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Washington, DC Premier

Philadelphia, PA Premier

HBO AND THE NEW YORK TIMES, IN ASSOCIATION WITH LIFE BOOKS,

PARTNER FOR LAST LETTERS HOME, A VETERANS’ DAY

TRIBUTE TO AMERICAN SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ

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Project Encompasses An HBO Special, DVD And Book, With

Net Proceeds To Benefit Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

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HBO and The New York Times, in association with LIFE Books, have joined together to present LAST LETTERS HOME, a Veterans’ Day tribute to American men and women who lost their lives in Iraq. The project encompasses a one-hour HBO documentary special, by Academy Award^Æ-winning director Bill CouturiÈ, a DVD release and a full-color LIFE Book, with net proceeds from the DVD and book to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. When the HBO documentary LAST LETTERS HOME debuts on Veterans’ Day, THURSDAY, NOV. 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), the network will open the signal to all cable operators in order to make the special available to the largest possible audience.

Based on a New York Times project, which featured a series of letters published on the newspaper’s op-ed page, LAST LETTERS HOME focuses on ten families and the last letters they received from their loved ones, who served in Iraq. All regions of the country are represented, from Vermont and New York; to Virginia, South Carolina and Florida; to Texas, Missouri, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin; to California. The authors of the letters are men and women of different ages, ranks and service branches, who share one common thread: They all died serving their country.

“These letters put a human face on the cost of war,” says director Bill CouturiÈ. “A soldier’s perspective provides a totally different take on war from a journalist’s. That intimacy can never be replicated in reportage.”

Filled with pride, regret, idealism and wonder, the letters are remarkable documents that speak volumes, revealing moving personal experiences. In the documentary, family members and close friends read excerpts from the letters and share their mementos and memories. Letters include:

Army Private First Class Jesse Givens to his wife Melissa: “Teach our babies to live life to the fullest, tell yourself to do the same. I will be there with you, Melissa. I will always want you, need you, love you, in my heart, my mind and in my soul. Do me a favor, after you tuck in Toad and Bean and give them hugs and kisses from me: Go outside. Look at the stars and count them. Don’t forget to smile.”

 

Army Specialist Michelle Witmer, writing about herself to her father: “She pondered how this year had changed her perspective on life, culture, war, and things worth dying for. She began to think about her many experiences. Some would call them adventures, some nightmares, but she preferred to think of them as spices that gave the story of her life richer flavors and saucier smells. Yes, her life had definitely gone from TV dinners to world cuisine. ‘Maybe someday I’ll write a book about this,’ she thought to herself.”

 

Second Lieutenant Leonard Cowherd to his wife Sarah: “Some of these guys out here, Sarah, they are just kids. If you saw them walking down the street, you would think they belong in the arcade at a movie theatre, hanging out with their friends, getting in trouble, doing stuff kids do – not putting their lives on the line, every second of every day.”

 

Susan Ellingwood, a New York Times editor and former officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, obtained permission from the families to print the letters and arranged their participation in the documentary. The director of the HBO special is Bill CouturiÈ, whose credits include the Emmy^Æ-winning HBO documentary “Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam” and the Oscar^Æ-winning HBO documentary “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt.”

The LAST LETTERS HOME book will be published by LIFE Books and CDS on Nov. 1. Highlights will include family portraits photographed by Dana Lixenberg, along with letters and mementoes. The LAST LETTERS HOME DVD, to be released by HBO Home Video in January 2005, will also include additional special features.

LIFE and HBO’s net proceeds from the LAST LETTERS HOME book and DVD will go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides unrestricted grants to the families of military personnel who have given their lives in the current operations in defense of our country.

“The letters published on the op-ed page of The New York Times captured a viewpoint on the war we hadn’t seen before,” observes Sheila Nevins, president, HBO Documentary and Family. “Far beyond embedded, these soldiers were truly reporting the war from the inside. We were drawn by the directness of their dialogue with friends and family, as well as the powerful images they conveyed.”

“We are honored to pay tribute to these fallen heroes and to their families, who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” comments Thomas K. Carley, president, News Services Division, The New York Times. “These letters, like the entire project, are not so much about the war as they are about the people -- the soldiers and their families -- who are on the front lines.”

“These incredible letters, and the families who are so bravely sharing them with the American public, will become a lasting legacy through publication of the book LAST LETTERS HOME,” notes Andy Blau, president, LIFE Books. “It is a privilege to participate in this project, which will also benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.”

LAST LETTERS HOME is a production of HBO and The New York Times in association with LIFE Books.

Academy Award^Æ and Oscar^Æ are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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