DAYTON, Ohio — A full-day celebration of our nation’s military veterans, with a focus on those who served in Vietnam, will take place in the National Museum of the Air Force’s giant screen theater Saturday, Nov. 7.
The second annual Reel Stuff Salute to Heroes will feature five screenings, each presented by a filmmaker, pilot or veteran, among them Medal of Honor recipient and National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrinee retired Army Major General Patrick H. Brady.
The Reel Stuff Salute to Heroes begins at 11 a.m. with Jon Tennyson and Scott Guyette of Sleeping Dog Productions introducing a segment of their series, “In Their Own Words,” featuring interviews with veteran World War II aviators such as the late David Lee “Tex” Hill.
Retired Delta Airlines Captain and Warbird pilot Connie Bowlin will then present Warbirds in Review, an annual program she and her late husband, Ed Bowlin, founded in Oshkosh at EAA AirVenture in 2001. The history of legendary wartime aircraft and the first-person accounts of the heroic veterans who flew them comes alive every year at Oshkosh with this popular program, captured live and edited to video by Sleeping Dog Productions. For the first time, Warbirds in Review will be seen on the big screen.
At 1:30 p.m. producer Jon Tennyson present “Voices of Valor,” another Sleeping Dog series honoring veterans by recording their stories for future generations. Tennyson will highlight clips from upcoming episodes that will be available on Sleeping Dog’s new streaming website, FlyingOnDemand.com.
Two of the Voices highlighted are included in the Air Force Museum Theatre’s 2016 Living History Film Series schedule: Legendary test pilot and airshow pilot, Robert A. “Bob” Hoover, and Col. Richard Cole, co-pilot of Doolittle Raider B-25 Crew #1.
Concluding the segment will be the world premiere of Sleeping Dog’s new documentary, “Welcome Home.” A key objective of Welcome Home is to provide viewers a much better understanding of Americans who served in the Vietnam War, the gallantry with which they performed their duties, and the reason they deserve our admiration and thanks today.
The closing Salute to Heroes presentation will be the 3 p.m. screening of “When I Have Your Wounded,” writer/director Patrick Fries’ documentary about combat aero-medical evacuation by helicopter, dubbed “Dust Off” in the Vietnam War.
The film includes interviews with Medal of Honor recipient, retired Maj. Gen. Patrick H. Brady, U.S. Army (Ret), considered one of the top helicopter pilots of the Vietnam War, a pioneer of Dust Off operations, and recognized by many to be the most highly decorated living veteran. In two tours in Vietnam, Brady flew more than 2,500 combat missions and rescued more than 5,000 wounded.
After the screening, Brady will share his personal stories and answer audience questions. Brady, who with his daughter Meghan published his memoir, “Dead Men Flying,” will be available for a book signing in the Museum Store upon the conclusion of the Reel Stuff Salute to Heroes.
Additionally available for signing will be a new National Aviation Hall of Fame print depicting a Bell UH-1H “Dust Off” Huey then Major Brady flew in 1968 during his MOH missions.
General admission tickets for individual screenings are $10-$16 per person. Full-day passes, good for all screenings, are available for $30. Tickets are available through the Theatre at [email protected] or by calling 937-253-4629.