NEW ORLEANS -- Many refer to the Korean War as the “forgotten war,” but Captains Brian Iglesias and Anton Sattler want the world to remember its bloodiest battle.
The men, both reserve officers and combat veterans, met one day in New York City and decided to make “Chosin,” the first documentary to chronicle the U.S. led 17-day battle. “Chosin” showcases rarely seen footage and photos of the battle along with interviews with former Marines, sailors and soldiers who were there.
During the Chosin Reservoir break-out, 15,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops. They fought 78 miles to reach safety in the port town of Hungnam along the Sea of Japan. Along the way, they suffered 4,000 casualties but saved the lives of 98,000 refugees fleeing communist rule in North Korea.
The captains had to work against the clock as the veterans of the 60-year-old war are fading away one by one.
“To be able to do this documentary and share their story helps remember them,” said Iglesias. “These guys are dying. They’re in their 80s and one of the guys [interviewed] already passed away, so to be able to tell their story before they pass away is important.”
Making such a documentary usually costs around $300,000 and takes three years to complete, said Iglesias. The captains didn’t have that kind of time or money.
First, they both cashed out their retirements and savings totaling $30,000 to start their film company, Veterans Incorporated, with the goal of portraying the unique experiences of military veterans.
Armed with their film degrees and camera equipment donated by veterans and ordinary Americans who believed in their cause, the duo hit the road.
Traveling in a van across 27 cities from coast to coast with little sleep and little time to eat, they interviewed 185 veterans in Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legions and Marine Corps League centers.
“Being hungry is nothing, being tired is nothing, being miserable is nothing,” said Iglesias who did two combat tours in Iraq. “We’re experts at being miserable.
Along the way, supporters of their cause provided homecooked meals, free drinks, and spare rooms and couches for them to rest.
They would call the veterans and set up times for interviews, drive there early in the morning, film interviews all day and finish around midnight. They would take turns sleeping while the other drove to the next location, and would start filming all over again upon arrival.
Chosin survivor Joe Owen said he found it easier to share his story with Iglesias and Sattler “knowing Marines today would have done the exact thing we did in Korea.”
“For my grandchildren who don’t have that much awareness of what is currently going on, and have hardly any knowledge of the Korean War, for them to see how their grandfather and a few other 1,000 Marines fought and changed history, I am delighted,” said Owen, who was a mortar platoon commander with Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment during the Chosin breakout.
The captains, with a staff of no more than five at a time, faced constant equipment failures. Still, they refused to let the Chosin veterans down.
“There is no way you could look them in the face or pick up the phone and tell them you didn’t complete the mission,” said Iglesias who recalled how difficult it was when the veterans got emotional.
When things went wrong, the captains had to come up with solutions on the spot such as calling tech support, going to an electronic store, or trying to repair equipment themselves.
“Come up with plan B and execute plan B while we are executing plan A all at the same time,” said Iglesias. “We could do it because of the experience that we got from the Marine Corps, especially going to combat because everything goes wrong.”
Eight months after they first started filming, the documentary was finally finished. They chose to premier the film at MarForRes because of the high number of reserve Marines involved in the battle.
“We had it a lot easier than they had it,” said Lance Cpl. Daniel Glenn, an administrative clerk at MarForRes. “It took a lot of heart and dedication from them to do what they did.”
Sattler and Iglesias now have memorabilia, hand drawn maps, personal accounts, and self published books that they plan on giving to the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va. so the legacy of the Chosin veterans can live on. Both men said they believe the history of the battle belongs to every Marine.
The captains plan to release the DVD in June, and show the documentary during the GI Film Festival May 12-16 and during the New York Fleet Week May 26–June 2. The Korean government has also invited them to screen it in June for the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
The Marines’ next project is a three dimensional movie about the Chosin break out, “17 Days of Winter,” which is scheduled to be released in 2012. More information about “Chosin” can be found online at www.frozenchosin.com