LV Vietnam vet salutes soldiers throughout history

Almost a half-century after he was an infantry soldier in the Vietnam War, Chuck N. Baker salutes all veterans who have served from the Revolutionary War to the post-9/11 era in a new documentary titled simply, “Veterans: A Motion Picture.”

Baker, who founded the Veterans Reporter newspaper in 2000 and is its former managing editor, said he produced the film because he “wanted to destigmatize all the negative media perception about all the GIs coming back and having mental problems.”

“I understand many GIs do come back and do have problems, but the great majority of them are doing well,” the Las Vegas resident said Wednesday.

“They contribute to society. They have jobs and start families and continue their education. And many of them who have problems are able to overcome those problems.”

In the film, which runs more than an hour, he opens with an anecdote about Pfc. Benjamin Franklin, who recruited volunteers for the Continental Army and later became an officer.

“He was perhaps one of the most successful veterans of early America,” Baker said.

Then he interviews astronauts, including Gene Cernan, a Navy veteran, and Air Force veteran Charles Duke, who was at mission control for the Apollo 11 spaceflight, which put the first humans on the moon, veterans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in the Sea of Tranquility.

After the famous words from Armstrong, “The Eagle has landed,” Duke replies, “Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys who are about to turn blue. We’re breathing again.”

Baker interviews local Air Force veteran Willie Harris about his career as a TV and movie stuntman and touches on the music career of one of the most famous veterans who became an entertainer, Army draftee Elvis Presley, who starred in “G.I. Blues.”

An Army draftee, Baker served in the 16th Infantry Regiment of 1st Infantry “Big Red One” Division. He was wounded when his unit was in the jungle of South Vietnam in December 1965.

“I got hit with a hand grenade in the legs,” he said, describing how his right leg was nearly severed.

“I was very lucky. The shrapnel went right through it like it was butter,” he said.

The DVD, “Veterans: A Motion Picture,” is available at Amazon or EBay websites for $19.95.

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2.