To the non-military among us, a “dust-off” pilot was a term from the Vietnam War for those pilots who flew, unarmed, into combat zones to pick up wounded soldiers, officially known as Army aeromedical evacuations.
This is just one bit of insider information good to know before going to see Saving Lives at Castaways Theatre in Woodbridge.
And the dust-off pilots are just one aspect of this collection of first-hand accounts, turned into monologues, for a cast of actors portraying the brave men and women who served as corpsmen, medics, nurses, and physicians who served during the long conflict in Vietnam.
Collected by Harry J. Kantrovich and Bruce “Doc” Norton, the speeches range from brief and business-like to detailed adventures of near-death experiences, horrifying wounds, and the life-altering memories from the war that waged in Southeast Asia from the 1960s to the mid-1970s.
As presented simply as a series of monologues, introduced by a moderator, the accounts are often enhanced by the presence of special guests, as evidenced on a recent Sunday matinee: the actual subjects of some of the memories were present in the audience. Co-author “Doc” Norton was in attendance and was portrayed as his younger self, in uniform. When actor Eric Worcester was introduced as Steve Peth, Worcester pulled a volunteer up from the audience to hold a prop — an army boot. Then the actor as Peth described the excruciating experience of taking a bullet to the face and the aftermath of the near-death experience he had so long ago. When the audience volunteer was revealed as Peth himself, the crowd went silent.
Closing out the show was the actor Sante Mastriana, taking on the role of Col. John McKay, who lost an eye and temporarily all of his eyesight thanks to an AK-47 round. He continued serving throughout his distinguished career and was also in the audience during the performance, still sporting an eyepatch after all these years.
Over the more than two-hour running time, other stories told of rescue missions, women serving during wartime as emergency nurses, and threats both physical and existential. The losses these men and women personally felt — and in many cases still feel — were front and center.
The other actors portraying the collection of service men and women included Bob Thompson, Fred Lash, Hugh Hill, Joe Bersack, Tammy Barboza, Leslie Anne Ross, Allison Turkel, Tobias Schroeder, and Richard Fiske.
Michelle Matthews provided a soundscape of gunfire, helicopter flyovers, jungle sounds, and other effects that helped to punctuate the stark realities of the monologues.
As the moderator (due to a change in the cast), Kantrovich mentioned the indomitable human spirit on display throughout the evening. Hearing these personal memories brought that point home. The audience was also reminded how the people back home viewed the Vietnam War with less patriotism than during many previous conflicts, and how drug dependence was a factor no one expected from those serving in the long war.
The documentary style of Saving Lives also serves the purpose of preserving stories that saw not only the violent side of the war in Vietnam, but also the part that could often give a glimmer of hope to the wounded. Once they were airlifted by the medics and nurses and field doctors, they could rejoin their families, even as they carried the scars of battle home with them. And they were luckier than the 58,220 U.S. military fatalities from the terrible conflict.
Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes with one intermission.
Saving Lives plays through May 24, 2026, presented by Castaways Theatre, performing at the A.J. Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge, VA. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2 PM. Purchase tickets ($20, unless discounts apply) online.
Saving Lives
Presented by Castaways Theatre
Written by Dr. Harry J. Kantrovich and Major Bruce H. “Doc” Norton
Directed by Dr. Kantrovich
Produced by Bob Thompson
