BY LENA MITCHELL

Daily Journal

A restored Huey helicopter making its way in stages through a dozen states will set down in Tupelo this week to document the story of Kim Douglas Sistrunk, a Tupelo woman whose father's life ended on a mission he piloted aboard a Huey in Vietnam.

Joining her for the filming of this documentary segment of "In the Shadow of the Blade" is the only man to survive the crash of her father's last flight, John Goosman of California.

"Basically my part in this is to represent those families who have lost a loved one but at the same time were affiliated with the Huey helicopter," Sistrunk said. "It's basically a mission in itself by Patrick Fries to really recognize and show appreciation to Vietnam veterans and for the Huey helicopter, being that it was the workhorse behind Vietnam."

The Huey - more formally known as UH-1 Iroquois - will land at Southernaire, a general aviation company, at Tupelo Regional Airport, which is a local sponsor for the flight, and be available for viewing Thursday, Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. until about noon.

"My husband was Vietnam veteran," said Southernaire owner Barbara Crossley. "There's never a time that one hovers and lands out here that it doesn't (squeeze) my heart."

Though an important reason for the stop in Tupelo is to film specific stories, the other goal of the project is to reunite people connected by Vietnam.

"We're looking for a good turnout," Sistrunk said.

Huey alumni

Although he flew Hueys a long time ago, helicopter pilot Dave Young said the experience is a part of his past that could never be forgotten.

"I was in an assault helicopter company," Young said. "We hauled the 'beans and bullets', but then we did combat assaults, airlifted ground troops into areas to do assaults."

When he joined the Army to learn to fly helicopters, Young was 19 years old, a year out of high school and on the verge of being drafted. He celebrated his 20th birthday in Vietnam.

"After finishing flight school, the first assignment was always Vietnam," Young said. "The third mission I flew my aircraft commander was shot in the foot. There I was, the brand new guy, and had to fly the helicopter in. We got there and I found out I was wounded also and didn't even know it."

Young, a native of Maben, works now as site manager and helicopter pilot for Rocky Mountain Helicopters. The Provo, Utah-based company flies medical evacuation helicopters. He heads the group based at North Mississippi Medical Center.

Where it began

The documentary is a project conceived by Fries of Arrowhead Films, Austin, Texas. He hopes to complete it for airing in late 2003.

"It is the story of journey - the journey of soldiers through and after the war, the journey of their loved ones to cope with grief and loss, the journey of a restored Huey to fly to them once again," reads the description of the project from the Web site http://www.intheshadowoftheblade.com.

The project launched Wednesday with a flight from Fort Rucker, Ala. to The Wall South in Pensacola, Fla.

Other Mississippi stops in this first phase include West Point Thursday afternoon and brief stops at Columbus Air Force Base Friday morning, Carthage Friday afternoon and a refueling stop in Vicksburg Friday afternoon.