RICHMOND, VA — [March 23, 2026] — Tilt Creative + Production announced that its original documentary The Donut Dollies: 627 Women Who Also Served In Vietnam will premiere on Virginia Public Media (VPM) in honor of Vietnam Veterans Day and Red Cross Awareness Month and on select PBS stations nationwide later this year. The film tells the largely untold story of the 627 young women who volunteered with the American Red Cross in Vietnam, providing morale support, comfort and the familiarity of home to U.S. troops during the war.
Produced through Tilt’s internal storytelling initiative, Tilt Originals, the documentary was created by executive producer Libbie Hegvik, whose personal connection to the story inspired the project. Hegvik’s mother served as a Donut Dolly in Vietnam, where she met Libbie’s father, a helicopter pilot with the 101st Airborne Division. Despite both serving overseas, only her father was recognized with an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., while her mother was denied because Donut Dollies were not considered military veterans. The experience revealed a broader truth: the women who volunteered with the Red Cross in Vietnam have largely gone unrecognized for their service.
“Growing up, I knew my parents’ love story began in Vietnam, but I didn’t fully realize how invisible my mother’s service had been in the historical narrative,” said Hegvik. “This documentary is about honoring the courage, compassion, and resilience of the Donut Dollies and ensuring their stories are remembered.”
During the Vietnam War, Donut Dollies, women typically between the ages of 21 and 25 who were college-educated, single, and volunteering for a one-year assignment, were deployed to bases across the country. Traveling by helicopter and jeep to remote firebases, they created and hosted morale-building programs for soldiers, often inventing game-show-style activities and social events designed to bring moments of connection and normalcy in the midst of war. For many troops, these women represented a friendly face from home and a reminder that someone cared.
To bring the story to life, Tilt crews traveled to Washington, D.C. to capture interviews during an Honor Flight, attended the national ARCOA (American Red Cross Overseas Association) reunion in Kansas City where 18 former Donut Dollie volunteers gathered, and filmed an intimate conversation with Hegvik that anchors the film. Tilt’s team also led post-production, editing, audio, and finishing to shape the documentary into a cinematic tribute to the women’s service.
The documentary first debuted on YouTube on April 30, 2025, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, where it earned more than 56,000 views in its first three months without any paid promotion. Since then, The Donut Dollies: 627 Women Who Also Served In Vietnam has received Best Short Documentary and Best Soundscape recognition at NOVA Fest, an Award of Merit from the IMPACT DOCS Awards, Three Award of Merits at The Best Shorts Competition (Women Filmmakers, Women Theme and Documentary Short), Three Award of Merits at The Accolade Global Film Competition (Women Filmmakers, Women Theme and Documentary Short), an American Red Cross Community Partner Award and has been screened to full audiences at the Virginia War Memorial and the Military Women’s Memorial, where the film will be archived.
Beyond festival recognition, the documentary has helped catalyze renewed attention for the Donut Dollies’ legacy. Their contributions were honored during the most recent national observance of Vietnam Veterans Day in Washington, D.C., and advocates, including the Vietnam Veterans of America, are working with legislators to pursue a Congressional Gold Medal recognizing the Donut Dollies’ service.
The Donut Dollies: 627 Women Who Also Served In Vietnam also represents the mission behind Tilt Originals, an internal initiative at Tilt Creative + Production that empowers employees to develop passion projects that spotlight overlooked stories and expand the agency’s creative capabilities beyond traditional commercial work.
“This project is a perfect example of what Tilt Originals was designed to do,” said Ron Carey, Founder and CEO at Tilt. “It gives our team the opportunity to tell meaningful stories that deserve a platform.”
The upcoming broadcast marks the first time The Donut Dollies: 627 Women Who Also Served In Vietnam will air on a public media network, bringing the story of these 627 women to audiences across the country.For more information about Donut Dollies and Tilt Creative + Production, visit https://www.tiltcp.com/.
