | producers. They've been notified that Shadow will |
| farmyards, 4 backyards, 1 elementary school, 1 | | | | receive an award at a Houston Film Festival. They |
| church, 1 town square, 1 hospital, 1 VFW hall, 2 | | | | are considering an offer from a cable TV |
| high schools, 4 museums, 3 military bases, 5 | | | | company to air the film on Veterans Day. In |
| parks, 5 universities, and the Ft. Gordon POW | | | | Albuquerque last February, it had its first theater |
| MIA Memorial. | | | | showing at the Madstone Theaters, a fundraising |
| They found a daughter who lost her father and a | | | | event for the Angel Fire Memorial. The production |
| Vietnamese baby saved by Americans. They | | | | company offers the film to Vietnam veteran |
| visited pilots and crew members, triage nurses, | | | | groups for reunions and meetings. |
| Red Cross "Donut Dollies," and USO entertainers. | | | | Major funding for the film came from Arrowhead |
| They met family members who told | | | | Film & Video, DynCorp, and US Helicopter. Major |
| heartbreaking stories of loss. In some cases, | | | | in-kind support was provided by Southwest |
| people had carried the terrible burden of imagining | | | | Airlines and Bell Helicopter. A complete list of |
| loved ones dying alone until they met the men | | | | contributors may be found at the Shadow Web |
| who had held their loved ones when they died. | | | | page. |
| "I had no idea that a mother or sister's darkest | | | | "It was very surprising to see how healing it was |
| fear was that their son or brother had died | | | | for the veterans to tell their stories," Cheryl Fries |
| alone," Patrick Fries said. "You think that when | | | | said. "I hope one of the lessons of In the Shadow |
| someone is killed, the biggest loss is the loss of | | | | of the Blade is that when you open up and reach |
| life. You can't celebrate birthdays and Christmases | | | | out, you might find the peaceful link you need. We |
| together. But to hear them say the worst part of | | | | were just the conduit. It was a life-changing |
| the whole thing is they were told their loved one | | | | experience for us to be able to do this for people. |