JMU family connects to we were soldiers

Three years ago, director Randall Wallace, best known for the epic blockbuster Braveheart, approached Barbara Johns ('87P) with a movie script idea. His film, We Were Soldiers, is based on General Hal Moore and Joe Galloway's book, We Were Soldiers Once and Young, which chronicles the ambush of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Calvary in Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley. As a contributing author of the book, Barbara Johns had written a personal account of her correspondence with her husband, Lt. Jack Geoghegan, up until his death in the famed battle.

"Randy was just taken with my mom's story," says daughter, Camille Olson ('87). Olson was just a baby when Lt. Geoghegan left for Vietnam, and she sees the film as a way to connect with her father. "I really wanted to learn more about my dad, and this experience has helped me so much."

Mother and daughter traveled to Fort Benning, Ga., to meet the actors and consult on the movie set. Chris Klein portrays Geoghegan, and Keri Russell of television's Felicity plays Barbara Johns. During filming, Klein carried a replica of the baby bracelet worn by Olson. "Chris and Keri made such an effort to learn all they could about my parents," says Olson. "It was an amazing experience."

Mother and daughter even experienced their own movie magic, well DVD magic. "My mother and I appear as extras in the chapel scene, but it was cut in editing," laughs Ol-son. "But the scene is in the DVD version."

Olson hopes the film's patriotic spirit both touches and teaches audiences about the men who served in Vietnam. "I hope it helps people to understand Vietnam and to be proud of the men that fought and died," she says. "This movie is a tribute to them, and I hope it heals people - those who went through the war and didn't get the respect they deserved."

In March 2003 Olson will retrace her father's journey to the battleground that claimed his life. Sons and Daughters in Touch, an organization for the children of fallen American soldiers in Vietnam, sponsors such trips for family to connect with lost loved ones. For Olson, this journey and the movie, We Were Soldiers, bring her closer to the brave father she never knew. "I feel blessed, like there's a guardian angel watching out for me," she says.

Story by Ashley Day ('02)