SAN ANTONIO — Albert Gonzales has a connection to his neighbor—both suffer from PTSD.
Gonzales is a U.S. Marine. His neighbor, Fred Navarro, is a retired sergeant major from the U.S. Army who survived the Vietnam War.
"The story is an amazing story of, I guess, a testament of courage, valor and commitment to duty," Gonzales said.
Navarro's wartime experience is being portrayed in the feature film "The Last Full Measure." The movie is scheduled to premiere in theaters on Jan. 24.
At the heart of the war movie is the heroics of Pararescueman William Pitsenbarger. The Ohio native came in on a helicopter to help rescue survivors and haul away the dead from a bloody and deadly ambush in Vietnam.
Navarro was the point man for Charlie company on that day. April 11, 1966 is a day he still relives, when 180 American soldiers were ambushed by 550 Viet Cong.
111 soldiers were wounded, he said. Just 48 survived. In the movie, mirroring reality, "Pits" waved off the chopper and stayed with the troops at his own peril.
According to Navarro, he lay wounded. He said Pits covered him with two dead Americans to shield him from the gunfire. The 77-year-old said it saved his life.
Gonzales and his wife wanted to honor their neighbor by celebrating the San Antonio premiere with his family, friends and the community. But he said management at the Regal Quarry denied their request.
"My wife and I were willing – and still are willing – to provide a red carpet to do that," he said.
Gonzales said theater employees refused. He said they also would not give Navarro a complimentary ticket for the movie.
"They said, 'No, our GM won't be doing that,'" he said.
Navarro went for a follow-up visit, wearing his Purple Heart cap. The Vietnam veteran said theater management appeared disinterested. In fact, he said one manager hadn't heard of the movie.
"He just wasn't interested in what I had to say," he said.
He said they found a large-scale display for the movie in the theater. They also found a more engaged employee who thanked Navarro for his service and gave him a poster.
"We left with a bad taste in out mouth," Navarro said.
Richard M. Grover, Regal's vice president of communications, said they were honored to have Navarro visit and take pictures with staff at a couple of their theaters over the weekend.
"We deeply regret there was a miscommunication regarding Sgt. Maj. Navarro's neighbors and our Alamo Quarry location," Grover said.
According to him, Regal does have red carpet events handled by their corporate events team. He said the Gonzales' were directed to them.
Navarro and the Gonzales' have since found another Regal location for the San Antonio premiere of his movie. Meanwhile, he and wife Annette are on the road to his the red carpet events in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Ohio.