Six friends returned to Vietnam not to relive the war, but to discover what had become of the country and people forever linked to their lives.
The Intruder Association sponsors reunions of the entire A-6 community (thousands of aviators who flew the aircraft during its 34-year history). Although many of the 1972-73 Sunday Punchers attend those reunions held every two years, they felt a need to reunite in a more meaningful way, learn about modern Vietnam, and get to know their former enemies.
Why they decided to document it…
The Sunday Punchers have a unique history:
The first A-6 squadron formed, and the last, when the Navy replaced the A-6 with the F/A-18.
Honored with the Wade McCluskey award for 1972 for its performance in the campaign to end the Vietnam War, declaring it the best attack squadron in the Navy.
The only Navy squadron in the Vietnam era to be the subject of an authentic history, Launch the Intruders, authored by Penn State History professor Carol Reardon.
With this as background, the aviators who were able to reunite in Vietnam agreed that it was only fitting to contribute to VA-75’s rich history by creating a feature-length documentary film to share their story with a wider audience.
Why now…
Anticipating the 50th anniversary of the squadron’s last missions of the war, the Sunday Punchers decided to tour Vietnam and revisit its history face-to-face in 2023. Three years later, the film is being released. Welcome to the journey!
The Director….
Matt Nolan is the volunteer producer/director/editor of ROTI. He conducted pre- and post-trip interviews with all 12 participants on the Vietnam tour, wrote the script, and narrated the film… all unpaid! Thank you, Matt.
Join the ROTI Journey on Facebook…Click the Link.