Documentary, 73 min. Produced by ©2003

The Viet Cong and the NVA feared the men with painted faces…

…for good reason

This is the award-winning documentary about F/51st Long Range Patrol (Airborne) Infantry, the most successful unit of its kind during the Vietnam War. U.S. Army special-operations units operate today using lessons learned from F/51st LRP.

Executive ProducersAnnette R. Hall & Don C. Hall

Producer/DirectorVirginia Hashii

EditorJames P. Golingo

Despite what the anti-war activists back home in America were saying, the Vietnamese people wanted, and deserved, a chance to be free from Communist tyranny. A real chance for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was in their grasp during the 1968 Tet Offensive, when F/51st helped show that the Vietnam war could be won…

...if only the American people had the will.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (U.S. Army, retired) and General Fred C. Weyand (U.S. Army, retired) both gave a thumbs-up to SILENT VICTORY.

General Schwarzkopf said the documentary was fantastic and that he appreciated how well Vietnam vets were portrayed. General Weyand said that Col. Maus (executive producer Don Hall’s former C.O., now deceased) would have been proud of what the Halls have done. The General also said that they and their team did an outstanding job putting the documentary together.

Executive Producers

▲ Former F/51st team leader Don C. Hall served as a police officer in Southwest Virginia after leaving the military in 1970, and then worked for many years as a leading private investigator for such companies as Boeing and Alaska Airlines, and for large insurance companies and private attorneys. Don’s contacts in \the military opened the door for the shoots at Ft. Benning and Ft. Bragg. He studied film-directing classes taught by Stanley Kramer and took film courses at the University of Washington and numerous other film and video production courses.

▲ Annette R. Hall worked for many years at Microsoft, where she gained extensive experience working with computer graphics and managing content collections. She also took video and film production classes, as well as camera-acting classes. Creating art both traditionally and on computer, Annette is a fine artist and graphic designer. She managed the project with Virginia Hashii, provided art direction, created the maps for the documentary, and handled all production and clean-up work on the photos. In addition to co-authoring Don Hall’s memoir, I SERVED, she designed and produced the book, all the SILENT VICTORY and I SERVED promotional materials, and their web site (www.silentvictory.com).

Producer/Director

▲ Virginia Hashii started out as a film editor in New York and worked her way up to producing, writing, and directing industrial, educational and documentary projects for a variety of network, film, and non-profit broadcast companies, and magazines. In the early 1990’s, she took a sabbatical from the industry and moved to the Pacific Northwest to pursue additional education. She resumed her career in the industry by taking on the producer/director role for SILENT VICTORY.

Editor

▲ Jim Golingo’s work on SILENT VICTORY was his first experience editing documentaries. He is currently the Senior Editor at Piranha Productions in Seattle, WA. He has won Emmy Awards and Broadcast Emmy Nominations. Jim works with multiple video formats and non-linear systems, with a special emphasis on High Definition and finish work performed on Avid's DS system. Employing his highly developed technical expertise and natural artistic talent to work on a wide range of projects with a variety of clients, Jim has honed his skills enabling him to explore many creative editorial areas.

FILM FESTIVALS:

Vision Film FestivalRoanoke & Buchanan, VA, April 14 – 17, 2005

SILENT VICTORY won the Audience Choice Award and the Award for Best Editing.

California Independent Film FestivalLivermore, CA, November 4 – 7, 2004

A previewer said, “…just finished reviewing the first batch of documentaries…this one is a standout and has two thumbs up from me…”

American Film Renaissance FestivalDallas, TX, September 10 – 12, 2004

Festival director Jim Hubbard said the following about SILENT VICTORY: “Finally! A documentary about the Vietnam War that tells you what the media intentionally ignored. Silent Victory bestows upon America a great service by recounting the valor and heroism of our fighting men in Vietnam. Don and Annette Hall and Virginia Hashii create a masterful work of historical significance by weaving real footage with the firsthand accounts of the servicemen who were in Vietnam, including General Norman Schwarzkopf.”

Other Film Festival Screenings:

2003 Sedona International Film FestivalThe selection committee said that it was one of the best documentaries they had ever seen come through the door since the festival’s inception. Don Hall, Annette Hall, and Virginia Hashii were invited to participate on the Filmmaker Panel as speakers.

2001 Telluride IndieFest Film FestivalThe rough cut of SILENT VICTORY was a documentary winner.

The festival previewers gave high marks to the documentary: "I gave SILENT VICTORY a 10+! It is one of the best documentaries at Telluride IndieFest!"

Comments from the audience at the Telluride Indiefest:"A very moving and inspirational documentary. I really enjoyed it a lot!“

"One of the best documentaries I have EVER seen! Great production quality, and a very enlightening piece of work! "

BACK STORYHusband-and-wife team Don C. Hall and Annette R. Hall were determined to tell the story of F/51st LRP because what happened in this unit showed how history can be changed by just a handful of people. Like many war veterans, Don Hall and his fellow F/51st “Lurps” were reluctant to talk to anyone but their families and closest friends about their combat experiences. Some found it difficult to talk to anyone at all about what they had gone through, especially after what they faced when they returned home from Vietnam. In the 1990’s, the men of F/51st LRP began to get together for reunions. Shared experiences that had been pent up inside for years came pouring out. Don, one of the unit’s original team leaders, came away from these reunions filled with determination to tell their story. His wife Annette agreed and said she would help him make it happen. They had already proved they were a good creative team by having written and published Don’s memoir, “I Served,” which describes Don’s personal experiences growing up in a Catholic orphanage and then serving in Vietnam, first in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and then in F/51st LRP.

BACK STORY (continued)Wanting to retain complete creative control over the content of the book, the Halls had done the unthinkable and turned down a book deal with Random House. Self-publishing their book, first as a traditionally printed hardbound edition, and then in a softbound version, gave them the creative control they needed in order to do it their way. With this experience under their belt, they knew they had what it took to produce a documentary about the unit itself.

With the assistance of his former commanding officer, Colonel William C. Maus (who passed away in April 1998, just four months before the Halls starting shooting for the documentary), Don located the hard-to-find after-action reports and other archival film and documentation about F/51st LRP in the National Archives. These materials were critical to telling the story accurately. Col. Maus also connected Don with General Norman Schwarzkopf, a good friend of his and a former military colleague.

BACK STORY (continued)Don and Annette pitched the project to a variety of production companies, hoping to get outside funding to produce it. They received a number of positive responses from various companies, but were told each time that their lack of experience made their personal participation as producers and director unlikely. These companies wanted to do the project, but without the Halls. Determined to do the project on their terms, the Halls decided to take a risk and fund and produce it themselves.

Kiren DeVerniero, one of the documentary’s music compo-sers, introduced them to director/producer Virginia Hashii. They realized very quickly that they had found the perfect person to guide them through the perilous battlefields of documentary-making. A woman possessing integrity and great story-telling talent, Gini Hashii became a believer and poured her heart and soul into the project. The Halls’ resolve to tell the story their way has resulted in an award-winning documentary unlike any other of its kind.

◄ Producer/Director Virginia Hashii (left) with Executive Producers Don and Annette Hall

◄ Don Hall, team leader (far right), with three members of his LRP team in Vietnam

◄Don Hall being awarded a Bronze Star with ‘V’ device for Valor, by Gen. Fred C. Weyand

▲ Don Hall with Gen. Schwarzkopf

▲Don Hall presenting an F/51st LRP Challenge Coin to Gen. Fred C. Weyand (U.S.A., retired)

▲ Virginia Hashii with

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

To order I SERVED, go to www.trafford.com

Please visit www.silentvictory.com for more information.