LZ: Kentucky (photos coming soon)

"Jimmy was -- was 19 years old when he opted for the Army. He wasn't drafted. He wanted to go. I was 15. I remember taking him to the airport for his tour of duty. Giving him a hug. Never realizing that it would be the last one..."

To his little sister, Jimmy Cryster was a hero long before he wore a uniform. His comrades from the 1/9 Cavalry B Troop "Bullwhip Squadron" saw him behave like a hero when he did wear one.

They gathered with her—Jimmy’s pilots and the commander of his “Blues” infantry unit—in Vine Grove, where Barbara Fullen Cryster took a ride on 091. Bert Chole, Jimmy’s pilot the day he took a fatal bullet, piloted. Barry McAlpine, Jimmy’s CO, sat beside her, holding her hand. The families ITSOTB met still wear their grief as freshly as if weeks and not decades had passed. But on these days as the skids got light, so many said, as Barbara did, that they felt their loved ones there beside them.

Barbara doesn't like to fly. At all. But that day, she summoned her courage and climbed into a 35-year-old helicopter, surrounded by the men who went to war with her brother...

When the flight ended, the fear and the tears were gone. Barbara had flown "with Jimmy right beside me," and she had learned that he had not--as the family had believed--died alone. "He was so loved," she said.

From the Guestbook:

"Thank you for making me a part of the film; it has helped ease my pain of loss that I feel for my big brother. He was the best. I was 15 when he went to Nam and I was so proud of him. The saddest day of my life was the day my parents got notified of his death. I miss him so much till this day I cry and pray for him. He was suposed to come back and we were to have a party, he told me in the last letter I received from him dated 10/31/67. He died 11/14/67. That day my life stopped, my heart broken and beyond repair. And then over 30 yrs later. I met the most wonderful men in the world - my brothers' friends - (we know who you are) you have healed part of that broken heart. And I will always be thankful to you."

All my love,
Barbara Cryster Fullen (JIMMY'S LITTLE SISTER WHO WILL NEVER BE AFRAID TO FLY SINCE I FLEW WITH THE CAV.)

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Behind the scenes: We first met the veterans of B Troop, 1/9 Cavalry, at their 2000 "Bullwhip Squadron" reunion at Fort Rucker, where we shot interviews for the ITSOTB proposal piece. That collection of answers to "what does the Huey mean to you?" is a documentary in itself--and was quite an induction into the world of Vietnam helicopter pilots for director Patrick Fries. Veterans had plenty to say about the Huey helicopter: "A great machine." "Our lifeline." "The best and the worst of times." "The sound of freedom."

But it was a woman who grabbed the director's attention. Barbara Fullen Cryster was attending the reunion--her first time to meet the veterans who'd served with her brother. She stood beside the Rucker museum's Huey with a message for the camera that would profoundly influence the future of the mission: "When I see that Huey, it breaks my heart."

"I can't describe how much of an impact that one sentence had on me," Fries says. "I realized--someone will tell the story of the pilots and the crews and the helicopters. But who will ever tell the story of the sister? Or of a daughter like Kim Douglas (see Mississippi)? I knew right then, if I could put these families in a Huey with the men who served with their loved ones it would be incredible for all of them. I loved the vets. I loved their stories. But it was Barbara and Kim who drove me to make this movie."
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Where's Pratt?

Jim Pratt, aka Foobird 39, wins the ITSOTB "Everywhere" award. We met he and his wife Pat at the Bullwhip reunion. Then saw them at the Rucker liftoff. Then at LZ Radcliff. And at Angel Fire. At the Austin screening. And the Houston WorldFest. In fact, we decided that Pratt is the Waldo of ITSOTB, and we even made a book to that effect, in which Pratt appears at LZs across the country and even walking on water in Florida. And yet, despite his ubiquitous-ness, we've still not heard the Foobird story. Jim's 1/9 B Troop friends tell us we're fortunate in that regard.

"I had the good fortune to connect with the ITSOTB group at the BULLWHIP SQUADRON Reunion in Ozark, ALA two years ago. I knew then that this project would have a strong emotional impact on many people. I could not have anticipated that I would be one of those so greatly impacted. I was fortunate to attend the sendoff at Ft Rucker, ALA and stood with pride as the Huey departed on its journey. I was again fortunate to participate in the project while you were at LZ Radcliff. To once again fly with my former comrades-in-arms, now brothers, John Flanagan, Bert Chole, and Barry McAlpine opened a doorway to a flood of memories. Memories of fun times, hard times, scared times, bad times, names, faces, old friends, gone friends all rushed out from their hiding places at once when Pat asked me what it was like to fly the Huey again. I was totally overwhelmed. I am thankful that my wife Pat was with me, was able to fly with me, and was there to comfort me. It has given her a better understanding of the parts of me that were forged in the Huey. I would fly with Bruce and Jim anytime, anyplace. They would have done fine in NAM, especially if we could liven up their sense of humor >grin<. Pat and Cheryl, you have an important, meaningful project here and I admire you for the concept and thank you for making your dream a reality. You have a top-notch crew in Sarah, Will, John and Scott. They all made us feel a part of In The Shadow Of The Blade." Remember three things. (1) Never a moments hesitation nor a backward glance, Drive on. (2) Roger that S-, and (3) it's all about Bruce.
-Jim Pratt <FOOBIRD39@AOL.COM> Tallahassee, FL USA

You've seen this unit fictionalized in Apocalypse Now. See the real guys in ITSOTB, or read about them in Born In Brooklyn; Raised In The Cav by John Flanagan.

Next ITSOTB Stop: Louisiana.

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