In 1968, two best friends joined an elite team and flew into a war zone wearing powder blue dresses. They were Red Cross Donut Dollies. These idealistic young women embraced their mission - to cheer up the GIs in Vietnam - with energy, creativity, compassion and resolve but had no idea what they were getting into. 47 years later, they reunite in Vietnam to retrace their steps; ask why they went; ask whether they made a difference; unlock buried memories and share their stories for the first time.
During the Vietnam War, a small group of American women volunteered for a Red Cross program that sent them into a war zone with almost no training or preparation. Armed with nothing but snacks, Kool-Aid and home-made entertainment programs, their mission was to be the girl next door, the sister and the shoulder to cry on for hundreds of thousands of American troops. They were "The Donut Dollies" - idealistic young women with no idea what they were getting into, whose lives would never be the same. Amazingly, over 50 years since the first Donut Dollies arrived in Vietnam, many people have still never heard of them. We want to change that.
While shedding light on the story and shared experiences of the 627 Donut Dollies who served in Vietnam, this film will focus on two best friends - Dorset and Mary - who volunteered for the program together in 1968, at the peak of the war. As public opinion of the war plunged from bad to worse in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive and the My Lai Massacre, why on Earth would Mary and Dorset decide to risk their lives and futures to go to Vietnam? And once there, how could they possibly do their job? How could they cheer up troops who didn't know why they were there, and didn't understand why the people back in the States called them baby killers and spat on them when they got home?
Seven days a week for a full year, the Donut Dollies acted as therapists, confidants, comedians and one-woman versions of the USO. Just like the GIs, they formed close friendships and life-long bonds. Just like the men, they saw friends die. Although they weren't on the front lines, they were shot at and they were caught in mortar attacks. Their lives were at risk every day, and, over the course of the war, three Donut Dollies died in Vietnam.
As a result of their traumatic experiences and negative reception when they returned to the States, just like countless veterans, many Donut Dollies boxed up their memories when they got home - literally and figuratively - hid them away and never spoke about their experiences in Vietnam. In an intimate vérité style, we will follow Mary and Dorset as they "unbox" their memories and return to Vietnam for the first time in almost 50 years.
Roommates in college, Mary and Dorset decided to become Donut Dollies together. But once they arrived in Vietnam, they got split up and never saw each other during their tours of duty. As they reunite to track down the places and faces that meant so much to them, we'll explore what compelled these young, college-educated women to jeopardize everything, postpone all their hopes and dreams and spend a year in a war zone. We'll also examine the impact this experience had on their lives after Vietnam - including silent battles with PTSD and the aftereffects of exposure to Agent Orange.
For the Donut Dollies, being surrounded by thousands of young men who hadn't seen an American woman for months also brought with it a host of temptations and risks. They were supposed to be the "girl next door" - a wholesome, sisterly figure. How often was this actually the case? Though the Red Cross warned them not to get involved with soldiers romantically, many did. A few met their future husbands. Others thought they had, but were sorely disappointed. We'll explore these issues in the film as well, and they'll be brought to life through a powerful love story between Dorset and "Pooch" - a helicopter pilot she met in Vietnam.
Pooch and Dorset fell madly in love while stationed together in Cu Chi. But then, Dorset was reassigned to another base. She was livid - upset enough to consider quitting the program. Did the Red Cross get wind of her relationship and reassign her as a result? She and Pooch were able to meet up a few times in Saigon and their relationship continued. However, though the opportunities arose, they decided to wait until they returned to the states to consummate their love. Almost a year later, after a romantic stateside reunion, all signs pointed towards marriage and a happily ever after.
But then, Pooch broke off all ties with a single, cryptic card which only said, "Silence is golden." This devastated Dorset and has haunted and mystified her ever since. She tried to ask Pooch what this meant. He never responded, and essentially disappeared. Through the film, we will try to figure out what happened to Pooch, and what he meant by silence is golden.
Unfortunately, the window to tell the story of the Donut Dollies is closing fast. Over the years, physical mementos have deteriorated and memories are fading, as most of the Donut Dollies are 65-70 years old. Almost all of Dorset's memorabilia has been lost or destroyed. Mary is battling a rare form of cancer that may be traceable to Agent Orange exposure. Every year, more Donut Dollies are passing away and those still here are getting older, frailer and more forgetful. This is the last chance for the Donut Dollies to tell their story in their own words.
Presenting a new perspective on a tragic war that many Americans would still like to forget we fought, this is a story about brave women in a unique role few knew existed, exposed to horrors of war thought to be reserved for men, expected to smile through it all. This is the story of the Donut Dollies.
