Monday, February 13, 2012

Honor in the Valley of Tears

Just seeing the last part of this and it is good. Misty here. Comes on again at 11PM eastern on Documentary channel.



Honor in the Valley of Tears

The story of A-Company 1/8 4th Infantry Division, US Army during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1967. In the men's own words, through the stories they narrate, the film gives us insight into the time these men spent together and the bond they formed that remains unbroken to this day. The 4th Infantry Division is one of the only divisions that trained and retained its troops during the Vietnam War. The men of A-Company trained together for eleven months and served together for one year.

Their story begins with basic training at Ft. Lewis Washington in 1965 and continues 40 years later at their last reunion in September 2007. Filming began September 27, 2007 in Houston, Texas during a reunion to honor First Sergeant David H. McNerney, who is the only living member of the 4th Infantry Division to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was celebrated by the men he trained and served with and who's lives he saved on March 22, 1967. Conceived by executive producer John A. Ponsoll, whose father served with A-Company and had documented his tour of duty with a Kodak slide camera, the film honors the memory of A-Company 1/8 and documents their incredible courage and dedication to one another.

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1SG McNerney was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Johnson for his actions at Polei Doc, Republic of Vietnam on March 22, 1967. 1SG McNerney took command of his company during an attack in which all of the officers were killed or wounded by a numerically superior North Vietnamese force. Of the 108 men from Co A, 1st Bn, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division - 22 were killed and 43 wounded on that day.

Footnote: The next day they found over 400 NVA graves or bodies around the perimeter. This company went on to fight more intense engagements during the war. Remarkable outfit. The full movie is a killer.

2 comments:

  1. I'm starting it again. Just found out that he refused radiation when he was given his cancer diagnosis to go to the reunion and died in 2010. A book needs to be written about this man. He was on his third tour when this happened and then went back again. The complete story of this unit and the first are mind boggling. You'll see it at the end of the film.

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