"I focus on the people I knew and the positive things," said Mr. Young, who was assigned to Armed Forces Radio and Television Network from 1969-71.

When he wasn't filming with a 16mm camera, Mr. Young says, he flew part time as a door gunner aboard a UH1H helicopter - also known as a Huey. That experience could make Mr. Young - and other Vietnam veterans in Augusta - the subject of an independent film.

Arrowhead Films, based in Austin, Texas, will arrive in Augusta next month to begin two days of filming for a documentary about the Huey, called In the Shadow of the Blade. The film, directed by Patrick Fries, explores the Vietnam veterans' relationships with the popular helicopter.

"Everybody in Vietnam was affected by the Huey helicopter (and) every branch of the service used (it)," said Cheryl Fries, the creative director for the film and Mr. Fries' wife. "It was used to bring the troops weapons, water and food; the ground troops were transported ... into battle; they were used as the ambulance (and) took the USO girls around."

HOW TO PARTICIPATE Veterans who wish to participate in the documentary can attend the Huey landing at the VA Medical Center at 15th Street at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8. The crew also will film testimonials at the MIA/POW Memorial at Fort Gordon on Oct. 9.

The couple researched the Huey helicopter for three years after Mr. Fries thought of the idea. He was working as a news cameraman when his pilot - a Vietnam vet - began to tell him stories about being a door gunner.

"I began to think ... there's a lot of people whose lives were saved by the Huey, or defined by the Huey," Mr. Fries said.

The company is being given a restored helicopter by DynCorp, the company that rebuilt damaged Hueys during the Vietnam War, Mrs. Fries said.

Three crews will arrive at the Augusta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers on 15th Street on Oct. 8. Mr. Fries said he will use a variety of small cameras inside the Huey to capture veterans' reactions.

"Some things that happened in Vietnam are not easy to talk about. But once you put them in the Huey, it opens them up," said Mr. Fries, who plans to give veterans a ride in the helicopter. "They just want to touch it, and then you see the tears. They start to talk about their buddies, and you see them cry about the guys that didn't make it home."