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"When I was engaged in the Vietnam War, I would write home often. Family was the highest priority, of course, but you also write to your friends. In peacetime, you tell them everything. When the war's on, you might hold back. Even when I was writing to my dad, it was never about miltary matters; it was personal stuff. That's what those letters are for - to connect."
-Sen. John McCain, from his introduction to LIFE's book Last Letters Home
Produced and directed by Oscar®- and Emmy® Award-winner Bill Couturié (HBO's Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam), this one-hour documentary is an intimate, deeply moving tribute to American troops recently killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. From the troops' hometowns, family members of eight men and two women read aloud their loved ones' poignant and extremely eloquent final letters, some of which were not received until after news of the troops' deaths had been received. These readings are accompanied by emotional remembrances and insights from grieving wives, mothers, fathers, children and friends, and punctuated by photos supplied by the families as well as The New York Times, which produced the documentary with HBO in association with LIFE Books.
Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq premieres, appropriately, on Veterans Day 2004: Thursday, November 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. In an effort to reach as many Americans as possible with this tribute, HBO and participating cable affiliates will open its signal during the telecast, making the program available to almost all cable households, not just pay-cable subscribers.
Further information and outreach for the families featured in Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq can be found here:
LIFE's book Last Letters Home – 14 families share their stories with LIFE's readers and come before LIFE's cameras. A portion of sales will be donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
The New York Times – If you would like to read the original series of Last Letters Home, visit the New York Times on the web.
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund – The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund provides unrestricted grants to the families of military personnel who have given their lives in the current operations in defense of our country.
If you are a veteran and would like to speak with a counselor about your combat experiences, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at
1-877-222-VETS (8387)
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