--Donald Singleton,

Vietnam combat infantry veteran

On October 2, 2002, husband and wife team Patrick and Cheryl Fries and their Arrowhead Film and Video production crew lifted off on a documentary film mission to follow a restored Vietnam-veteran UH-1H “Huey” helicopter on a 10,000 mile flight across the country. Accompanied by an aerial cinematography chopper and three support vehicles, the crew of In the Shadow of the Blade recorded more than 200 hours of interviews, reunions, and ceremonies inspired by the Huey’s flight to small towns and major cities, backyards and farmyards, and memorials and military bases.

The Fries recruited four volunteer Vietnam veterans to help crew their mission and relied on donations from individuals and businesses to supplement their investment in the half-million dollar production, much of it going to lease and insure the 35-year-old Huey helicopter. The crew relied on the goodwill of film participants and the sale of t-shirts to cover food and transportation expenses during filming.