New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A Memorial Day must see: Four years after his death, Frank Buckles' film is released chronicling his life and ongoing effort to honor all WWI Veterans on the
National Mall. The feature length documentary produced by DeJonge Studios in collaboration with
Survivor Quest is now available on Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vimeo On Demand, and VUDU. Pershing's Last Patriot is written and produced by Buckles spokesman and escort
David DeJonge who also fights for the
National Mall location of a
National WWI Memorial.
Test screened in several states the film has taken 8 years to complete. "Because the story was constantly changing we needed to recut it as we went. This included the Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejecting the public demands for Buckles' body to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda," DeJonge stated.
NOBODY MOVED AN INCH
During the test screenings, nobody went to the bathroom, nobody got refills and nobody moved. DeJonge recalls, "I sat through dozens of screenings and nobody would move. They would drop their cell phones, keys and drinks and not move to pick them up. Nobody even got up to use the bathroom. This is a director's dream and a concession stand's nightmare."
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS AND WAS
The film covers not only Frank Buckles' life as a World War One ambulance driver but also as a POW in WWII and eventually the nation's oldest lobbyist fighting for a WWI Memorial. "On March 6th 2008 Frank and I visited the abandoned District of Columbia WWI Memorial on the
National Mall and he asked if we could get it restored. He also asked why there was not a memorial on the Mall for every WWI Veteran."
THE MALL, THE MALL, THE MALL
Years later the public continues to demand the
National Mall location. "Op-eds are written asking a valid question: Why not the
National Mall? The WWI Centennial Commission has a full deck- they have the VFW, the American Legion (formed by General Pershing) and the American
Battle Monuments Commission (also formed by General Pershing) running it, and yet they have chosen not to fight for honor on the Mall but honor on a distant street corner."
BUCKLES NEARLY DIED FROM THE TRIP
The film is crystal clear on Frank Buckles' dying wish was for a memorial on the Mall. "We walk the viewer through the inside negotiations and arguments that occurred. Frank was asked to come and testify at the age of 108." Buckles testified in December of 2009 before the Senate. "Frank nearly died from the trip. We were calling Senator Byrd's office from the car trying to track down oxygen because the nurse noticed Frank's lips were turning blue. In the end the welcome party was to have the VFW not acknowledge him and sit on the opposite side of the room ready to testify against him. This was the last trip Buckles would ever make," DeJonge stated
EDITED AND CENSORED
The first screenings featured a phone call with Speaker Boehner's press secretary Michael Steel following Buckles' death in 2011. "We recorded the conversation (with his permission) and when we first screened the film we included it. Audible gasps and profanities were repeatedly heard at the packed theaters. This segment was so powerful it was all the audience focused on. So we edited it out. What
America needs to know is that the reason Speaker Boehner said Buckles could not lie in honor in the Rotunda was that they liked the parking better at Arlington," DeJonge stated. The interviews in the film show how fractured to the core
America was because of this decision.
PLAY BY PLAY
First on the scene to help the family was the Blackfeet Nation of Indians. American officials did not contact the family for several days after Buckles' death and the US was 4th in line to offer help, beaten by the Native Americans and two allies. Pershing's Last Patriot offers exclusive interviews with them and others surrounding the lack of support offered.
LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD
DeJonge says
America still has a chance. "The film does not have to end the story.
America should watch it and understand how dysfunctional our Nation's capital is, and they should let Congress know their thoughts regarding a memorial location wherever they think it should be."
DeJonge produced and directed the film with Joshua Stewart and Andrew Kouklis. Richard
Thomas who starred in The Walton's and All Quiet on the Western Front does the introduction.
On the net:
Amazon: https://preview.tinyurl.com/l2p66f3
The film is distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment, founded in 2003 by Joe Amodei to acquire, market, and distribute DVD, TV and
Digital product in the theatrical feature film, documentaries, special interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with OWN, Sundance Channel Home Entertainment,
National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions,
Morgan Spurlock's
Warrior Poets and other high-profile entertainment brands since their inception. Releases from Virgil Films & Entertainment include the documentary Miss Representation; Todd Solondz's Dark Horse, the critically acclaimed documentary Bridegroom, the timeless Forks Over Knives, and the Oscar nominated documentary Restrepo. Follow them on twitter: @virgilfilms | https://www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com.
