Rancho Santa Fe filmmaker Palmedo-Smith and resident Bob Baker present 'Hold At All Costs'

Rancho Santa Fe filmmaker Palmedo-Smith and resident Bob Baker present 'Hold At All Costs' was shown Memorial Day, on KPBS-TV, Channel 15 in San Diego, Calif.

Glen Palmedo-Smith and Bob Baker are two Rancho Santa Fe residents who have made their marks in different fields. They teamed up for 'Hold At All Costs" a documentary about the Korean War that had a private screening earlier this summer at a Mission Valley cinema. It aired on KPBS-TV, Channel 15 on Memorial Day.

Baker, 78, is well-known as a successful car dealer. What's less well known is his earlier service to the nation following a 1951 deployment to Korea. He was a machine gunner at a small hill 60 miles north of Seoul called 'Outpost Harry.' The hill came under sustained attack by Chinese troops in June 1953.

Ordered by commanders to "hold at all costs" Outpost Harry, only 30 of the 300 men defending the hill survived. Not known at the time, secret talks to create the conflict's cease-fire that continues today already had begun when the attack occurred. Some analysts call this battle a key in ending hostilities.

-- Dan Weisman, founder/editor Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News

HOLD AT ALL COSTS: KOREAThe Story of Forgotten Warriors, in a Forgotten Battle, of a Forgotten War

 Little has been written on the Korean War and even less on trench warfare and the desperate battles fought for control of isolated outposts that marked its closing months. For the very first time, a documentary film, Hold At All Costs, examines one specific battle; the epic attack and defense of Outpost Harry, where American, Greek and South Korean soldiers fought and died against incredible odds to hold a vital position from massive Chinese barrage.

The film -- to be aired at 9 p.m. Monday, May 30, Memorial Day -- honors this year's 60th anniversary of the war's commencement. The concept, a relatively novel one; told by the men and women who actually fought it, but from all sides. This 80-minute effort focuses on the survivors of The Battle at Outpost (OP) Harry and how this horrific event affected their remaining years.

The US 3rd Infantry Division had orders to hold OP Harry at all costs -- the Chinese intended to seize it. On 10 June 1953, 3,000 Chinese assaulted the position, defended by King Company, 15th Infantry Regiment -- about 200 US soldiers.

Massive artillery fire -- 90,000 US and 30,000 Chinese shells -- decimated both sides. K Company and then reinforcing units of about a hundred -- at terrible human cost -- ejected the attackers from the trenches in close combat, with only about 30 US soldiers walking off the mountain unscathed the next morning. But the Chinese would return again and again for eight subsequent nights.

The film depicts interviews with American, South Korean, Greek and Chinese veterans -- in addition to introducing three Generals, MASH nurses, the South Korean Prime Minister, noted scholars and political commentators Newt Gingrich, US Sen. Richard Lugar, US Con. Charles Rangel, S. Korean Honorable Hwang and Oliver North.

By dedicating an entire program to the buildup, battle and its aftermath, while endearing the audience to these soldiers, a unique perspective is given to the greater Korean War. These combatants -- who are so proud of their service -- are grateful that before their generation is gone, a document is finally procured to preserve the memory of the soldiers who fell attacking and defending OP Harry to HOLD AT ALL COSTS.

With a new world order imminent, the term "Hold At All Costs" is ultimately what the Korean War or Cold War were all about. It is hopeful that these stories represent all soldiers of that era and perhaps all soldiers everywhere, throughout time. Narrated by Edward Herrmann (FDR & The Gilmore Girls), Edited by Chris Peterson, (Who Killed The Electric Car), Produced by Bob Baker Family Foundation and Directed by Glenn Palmedo-Smith, (Discovering Ellis Ruley & The Hungry Woman), this is a war documentary like never told before...

-- DINI Films International

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 "Hold At All Costs"

Q & A with filmmaker, Glenn Palmedo-Smith

Q. How did this film originate?

A.  Produced by the "The Bob Baker Family Foundation", Bob Baker, a veteran of OP Harry, reached out to me  regarding the untold story. I’m a filmmaker with more than 25 years experience. After earning a BS in Telecommunications and Film at SDSU, I’ve since completed a handful of documentaries, a feature film (The Hungry Woman) and dozens of biographies and tribute videos and films for clients. I’ve also been published by Crown Publishing. 

Q. What inspired this movie?

A. Bob Baker inspired the movie, and was the driving force behind it. After returning to the US from Korea, Baker became one of the most successful car dealers in CA. He’d always been a religious man, and he raised a large and successful family. After surviving surge of unimaginable scale from Chinese forces on OP Harry, he felt he could afford it, and therefore owed it to the soldiers he fought with, and in particular those who didn’t made it back. When thinking back on a battle that changed the course of a nation (Korea) and much of the world following that, he wanted people to know what happened, and at what price victory was won.

Q. What was so exceptional about Outpost Harry that it deserves its own documentary?

A.  OP Harry may have been the most decisive of the final battles of that conflict, and the one that convinced the North Korean and Chinese forces that the US was not going to give up. The order, Hold At All Costs, was not given often, nor was it given lightly. It means, “Maintain your position, or die trying”. It was given to US forces, though, and it was also an order given to the Chinese. But the US “held”. That’s the motto of the survivors. “We Held”. After more than a week of fighting, from June 10 – 18, the Chinese gave up. It was June 1953 and the peace talks had been secretly taking place between UN officials and the North Koreans since 1951, so many believe it was the final straw that convinced the North that the best they could do was a cease-fire.

Q. What separates Hold at all Costs from other documentaries?

A. First , it’s the only one I know of that tells the story of this battle. Also interesting to viewers will be the never-before-seen footage shot by the soldiers who fought. We have 120 minutes of footage that’s never been seen publicly. And there are some amazing moments. Also, we have several Chinese soldiers who talk openly about their experience from the “enemy” side. It provides an amazing contrast and look into the fear they too experienced. War is hell for everyone involved, the winners and the losers. And this war officially had neither.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish with this film?

A. Anyone looking for a typical "military documentary" is going to be disappointed. This is a film about a group of men who found themselves in an extraordinary situation and prevailed. It shows what can be done under extreme adversity, when all the chips are on the line. Bob and his fellow soldiers held a critical piece of land through an onslaught of unimaginable scale because they were well trained dedicated and they believed in what they were doing. I want viewers to take away from this film that strength comes from within. But I also want people to know the Korean War was no "peace keeping" mission. It was war, and the soldiers who fought there were heroes. They protected an entire nation. And that nation has grown in the ensuing 60 years to go on and accomplish great things.

Q. How did the film-making process begin?

A. Bob Baker, who is a San Diego resident, saw one of my films at a small, local theater and contacted me with the idea of producing a feature-length motion picture about the battle. After starting the process of interviewing several of Baker’s colleagues who’d fought with him, I became convinced the story was best told by the warriors who were there fighting it, not by some actors. The access Bob provided was unprecedented. We had access to three US Generals, one South Korean General, two MASH nurses, one CCF (Chinese Communist Forces) nurse, twenty-five US veterans, six former CCF combatants, two military historians, the Veterans’ Committee chairman of Korea’s National Assembly, three notable US politicians, two national veteran advocates, three Greek Spartan veterans, two KATUSA’s, an MIA relative, a KIA family member and the Prime Minister of South Korea.

Q. What surprised you most about making this film?

A. There is nothing more powerful than listening to what these veterans went through. It was heroic, but it left scars that will last forever. Each had a singularly unique experience – even though it was very much communal. In every case, the interviews would start slowly, almost like they didn’t want to revisit that place or time. But in each case they opened up. And while they each had a horrific story to tell, they each talked about their fellow soldiers. There was a sense of extreme pride that they held together and they held their position. I’m sure it changed each of them to have gone through that experience. And it surely strengthened them as men. And to see them reunite annually is magical.

Q. What is the most moving thing about this movie?

A. There is no end to the battles these veterans fought, or the things they saw. All of us too frequently take the Korean War in particular, and the men who fought it, for granted. It’s difficult to sit and watch these grown men recall their exploits, and to relive what was obviously such a terrifying period. But we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. The entire nation of Korea owes them thanks, and to a great extent, the rest of the world. This was the start of the Cold War, and when the rest of the world saw the US and its allies stand up to Communist aggression, it made a statement. Their dedication saved a lot of lives and many believe altered the course of history.

Q. Where did this movie take you?

A. Shooting this movie has taken our crew throughout the US, meeting with veterans in locations as disparate as Oregon, California, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Nevada, Phoenix and Texas. It’s also taken us on several occasions to Korea and also on two separate trips to China. That may be the most harrowing part of my filmmaking career. Shooting former CCF combatants in secret locations and hurrying that film out of the country? Its not something the Chinese government would have allowed.

Q. What was the most difficult part of making this film?

A.  On the first visit to China, we were denied the opportunity to interview Korean War veterans unless the Chinese government could approve the questions we asked, and had approval of the final edit. The only way we could get the interviews we wanted was to return to Beijing as “tourists” and interview those veterans willing to speak. Those interviews have proved to be some of the most compelling moments in the film.

Q. What are your plans for distribution?

A. The documentary is being shopped to both broadcast and cable outlets. Private showing are planned for Memorial Day 2010 at The Kennedy Center, and at the annual OP Harry Survivors Association in San Diego in June. Other screenings will be held for veterans groups at Ft. Stewart, home of the 3

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GLENN PALMEDO-SMITH – thirty-five year Rancho Santa Fe, California, resident. Born in Washington DC in 1952, Glenn is the son of New York natives -- Consuelo Palmedo-Smith -- an early practitioner and instructor of yoga in 1960’s Bay Area and -- Edward N. Smith – Bureau Chief US Department of Labor and Statistics, jazz enthusiast and closeted socialist. Raised in Mountain View, California, Glenn received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Telecommunications & Film from SDSU.

He financed his education performing as a magician during winter and summer breaks in Lake Tahoe Night Clubs and Casinos, billed as, The Not-So Great, Great Glendini! After graduation, he established New West Antique Malls growing to three retail locations, while cheaply funding empty lettuce trucks returning from the East Coast filled with multi-paint coated and discarded oak furniture, that he would strip and stain and sell at 500% markup.

With profits from dozens of truckloads, he later enjoyed considerable success in the burgeoning San Diego real estate market under the banner of "Costa Linda Development", named after his high school sweetheart and current wife, Linda Costa. Building and marketing multi-million dollar estates to a variety of wealthy clients, and constructing large apartment complexes for his retirement, he accumulated much success -- until the California real estate bust of 1990, losing everything.

Licking his wounds in 1994, he completed his first book, Discovering Ellis Ruley, Crown Publishing. A true story about Ellis Ruley, the son of a runaway slave, who, as an artist, married a white woman in 1932. The couple settled in the bucolic backwoods of upstate Connecticut. The artist was eventually discovered murdered in 1959, as was his son-in-law found earlier, upside down in the family well. Palmedo-Smith unearthed evidence of possible KKK involvement and official cover-up. The FBI has since opened the case.

In addition, Palmedo-Smith organized a two and half year national exhibition of the artist’s work, sponsored by The Ford Motor Company. The exhibit, by the same name as the book, exhibited at The Museum of American Folk Art, The Wadsworth Athenaeum, San Diego Museum, Washington’s Corcoran Gallery and four other venues. Having Rosa Parks and Hilary Clinton as Co-Chairpersons of The Ellis Ruley National Committee of Honor, along with The Congressional Black Caucus as sponsors, are the result of Palmedo-Smith’s undying effort in promoting art.

Palmedo-Smith has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, Tony Brown’s Journaland PBS Radio’s -All Things Considered, as well as in The New York Times, The Hartford Currant, The Washington Post and The San Francisco Examiner; among dozens of other newspapers and magazines. Locally, he’s frequently depicted in local print and on San Diego television stations promoting various projects.

After creating Dini Films International, he followed with The Hungry Woman, a 35mm feature film depicting a true-life murder mystery and involving a migrant camp in Southern California. Performed mostly in Spanish and based on the Rancho Santa Fe’s Ian Spiro Murder Case – the tale is told through the innocent eyes of the family’s Mexican maid, Evelia. Palmedo-Smith produced, wrote and directed the picture.

The film screened locally on both sides of the border for four weeks in 18 theaters in October ’08, earning considerable revenue and rave reviews. A deal was struck with a Florida distributor for 400 screens nationally, but funding fell through with the initial investor. Local car dealer, Bob Baker, saw the film in his local theater and contacted the filmmaker to discuss his next project.

Upcoming projects include:

Hold At All Costs – The Story of Forgotten Soldiers, in a Forgotten Battle, of a Forgotten War – A Documentary Film. Executive produced by Bob Baker, a Korean War Vet himself, shooting began June ’08. A retrospect of America’s first war post WWII, the film follows the lives of aging Korean War vets in the US, China, Greece and South Korea who all fought in a little known, but deadly eight-day skirmish called, The Battle of OP Harry. Parallels are drawn with today’s military conflicts and ultimate costs of war -- while providing powerful insight and hope for today’s veterans and citizenry. Directed & Produced by Glenn Palmedo-Smith. (To be aired nationally .

Discovering Ellis Ruley - A Documentary Film. Based on the book and exhibit of the same title, the film examines Ellis Ruley’s art, the eccentric East coast "outsider art" community and follows this man’s life of hardships and violent death. (Currently in post- production in LA and NY

The Last Minstrel - A Documentary Film. A true story. A bizarre light-hearted look at American entertainer, Clive Baldwin, who finds considerable success in England, emulating a blackened-up Al Jolson. Written and directed by Glenn Palmedo-Smith. (Currently in post production, England

The History of Blackface Minstrelsy - A Documentary Film. A three-part mini series on the history of Blackface Minstrelsy -- from TD Rice’s "Jim Crow" in the 1830’s to it’s subtle influences on popular American culture to this new millennium age.

Produced and directed by Glenn Palmedo-Smith. (Date to be determined) 

Castro City - Manny Valdez, PI. Peace/Love meets Greaser/Gangs in this pulp-fiction-like detective thriller. Initially, Valdez became a private dick to "put the hurt on the gringo", but currently, (1967), finds himself their benevolent servant -- until, that is, fate walks through his door with the case of a lifetime, a kidnapping of a wealthy Atherton girl. Written by Glenn Palmedo-Smith. Written, currently in final editing, due February ‘11)