Documentary marks 20th anniversary of deadly Texas A&M bonfire collapse

An upcoming documentary tells the story of students and survivors in the tragic collapse of the Texas A&M bonfire nearly 20 years ago.

In November 1999, 12 students were killed and 27 others were injured on the Texas A&M campus.

Survivor John Comstock became known to many as the “13th Man.” He was the last to be rescued after spending seven hours under the rubble.

Comstock was hospitalized for more than 80 days and almost died several times. He awoke from a drug-induced coma to find he’d lost his left leg.

Filmmaker Charlie Minn worked closely with Comstock on the documentary.

"When I was speaking at A&M, they told me about the bonfire. This was about 2012. Three of the students walked me to the memorial on campus to honor the victims. That's when I became informed about the bonfire tragedy. So it was always on the back of my mind. And when we hit 2019, I said whoa, the 20-year anniversary is now here. Let's honor these fallen Aggies," Minn said.

“You definitely relive it when you’re watching something like that. I think there will be moments where I’ll be emotional no doubt about it. That’s okay. That’s my life. I accept it,” Comstock said.

Comstock graduated from A&M seven years late. He now works for the university and is married to another Aggie.

“The 13th Man” documentary premieres in Bryan in November and will screen in Dallas soon after.

LINK: www.13thmanfilm.com