COLUMN: 'The Final 19'

     Back in 1969, North Buena Vista native Dan Hefel had a decision to make. Hefel had just dropped out of high school and the Vietnam war had passed its midpoint with no end in sight. Should he wait for his draft number to be picked or go ahead and enlist? Hefel chose the latter, a decision that put him on course for one of the most harrowing adventures that not even Dan could have expected.

     “The Final 19” is a documentary that tells Dan’s story. Writer and producer Tim Breitbach is an elementary and high school classmate of mine. He also is a distant relative of Hefel. Tim’s documentary premiered last week in Dubuque at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival.

     A few days prior to the debut of the film I received an invite from Tim to attend the event. Also attending the premier would be two other elementary and high school friends of ours, Dawn Caven and Sara Schneider. After watching the documentary, I am so glad I attended and am very proud of the work Tim put into his film, which he worked on for more than 14 years, on and off.

     Hefel arrived in Vietnam and spent his first months fighting in the jungles, never knowing if each day would be his last. Sometime during his tour, he got severely sick and spent time recuperating on a ship just off the shores of Japan. As he got better, he had an opportunity to test for a gunner position on a helicopter, for which he passed. That decision would change his life forever.

     Fast-forward to Feb. 5, 1970, Hefel was part of a four-man crew that was taking a helicopter on a short flight for repairs. For some reason unknown to Dan the pilot decided to veer off their flight plan and head into a valley that Dan knew was not a place you want to fly into.

     But apparently the pilot had made this run in and out of the valley all the time and the co-pilot was new and had never. He was curious what it was like. Hefel was thinking to himself that this was a place you do not want to fly into. Dan had spent time in this area on the ground in many battles. But both pilots outranked him, and so he kept his thoughts to himself.

     What started out as a picturesque adventure quickly turned to hell. After coming out of some of the most beautiful clouds they had ever seen, the helicopter found itself at tree level and within seconds they were crashing into the jungle. The pilot was mortally injured, the other three survived but were severely injured.

     Dan had broken his back and woke up lying on the helicopter’s rudder. One of the other men was severely burned. It didn’t take long for the Viet Cong to move in and take the three remaining crew prisoners. After a long night in the jungle, the three of them were taken back to the enemy’s camp, a trip that was excruciating for Dan due to his injuries.

     For the next three years Dan spent his time in Vietnam as a prisoner of war. His injuries had remained mostly untreated and he recounted that he was left alone most of his time while in captivity.

     During the film, Hefel gives a first-person accounting of his time as a prisoner, including an appendectomy without anesthesia and time spent in solitary confinement. Hefel remained a POW for 1,143 days and was one of the final 19 POWs to be released and returned to the United States during the Operation Homecoming in 1973. Hie official release date was March 27, 1973.

     One of the aspects I enjoyed the most about Tim’s documentary were the one-on-one interviews where Dan recounted his time spent in Vietnam. Hefel seems to be very humble and proud of his moments serving our country. The interactions of his family also play a big part of Dan’s story, I believe Dan was the second youngest of 16 children.

     Tim, you did an excellent job telling the story of Dan Hefel. Thank you for the invite, it was great catching up with you, Dawn and Sara. Congratulations on your film being named the People’s Audience Award. I look forward to seeing your film again when it hits distribution.

     On a side note, many of Hefel’s family and friends were interviewed for the documentary. One of those interviewed was Billy Boyce. Most of us around here will remember The Billy Boyce Band for playing many years in the great Jones County Beer Tent. His band was also our wedding band many, many years ago!