Return to Dak To
Directed by Christopher Upham
Description
“Return to Dak To” is about the previously untold war story that occurred at the end of the Vietnam war. 600 American soldiers in the 299th Engineer Battalion ordered by President Nixon fought during the 61-day siege, and half were killed. The other 300 men returned to the United States with no therapy, expected to assimilate back into civilian life. 40 years later, 5 men who are still haunted decide to return back to Dak To to further explain their feelings to themselves and each other.
Director's Bio
Christopher Upham is a writer and visual storyteller. He has collaborated with filmmakers Paul Saltzman , Ellen Perry, Lynn Hershman-Leeson , Tom Schlesinger, Hisham Bizri and playwright John O’Keefe. On staff at the prestigious Squaw Valley Screenwriting program, he has also taught Documentary Structure and Visual Storytelling. Christopher’s fiction has been anthologized in Maxine Hong-Kingston’s “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace.” His novel, “Daktoum,” about the 1969 siege at Dak To, will be published in Spring, 2016. “Return to Dak To” is his directorial debut.
Plays in
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Remembering Vietnam
Vietnam
Explore the experiences and perspectives of soldiers and civilians of the Vietnam War with three films.In This Program: Escape from Firebase Kate, Tom’s War, Return to Dak To
Preceded By
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Tom’s War
Julie Zammarchi / Vietnam, Healing, Army / USA / 2016 / narrative / 2 mins
Tom Geerdes, a Vietnam veteran, remembers his long journey toward healing after returning home from the war.Preceded by: Escape from Firebase Kate
Precedes: Return to Dak To