ABOUT THE FILM
Alfredo "Freddy" Cantu Gonzalez was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who fought in the Battle of Huế during the Vietnam War. Despite being seriously wounded, Freddy refused medical treatment, rescued his comrades and kept the enemy at bay until he was killed on February 4, 1968. He received numerous posthumous honors. His name adorns a mural, a street, a park, and a school in his hometown of Edinburg, Texas, as well as a Navy destroyer.
His mother, Dolia Gonzalez, a well-respected resident of Edinburg, received benefits from the Veterans Administration for nearly 30 years, until the VA decided it had made an mistake, and asked this impoverished, elderly woman to pay back these benefits. A newspaper, US representative, and grocery store chain collectively lobbied to put pressure on the VA.
This documentary will examine the life and accomplishments of Freddy: his birth in Edinburg, the mostly Hispanic, All America City that prides itself on its devotion to country...his humble beginnings as the son of an impoverished, single mother...his contributions to his family as a migrant worker..his excellence on the football field, which would instill leadership qualities within him...his decision to forego draft exemption as an only child, and enlist in the military at a time when opposition to the war was heating up...his choice to take a second, ill-fated tour of duty in order to save his dying comrades, and his subsequent heroics on the battlefield.
The focus of the story will then shift to his mother, who became the standard-bearer of Freddy's legacy, but who nonetheless struggled with depression and poverty...and her political struggle with the VA over their last minute findings on erroneous overpayment of survivor benefits to her.
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Primary interviews with Dolia Gonzalez have been completed, as well as "B-roll" footage of Edinburg: its landmarks and all sites bearing the name Freddy Gonzalez, from his grave to his street to his park to his school to the VFW hall. Secondary interviews will be conducted with Fred Akers, the former University of Texas football coach who started his career mentoring Freddy in Edinburg; Freddy's family and friends, including "Shorty" Garza, Agapito de la Garza and Pete Vela; writer John W. Flores, author of three books on Freddy and the foremost authority on his life; and numerous comrades-in-arms who can attest to Freddy's strength of character.
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