Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Veterans Day




Received several nice emails and phone calls today, thanking me for my military service. Nice. But it seems like a hundred years ago now. I was drafted into the army in 1969 and served until 1971. I didn’t go to Vietnam, because I already had an older brother there. My younger brother went to Okinawa.

But when I returned to work in my father’s film production company, where do you think my first film project was? VIETNAM. I couldn’t believe it. The project was a film for Venture For Victory with locations in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam.

All of my basic training had been geared to Vietnam with instructors who had fought there. All of the training films were also about Vietnam.

So, as a civilian, you can imagine my panic, when the helicopter I was flying in, from one filming location to the other, dropped me off in the wrong rice patty. I was all alone.

Another time, I felt as if I were being watched. So I zoomed the lens all the way in, and focused on infinity. When I spun the camera around in the direction of that strange feeling, what did I see but a pair of binoculars disappearing into the tall grass! A cold chill went right up my back.

So it is with profound appreciation that I say thank you to all who have actually served in harm’s way. You have my deepest respect.


Max Elliot Anderson

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