Mudbirds

2010, 25 minutes

Two Army Helicopter Pilots try to suppress their unspoken fears and distract themselves from the horrors of war, while waiting to be sent out to evacuate the dead and wounded during the 1965 battle of Ia Drang.

Vietnam, close to the Ia Drang Valley. The two helicopter pilots Roberto Santos and Gary Miller have just returned from the dangerous job of evacuating wounded troops from the battlefield under fire. While waiting to be sent out again, they start reflecting on their frustrations with command and the conditions they are forced to fly under. Frustration leads to danger, which leads to fear. When the camp comes under attack they must deal with their fears, both physically and mentally if they are to survive. But how will they do this? Will they choose to carry out their fantasies of escape and fly off to an island or stay and do their duty to their comrades bleeding out on the battlefield?