'Blood Road' film to screen at convention

How far would you go to find your father?

In 2015, Rebecca Rusch, the daughter of U.S. Air Force pilot Stephen Rusch who was shot down during the Vietnam War, rode the 1,200-mile Ho Chi Minh Trail on a mountain bike in search of her father’s crash site.

Her story of adventure and remembrance is documented in the Red Bull Media House film "Blood Road." There will be a screening of the film during The American Legion’s 99th national convention in Reno, Nev., on Monday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m. at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, C4, 1st Floor. The screening is open to convention attendees.

Rusch, 48, is one of America’s greatest ultra-endurance mountain bikers and is known as the "Queen of pain" on the international circuit. She has raced professionally for more than 30 years and is a seven-time world champion.

"This was the biggest athletic undertaking of my career," Rusch said. "More importantly, my father’s memory was calling to me and I knew I needed to travel there to see what I would find. I was finally ready to learn about the details of my father’s death and get to know him better by riding my bike to the place where he died.”

Vietnamese competitive cyclist Huyen Nguyen joined Rusch on her expedition through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to serve as a guide, interpreter and fellow adventurer.

Join Rusch and Huyen on their adventure as they navigate some of the toughest and most breathtakingly beautiful terrain in the world, and learn more about how the war in Vietnam continues to impact hundreds of thousands of lives today.