Film on Wisconsin's Capt. Scott Alwin, heroic Vietnam War helicopter pilot, wins award

Keith Uhlig, Wausau Daily Herald
·2 min read
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Capt. Scott Alwin grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, but as an adult listed his permanent address at his parents' home in the Marathon County town of Berlin. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam, and is believed to have clocked more air time than any other American pilot in the war. He was killed by a drunk driver in 1976.
Capt. Scott Alwin grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, but as an adult listed his permanent address at his parents' home in the Marathon County town of Berlin. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam, and is believed to have clocked more air time than any other American pilot in the war. He was killed by a drunk driver in 1976.

A documentary about a much-decorated Army helicopter pilot from Wisconsin has won an international award for creative excellence.

"Honor in the Air" is a biography of Capt. Scott Alwin, who served five tours of the Vietnam War with the 68th Assault Helicopter Company, only to be killed by a drunk driver after returning safe to the United States. Believed to have logged more time over the war zone than any other American, he received more than 100 medals for his service, including the Silver Star Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal with oak-leaf cluster and a Purple Heart with three oak-leaf clusters.

Produced by Susan Reetz of Weston-based Clear Focus Media and Pamela Alwin Fullerton of Athens, Alwin's sister, "Honor in the Air" won the Award of Excellence, a top prize bestowed by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The academy honors top-level work by marketing and communications professionals. The film was selected for the prize from more than 3,000 entries from across the world.

Alwin grew up in Fort Atkinson, the oldest son of a minister and his wife who were parents of 16 children, Fullerton told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in 2021. The parents steeped their children in values of caring, community and honor, Fullerton said. Several of the siblings speak about Alwin in "Honor in the Air," as well as military members he flew with and the woman he fell in love with in Vietnam and would eventually marry, Du Thi Duong or "Tess." They had two children.

He survived the war, but was killed in 1976 in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. His parents moved to the Athens area when Alwin was an adult, and he listed their home as his last permanent address. He's buried in the small cemetery of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in rural Marathon County.

Alwin was inducted into the Madison Veterans Administration Hall of Heroes in 2021.

"Honor in the Air" is available on YouTube.

Keith Uhlig is a regional features reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin based in Wausau. Contact him at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 'Honor in the Air' about Capt. Scott Alwin, wins AIVA award