While working on the crew for the school's production of the play OKLAHOMA, I injured my foot when jumping down onto a catwalk above the stage and wound up in Bethesda Naval Hospital.

A bolt holding the catwalk above the stage had punctured my foot and it took almost 6 months to get that sorted out. A piece of my tennis shoe had lodged next to a bone in my foot which caused a severe infection which was compounded by an infection that had become intrenched in the operating rooms from the treatment of marines who had been wounded in Vietnam being treated there. It was a Best of Times/Worst of Times situation, culminating with me, and a half dozen marines from orthopedic ward 3-C, going to the first May Day protest in Washington DC in early May, 1971.

The whole experience was like "MASH" meets "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" when I was the youngest player amongst an all military cast, most of whom had been wounded in Viet Nam. I was on two Orthopedic Wards during my time there, 3 C & 5 C.

All the patients had injuries of some sort to their extremities and were either ambulatory or in wheel chairs, which I was during my time there. Most of them were alert and capable of normal activities . They were only constrained by the nature of their wounds

The hospital staff consisted of military personnel ranging from young Corpsmen to Admirals, who occasionally came by during Grand Rounds on Fridays. We had access to a all the areas in the hospital, including other wards, that were open to visitors as well as some that we discovered through exploration.

My step grandmother worked in public relations at the hospital so I had visited there on occasion prior to my admittance and was somewhat familiar, with the place.

I also had played many rounds of golf at the Hospital's golf course in the late 1960s when my father was stationed at the Washington Navy Yard as a Captain.

The movie would be based on the many experiences I had during my 4 1/2 month stay, ranging from tragic to euphoric, a truly unique and almost singular real life journey.

I have compiled a list of some of those experiences as well as reached out through pertinent social media outlets to gather information on collecting remembrances of wounded Vietnam veterans as well as service members from the medical ranks.

It is my hope that a movie such as this could be able to shine a spotlight on the aging veterans of this war and their service at a time when many of them could use some additional support.

For more information about this project,

CONTACT:

Charles R Winkler

P O BOX 3

4008 SOUTH VIRGINIA DARE TRAIL

NAGS HEAD, NC 27959

252-564-5317

~ OSOBNC@gnail.com ~