"Fight or Die" - Calhoun Times Feature

Calhoun Times
06/24/08

On Nov. 14, 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, in a small clearing called Landing Zone X-Ray, 2,000 enemy soldiers surrounded 400 United States Army troopers.

The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in U.S. history.

A new documentary, produced by a Calhoun native, will tell the story of this battle from the perspective of the men in the line of fire. "Fight or Die" will air on the Discovery Channel and Discovery Channel HD on Thursday, June 26 at 10 p.m.

Jill Rytie Lutz, a 1993 graduate of Gordon Central High School, worked as the producer of Fight or Die which was completed earlier this year.

"Fight Or Die" is a new epic documentary special that captures the personal experience of war in groundbreaking fashion by delving inside the psyche of the soldier under fire, allowing viewers to walk the Thin Red Line that separates sanity from madness and the living from the dead.

This first episode, Valley of Death, tells the real-life story of a group of American soldiers whose lives were made famous in Randall Wallace’s motion picture We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson.

Rytie Lutz worked as Wallace’s on-set assistant during the production of that film in 2001, and remained with Wallace’s production company, Wheelhouse Entertainment for the next seven years, making her way up the ranks to producer. Wallace serves as executive producer of the show.

“It was an amazing experience to see Fight or Die from inception to completion,” says Rytie Lutz.
“Telling the real stories of the men in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley is one of the most important things I’ve been working on with Wheelhouse for the past few years. On top of that, it will be the first show I’ve worked on as a producer that will be broadcast nationwide.”

Her husband, Mike Lutz, an actor originally from Texas, plays the role of the young Bill Beck in some of Fight or Die’s cinematic battle recreations.

According to Rytie-Lutz, Discovery Channel will consider continuing Fight or Die as a full series, but its performance on June 26 will determine its fate.

She adds, “I’m really proud of this documentary, but there are many other stories of men in the trenches in battles throughout history whose personal experiences have never been told. I’m hoping that people will like the show and the positive response will help get the series picked up. If so, we will be able to make those stories of courage and heroism see the light of day.”

Rytie Lutz lives in Santa Monica, Calif., and works as a freelance television producer and production manager.

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