April 2001

COLUMBUS, Ga. - The bad news for Mamie and Garry Pound: They had to say goodbye to their house guests - Mel Gibson, Greg Kinnear, Keri Russell, Chris Klein, and Madeleine Stowe. The good news: For the first time in a month, the Pounds can take showers in their own home. The Pounds and their two children moved out while the cast of We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young filmed in Columbus and stayed in the family's bed and breakfast. "We bathed the kids in a sink and showered at the Y," Garry Pound said. "But we'd do it all over again. Every one of our rooms was booked for a month. That doesn't happen very often." Rumors flew during the shooting that the stars were in town, but the Pounds' lips were sealed. "We had to lie," said Mary Dana Knight, who helps Mamie Pound prepare meals. "We'd receive telephone calls all the time asking if Mel was staying here. We'd have to say no." The movie is currently filming in California.