New documentary highlights Vietnam War's first Black special ops team

A hidden chapter in American military history is being told in a documentary featuring the Vietnam War's first Black special ops team. The once-secretive group of African American veterans spoke firsthand about their deadly mission in the film "Soul Patrol." An intimate portrait of survival and the enduring cost of war on those asked to fight it, the film tells the stories of an elite unit in Vietnam, operating deep behind enemy lines. Personal archives, video and photographs from the men who lived it brought their stories to life. "I believe stories are how we really learn anything in life. And I think that us as men specifically, as Black men specifically, need to tell our stories and tell them with all the emotion and clarity that we need to do so that the younger generation understands it," Craig Rice with MSP Film said. Rice wanted to bring this documentary to the big screen to show how untold Vietnam War stories impact those who lived it. For years, the men were told not to share their stories, but for "Soul Patrol," the men who served in Company F, 51st Infantry, bared their souls so others could learn. "To be sent out to just do one thing is to kill," Rice said. The film became their final mission, exposing what it took to be deep inside enemy lines with only one mission. Those who were tasked to take on the role were all Black men. "Most people know, internally, that there is something psychologically wrong, that they can never kind of come back to, is killing another person. So without a reason other than to kill as many people as you can get your hands on is not the right thing. And the fact that they used so many Black soldiers to do that is because they know their psyches were disposable," Rice said. The struggle of fighting for freedom in a foreign land while back home your family and friends were fighting for civil rights was also explored. "People who sort of stepped away from it and stepped into the service were sort of seen as not understanding or not playing their part in the civil rights movement," Rice said. The once-silent history is being exposed to show the contributions of Black men in an elite reconnaissance patrol unit, and how they completed their mission despite all they had to endure in a foreign land and at home. "It was really about how we sort of, over years, sort of done what we thought was important for America, but sometimes we are not recognized for it," Rice said. "Soul Patrol" was previewed at the Capri Theatre in Minneapolis on Thursday night and will hit big screens across the Twin Cities on Veterans Day. In: War Vietnam United States Military Featured Local Savings