N.M. documentary nominated for Emmy

      A documentary on a New Mexico family’s loss which led to the first major Vietnam veterans’ memorial is a finalist for a regional Emmy Award.

      The documentary tells the story of Victor “Doc” and Jeanne Westphall who took their son’s GI life insurance and began building the memorial overlooking Angel Fire, N.M.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Jim Goss photo)

      The son, Marine 1st Lt. Victor David Westphall III, was killed in battle on May 28, 1968, near Con Thien, South Vietnam.

      On This Hallowed Ground: Vietnam Memorial Born From Tragedy is one of three nominees for an Historical Documentary Emmy, which will be presented Sept. 19 by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter.

      Sarah Kanafani of Albuquerque is the documentary’s producer and director. Kanafani owns Luminance Pictures, which has been producing documentaries and promotion videos for major national and New Mexico companies and institutions for years.

      On This Hallowed Ground already has won:

• Two Telly Awards for Best Documentary in Online Media and Best Editing in Non-Broadcast. Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens.

• The 2020 REMI Award from WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.

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      On This Hallowed Ground was two years in the making, beginning when the David Westphall Veterans Foundation asked Kanafani to produce a short video to show at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which has been operated by the state Department of Veterans Services since July 1, 2017.

      Kanafani was contacted by the Westphall Foundation when the Memorial’s Huey helicopter was transported to Roswell to be refurbished, repainted, and restored to its Vietnam War appearance. Transportation and restoration costs were donated by state agencies, private companies and their employees.

      As Luminance Pictures worked on the short video, Kanafani sensed a much larger story was waiting to be documented.

      She began scheduling interviews with Westphall Foundation board members and Vietnam War veterans. Two of the veterans had been Huey pilots during the war.

      In the interests of full disclosure, I should explain I was one of the pilots interviewed. I have served on the Foundation board for years and I flew the Memorial’s Huey on combat missions in 1967 when it was assigned to the 118th Assault Helicopter Company at Bien Hoa, South Vietnam.

Ron Milam narrating documentary

      The other pilot interviewed in the documentary was my good friend Tom Baca of Albuquerque, who also served in the 118th AHC before transferring to the II Field Force flight detachment. Tom could not recall flying the Memorial’s Huey, but he had an encyclopedic memory of flying combat missions.

      Tom and I described our experiences flying Hueys in combat.

      Early this past Sunday, Tom died in an Albuquerque hospital after battling cancer for months. Tom welcomed the opportunity to be a part of the documentary. He told me many times over the years how peaceful and refreshed he felt whenever he visited the Memorial.

      Other Westphall board members with speaking parts in On This Hallowed Ground are Chuck Howe, president; Chuck Hasford, treasurer; Richard “Dick” Dickerson, secretary; Walter Westphall, son of Doc and Jeanne Westphall and brother of David Westphall; and Ron Milam. All are military veterans, most having served in the Vietnam War.

Victor Westphall

      Milam is the documentary’s commentator, who explains the war’s impact on the U.S. society and Jeanne and Victor Westphall’s lifetime roles in building the memorial. He is associate professor of history at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and was an infantry advisor to Montagnard forces during the Vietnam War.

      Kanafani said of the documentary’s nomination: “We are honored this important film has led to our first Emmy Award nomination. My wish is this nomination furthers the exposure of such an incredible story of bravery, loss, and healing.

      “The contribution Doc Westphall and his wife made to the soldiers, fallen and living, their families and to our nation is like no other. Grappling with the heartache of war and the pain of losing a son or daughter in war is never easy. But for this man, he went a step further and built a chapel of healing to honor the dead on both sides, uniting us all in peace and brotherhood.

Chuck Howe in documentary scene

      “It was an honor to work on such an important story and my hope is the knowledge of this chapel and the family behind it will spread and will find its place in the hearts of many.”

      The Memorial originally was named the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel, dedicated to the memory of David Westphall and the other 16 Marines who died with him at Con Thien in 1968.

      The chapel was dedicated on the third anniversary of David Westphall’s death, on May 22, 1971. It was the first major Vietnam veterans memorial in the United States and inspired the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which was completed in 1982.

      Over the years, the Memorial has been operated by the Disabled American Veterans, the Westphall Foundation, New Mexico State Parks, and the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services.

      The Memorial includes the Chapel, an adjacent Visitors Center, a Gift Shop, a Veterans Memorial Walkway, an amphitheater, a Memorial Garden, and the gravesite of Jeanne and Victor Westphall. More than 45,000 people visit the Memorial each year.

Friendship strong for 53 years

      When my cell phone rang Sunday morning my stomach felt like it dropped three feet. Tom Horan’s name was on caller ID.

      Tom told me our close friend, Tom Baca, had died early that morning. Though Tom Baca had been doing well when I visited with him on FaceTime several weeks earlier, I knew Tom Horan was calling to tell me he had died.

      The two Toms had known each other since grade school. Years later, Army Warrant Officer Tom Baca had given Army Lt. Tom Horan his first orientation ride in a helicopter.

      Tom Horan went on to become a scout helicopter pilot in South Vietnam.

      That’s where Tom Baca and I met — in Vietnam, under unique circumstances stemming from a misunderstanding.

      Before I joined the Army, I had worked as a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune. One of the television reporters covering the news with me on the Albuquerque police beat in 1965 was Jim Baca.

      Later that year I enlisted in the Army. After basic training and helicopter flight school, I flew to South Vietnam.

Tom Baca in Huey cockpit in South Vietnam in 1966.

      After signing in at the 118th Assault Helicopter Company I went to the officers’ club. I was surprised to see a familiar face at one of the tables.

      “Jim, what are you doing here?” I asked.

      “I’m not Jim. He’s my twin brother,” came the reply. “I’m Tom Baca.”

      This began a close friendship, beginning in February 1967 and lasting until Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020.

      Over this 53-year friendship, Tom and I drank martinis together in London, Saigon, Hanoi, Shanghai, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, Charlotte, and many other cities. Tom enjoyed martinis with friends; I enjoyed martinis with Tom.

      We were alike in many ways. Like Tom, I had a twin brother. We bought our first hybrid cars within days of each other. We were hooked on high-tech gadgets.

      Tom and I had our differences, too, mainly political. We adopted a simple rule: Never discuss politics.

      In a lounge at the Hotel Caravelle Saigon in 2008, the wife of a mutual friend started attacking a president whom I liked. Tom immediately shut down the criticism. “Jack and I have a rule, we don’t discuss politics. I’d appreciate it if you would honor this,” he told her. She did.

      It was Tom who coaxed me into returning to Vietnam 40 years after I returned from my combat tour in 1967-68. I had planned to go someday, but kept putting it off.

      However, Richard Max, director of a planned documentary about a rescue mission Tom and I flew with our aircrews in May 1967, came to Tom’s home for an initial visit with us. Tom told Richard he planned to visit southern Vietnam in October 2008.

      “You should come, too,” Tom told me.

      I agreed and Richard said it would be a good opportunity to get footage of us in the landing zone where we had pulled off the rescue.

Tom and Dinh Ngoc Truc during documentary
filming near Tay Ninh City in 2008.

      The filming went great. Richard and his colleagues at Windfall Films had to work over the holidays to put the documentary together in time for its television debut, but they were finished in time for a special screening in January 2009. Tom, his copilot Larry Liss, me, and our wives traveled to London for the screening.

      The government advisor to the Windfall Films crew was a former member of the People’s Army — known to GIs as the North Vietnam Army. Dinh Ngoc Truc, who worked for the Ministry of Culture and Information, turned out to be a really great guy.

      He became a close friend, and would stay with Tom in Albuquerque and me in Roswell on trips to the United States. His wife Phuong joined him on one trip, and taught Jan Baca and Renee Swickard the fine points of Vietnamese cooking.

      Over the years Tom, Truc, and I would organize trips to Vietnam, taking along other veterans of the war. It was great therapy for anyone with a lingering sense of uneasiness about their war years.

      Tom was unfailingly kind. He had been stricken with multiple sclerosis, but was able to keep it at bay. Tom told me many times, “if you know someone with MS, tell them I can come and visit them. I can tell them it’s not the end of the world.”

      At lunch one day in an Albuquerque restaurant I saw Tom call over the waitress and point to two police officers at another table. “Give me their bill. I want to pay for their lunch.”

      This was typical of Tom.

      Another time a friend, retired Lt. Gen. Richard T. Knowles, died. Dick had gone to Vietnam as deputy commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and many years later settled in Roswell, where he became my state representative in the New Mexico Legislature.

      Dick’s son called me and asked if I would like to sort through his papers, plaques, and trophies. I called Tom. “I have a job for you. Can you help me sort through Dick Knowles’ memorabilia?”

      Tom was at my home the next day.

      We spent two days sorting the memorabilia into separate boxes to present to military museums around the United States. Then we took a road trip and donated them.

      Most of the items went to The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University. It’s the second-largest Vietnam War archive in the United States, behind the National Archives.

      Tom was liked by everyone he met because he was so comfortable to be around.

      I’ll really miss Tom.

Tom Baca makes home in the sky

      Major Thomas Delfin Baca was a man to whom gravity meant nothing. From joining the Army at age 17 to fly helicopters, to his lifelong career as a pilot, to his six-month battle with cancer, nothing could keep him down. He knew he belonged in the sky and on August 30th, 2020, early in the morning, he decided to make that his home.

      Tom was born September 6th, 1945, in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Fermin and Dixie Baca (Sapp) as part of a matching set with his twin brother Jim Baca, and they became beloved little brothers to Maria Carlota Baca of Santa Fe.

Tom Baca 

      Tom is survived by his wife of 51 years, Janet Baca of Albuquerque, daughters Sara Reeves (Jason Reeves) of Hamilton, Montana, and Stephanie Baca of Los Angeles, California, as well as 4 grandchildren Kelly Brion (Grant Brion) of Hamilton, Montana, Kevin Reeves of Bozeman, Montana, Emma Schmidt and Maya Schmidt, both of Los Angeles, California, his twin brother, Jim Baca (Bobbi Baca) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and his big sister Dr Maria Carlota Baca of Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

      Tom joined the Army one week out of high school and went on to define heroism in a daring rescue on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam. He served as an enlisted aircraft mechanic for 18 months and was appointed Warrant Officer on completion of U.S. Army Flight School.

      During his first tour of duty in Vietnam Tom engineered an epic rescue mission by saving over 100 surrounded soldiers who were pinned down in a bamboo forest. He used his Huey helicopter's rotors to slash a landing zone in order to rescue the men, flying into heavy enemy fire six times to complete the mission.

      This rescue was later the subject of a documentary produced by a British film company for the National Geographic and Smithsonian Channels in America. The one-hour show was called, “Helicopter Wars: Vietnam Firefight.”

Tom Baca (second from left) and crew of UH-1H Huey
helicopter shot down in Vietnam in 1966 early in Tom's
first combat tour.

      He received a direct commission as a regular officer during his second tour in Vietnam. He is a decorated Army helicopter and fixed-wing pilot and had flown as an Air Transport Rated commercial pilot from 1983-2003. For his heroic efforts during his two tours during the Vietnam War, he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and 38 Air Medals. He has over 10,000 hours of flight time in many types of aircraft.

      He was a graduate of the University of Southern Colorado, and served as Aviation Director, the New Mexico Department of Transportation from July 2004 to his retirement in October 2009.

      He was highly active in his community and is responsible for grants to the 59 federally funded airports in New Mexico. He is remembered for his passion for life, family, travel, and for country. He believed in equality for all, truth, honesty, and fairness. He will live on in the hearts and minds of the many lives he touched.

      In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Tom’s name to one of the following charities: The David Westphall Veterans Foundation at www.vietnamveteransmemorial.org/ways-to-give/ or to the National Wildlife Federation at support.nwf.org

      Interment will take place at Angel Fire Veterans Cemetery.

—   The Thomas Baca Family