Captain Dale Dye Returns to Southeast Asia to Honor Forgotten Generation of Vietnam Vets
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 15, 2017 -- You may not know his name, but Captain Dale Dye influenced how you remember the Vietnam War. He served as a technical advisor on movies like “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” Dye survived thirty-one large combat operations, including the Battle of Hue during Tet ’68. He later became a legendary film maker and renowned international author.
On March 18, 1968, then Sergeant Dye boldly exposed himself to intense enemy fire as he maneuvered forward to replace a wounded assistant machine-gunner. Undaunted by hostile fire impacting around him, he skillfully assisted in delivering a heavy volume of effective fire upon enemy positions. Ignoring his painful injury, he steadfastly refused medical treatment, while rendering aid to his fellow Marine throughout the night. Sergeant Dye’s heroic and timely actions inspired his fellow Marines to press on and to persevere under harsh conditions, ultimately leading to his unit’s successful mission.
Dye, who rose to the rank of Captain, retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1984 after twenty-one years of service and promptly founded Warriors, Inc., which specializes in training actors to realistically portray soldiers in war movies. Despite numerous doors shutting in his face, his persistence paid off when director Oliver Stone hired him in 1986 as military technical advisor for his new movie “Platoon.” That film significantly launched Dye’s Hollywood career, leading to him becoming a legendary technical advisor on numerous prominent films such as “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Band of Brothers,” and “The Pacific.”
The decade-long Vietnam war, which ended in 1975, claimed the lives of 58,307 U.S. soldiers. This week, Vietnam veterans that survived will make their historic return to Vietnam to pay homage to their fallen comrades, as part of a program sponsored by The Greatest Generations Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization devoted to honoring our nation’s veterans.
Over the next ten years, the Foundation will sponsor 1,000 combat veterans back to Vietnam under a new educational initiative called “The War Without Heroes,” designed to raise awareness of the selfless courage of all Vietnam War veterans, so future generations will never forget their sacrifices or those who were left behind. “For many of today’s young citizens, the struggle in Vietnam is unrecognizable,” said Timothy Davis, President of The Greatest Generations Foundation. “The stories of our heroic soldiers who died in Vietnam are not taught in our schools, and it’s clear the Vietnam veterans have not received the acknowledgment that their predecessors did in World War II. They are simply an overlooked generation of warriors, and that’s about to change.”
The War Without Heroes educational initiative will ensure the stories and lessons of Vietnam are not forgotten, even when there is no one left to tell them. Preserving the legacy of these heroic men and women happens most effectively through education and the retelling of stories to younger generations from all backgrounds to explore the values and beliefs that Americans embraced during wartime. They address the extraordinary history of sacrifice and the noble accomplishments of those who served.
To learn more about The War Without Heroes educational initiative and the returning war veterans to Vietnam, please contact Nicola Wales-Wong at The Greatest Generations Foundation at info(at)tggf(dot)org.
About The Greatest Generations Foundation
The Greatest Generations Foundation is a non-profit organization 100% devoted to aiding combat veterans’ return to their battlefields and enabling closure of their war experiences while at the same time educating youth about key military events and their relevance. TGGF ensures that the legacies of veterans are recorded and retold in perpetuity to future generations. For more information, please visit http://www.tggf.org.
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