'Rescue Dawn' to screen in Iraq

CAIRO — MGM announced Friday that it will screen Werner Herzog's Vietnam War-era film "Rescue Dawn" for 2,000 U.S. troops in Iraq to celebrate Independence Day. The film, based on the true story of Navy pilot Dieter Dengler, who engineered a courageous escape from a POW camp in the Laotian jungle, will also be released Wednesday in Los Angeles and New York. It will be shown to troops stationed at Camp Anaconda, a large U.S. base near Balad, Iraq, where the troops will also hear a taped introductory message from the film's stars: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies.

"Given the extraordinary heroic story that this film portrays, I can think of no better venue to show it to America's warriors than Camp Anaconda in the heart of Iraq," said Lt. Col. Dean Thurmond, chief of communications for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which provides products and services to military families worldwide.

Dengler received numerous honors for his escape, including the Navy Cross.