Of the 2.7 million Americans who served in the Vietnam War, according to research.va.gov, one is named Vic Underwood. A documentary film, “Uncle Vic,” by Wenatchee-based P2X Studio premieres Saturday.
The show is 4-6:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at P2X Studio, 27 S. Chelan Ave., Wenatchee. It’s free to attend, but registering at eventbrite.com is highly suggested.
“Vic Underwood is my (and my brother Seth’s) great uncle,” said Jess Pierson Pappas, P2X Studio co-founder/creative director. “We’ve always wanted to learn more about his time in Vietnam and document his stories. Dan (my husband and business partner) was also interested in documenting his story. Together as a family, we decided this was something we really wanted to do.”
Underwood was a Green Beret. These are special forces in the U.S. Army who are guerrilla warfare experts, trained in unconventional techniques, especially to fight terrorists.
The Vietnam War was Nov. 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975. The U.S. did not declare war on any country in the area. However, more than 58,000 U.S. service members lost their lives. Many more were injured by enemy action, thus receiving the Purple Heart.
Underwood was one of more than 150,000 who received the Purple Heart in the war. In March 1966, he defended a camp against a two-battalion Viet Cong attack. He was seriously injured in both legs by an insurgent grenade. He later elected to remain at a rescue site to cover the seriously wounded evacuation. He and a small group spent 38 hours closely combatting insurgents and 12 hours evading the same force before getting rescued. See details of the honor at valor.militarytimes.com.
After moving around during active duty, Underwood retired with his wife in Cashmere for about 20 years, but they now live in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Veterans Day is Nov. 11. An event calendar and other resources for veterans is online at ncwveterans.info.
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