Charleston, W.Va.(WVDN) – “Bring Them Home” is an upcoming book and documentary series telling the story of West Virginia’s 17 Vietnam War veterans still Missing in Action (MIA) in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The project is being produced by Lost Valley Studios, a West Virginia film company, with the book being released in early 2025 and the accompanying documentary series to follow.
Staff Sergeant Jerry Auxier of Dixie, WV is one of those 17 West Virginians still MIA.
During ongoing research for the “Bring Them Home” project director, writer, and Iraq War Veteran Calvin Grimm came across Vietnam Veteran Michael Cunningham from Massachusetts. Cunningham served in the Vietnam War with SSG Auxier and was present when he went missing in 1968 in the Quang Tin Province, Vietnam. Grimm was also able to locate and contact surviving family members of SSG Auxier, his wife, and his daughter who still live in West Virginia.
In 2017, Cunningham joined a Defense Department team with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) on an expedition to find the site where a 1968 helicopter explosion resulted in SSG Auxier becoming missing and also confirmed the deaths of three other men in his unit. After locating the site and conducting additional research in Vietnam about SSG Auxier’s case, which will hopefully result in the eventual recovery of SSG Auxier’s remains – Cunningham collected soil and hung an American flag over the site.
On Monday, January 13th, at 6:00 pm at the monthly meeting of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA, Chapter #37) in Charleston, WV Michael Cunningham will present the soil collected in Vietnam as well as the flag flown over the site SSG Auxier went missing to SSG Auxier’s wife and daughter. To date, the family has not received anything from SSG Auxier’s military service – his belongings, gear, dog tags, and remains are all unaccounted for. Although the DPAA is still actively investigating SSG Auxier’s case and hopes to eventually bring home his remains, the presentation of this soil and flag to the Auxier family will be the first semblance of closure they will have since 1968.
Much of Michael Cunningham’s experience in the Vietnam War, including the incident wherein his unit lost SSG Auxier and three other soldiers, is discussed in his book “Walking Point” which is available for purchase. Cunningham will also be giving a short presentation of pictures, documents, and his account of both the incident in 1968 and the 2017 expedition back to Vietnam in search of his lost brother-in-arms.
About the Director
Writer/Director Calvin Grimm is an Iraq War Air Force Veteran and lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Associate Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), and Associate Member of the National League of POW/MIA Families (NLPMF).
Grimm returns to the documentary genre after directing the Sci-Fi thriller “The Return of the Mothman” (2022) and Historical drama “River of Hope” (2020) and previously directed the documentary series “West Virginia Standing Together” (2015) and “Mountain of the Missing” (2017/2022) and documentary feature “37 Fallen” (2014). Grimm has owned Lost Valley Studios since 2015 and is a WVSU Alumni.
