Sharon Jones Schweitzer

210-999-8406

SJones@Trinity.edu

‘GUNFIGHTER: A GULF WAR CHRONICLE’: A CAUTIONARY TALE OF FRIENDLY FIRE by Sharon Jones Schweitzer

November 20, 2001 – Based on the true-life story of Lt. Col. Ralph Hayles, Gunfighter: A Gulf War Chronicle tells the story of a soldier whose career and life are changed by a tragic friendly fire incident during the Gulf War that results in the deaths of two American soldiers. Written by Tony award-winning playwright Mark Medoff, the play opens Nov. 30 and runs through Dec. 8 at Trinity University’s Jane and Arthur Stieren Theater. “Gunfighter is a cautionary tale regarding friendly fire and is extraordinarily timely given our current military efforts in Afghanistan,” says Drama Professor David Rinear, who is directing the production in consultation with Mr. Medoff and Mr. Hayles. A 1971 Trinity alumnus, Mr. Hayles is the only soldier in the Army’s history to be named publicly by the military and media as the shooter in a friendly fire situation. “This is a very patriotic play and represents many of the great things about our country, such as freedom of speech,” says Mr. Hayles, who now lives in San Antonio and heads up a leadership consulting business. “Freedom of speech protected me but tore my life to pieces on the front end,” he said, referring to the intense national media coverage he experienced. In February 1991, on the eve of liberation of Kuwait, Lt. Col. Hayles, as commander of an elite Army helicopter strike force known as “Gunfighters,” led a mission near the Iraqi border in search of enemy vehicles. Although visibility that moonless night was zero due to a blinding sandstorm, ground commanders insisted the vehicles spotted on the Apache’s infrared night-vision system were Iraqi. Lt. Col. Hayles opened fire, only to discover that what he had actually hit was a Bradley fighting vehicle and an armored personnel carrier, killing two American soldiers and injuring six others. Within two days, the combat pilot was grounded and stripped of his command. “While he pulled the trigger, officers above him in the chain of command were equally complicitous; however, they ran for cover and left him out to dry,” says Professor Rinear. When Mark Medoff heard of Lt. Col. Hayles’ story, he was intrigued. “Medoff was moved by Hayles’ honesty and felt the story should be out in front of the public,” says Professor Rinear. Mr. Medoff, who has had more than 30 plays and films produced worldwide, is best known for writing the theatrical and film versions of Children of a Lesser God and the play When You Comin’ Back Red Rider? Along with his commercial success, he is also a well-respected academic who holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of Miami. Mr. Medoff is currently the dramatist-in-residence at New Mexico State University and has worked on more than 15 college campuses in the areas of creative writing and play production. Gunfighter is being produced at Trinity as part of the Stieren Arts Enrichment Series and will be the proof production before Mr. Medoff publishes the piece. Gunfighter is the tangled story of media and military, ambition and duty, and it reveals the complexity of professional relationships when they collide with technology and personal ambition. The production features documentary footage and dramatic narrative as it follows a reporter on the trail of the incident, first uncovering it, naming the man responsible for the accident, and then uncovering the web of truth behind it. The Trinity production includes a student cast and actual video clips from Lt. Col. Hayles’ Apache helicopter the night of the friendly fire incident. Trinity sophomore Tim De La Garza, a graduate of San Antonio’s MacArthur High School and a baseball player, portrays Lt. Col. Hayles’ character in the play. Mr. Hayles attended Trinity University on a baseball scholarship in the late ’60s, but the University’s ROTC program inspired his military career. Gunfighter: A Gulf War Chronicle opens Nov. 30 and continues Dec. 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Performances will be held at the Stieren Theater and will begin at 8 p.m. There will also be a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 2.  Tickets for the play are $6 for general admission, $4 for students, and $3 for groups of 10 or more.

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Last updated on November 29, 2001 by the Office of Public Relations