Posted on 07/14/2018 12:04:36 PM PDT by eastforker
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides—Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. THE VIETNAM WAR features more than 100 iconic musical recordings from greatest artists of the era and haunting original music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as well as the Silk Road Ensemble featuring Yo-Yo Ma.
(Excerpt) Read more at pbs.org ...
It's easy to shoot 'em. you just don't lead 'em so much.
After the fall of France in 1940, the Free French were initially equipped by the British to include uniforms. But, later in the war the French were equipped by the Americans. The French had American combat uniforms, American vehicles, American weapons, American ammunition. They didn’t accept our rations. This situation continued through the early sixtes when France left the Military committee of NATO. In the early 80’s, I repatriated six halftracks from the Belgians for use as static displays for U.S. Army units in Europe. They were still American property and we got them back when the Belgians were through with them. This was true of all of the European Armies to some extent except for the British.
After watching till the end and I just did, I will still say I saw nothing false about this film, It was not pro anything, it showed the agony of war, it showed the lies and deceit of governments of all sides.It showed the courage of all the troops from all sides. It showed the thoughts and will of the civilians involved. As some have said, maybe it left out some fact, that could be true but I saw no falsehoods. Damn well worth watching.
Even though those women had no reluctance to shoot GI’S.
I could imagine; never getting a stand-up fight to the finish...
I hope that both of you will do a little research before continuing this little discussion.
Some interesting facts that are used in the Mel Gibson movie, We Were Soldiers.
The First Cavalry Division who fought at the Ia Drang were formed at Ft. Benning where a test division was stood up known as the 11th Air Assault Division to test the air assault concept. Late in the test cycle, they needed more troops to expand to division level exercises. A brigade of the 2d Infantry Division was provided. Mel Gibson was one of the battalions that did this. That’s why they wore 2d Infantry Division Indianhead patch, and at the party scene at Riverside, they were wearing the distinguished unit insignia of the 23d Infantry Regiment. Before they left for Vietnam, they were reflagged to the 1st Cavalry Division and Mel Gibson’s battalion became the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry. Before deploying, Gibson’s character reads the story of Groupement Mobile 100, a French unit who were destroyed at the Mang Yang Pass. They had just redeployed from Korea where they served with the U.S. 2d Infantry Division. At the Mang Yang they were equipped with U.S. kit and they were still wearing their 2d Infantry Division patches.
The deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division was triggered by U.S. Intelligence who had discovered that North Vietnam was planning a major attack in the Central Highlands to cut South Vietnam in half. They did this with the North Vietnam Army in 1965. The 1st Cav Division was to stop the NVA. From that point forward, the war was fought by the U.S. Army and the USMC against the NVA with South Vietnam ARVN and the Viet Cong in support roles. Nixon’s decision to withdraw U.S. Troops and “Vietnamization” became the order of the day. While the French received some support from the U.S., troops did not to deploy to Vietnam until years after the French left.
That was formatted differently; sorry!
I don’t think the US should normalize relations with them; it is the ultimate betrayal of the ARVN and all the South Vietnamese victims of the communists. They want protection from Red China, nothing more; they are still oppressive Reds.
Exactly, my definition of limited support.
The war effort wasn’t doomed by the NVA; like Iraq or Afghanistan, it was doomed by the fact that foreign intervention, along with the native allied government, couldn’t protect the average citizens from the violence of the communists in their own neighborhoods.
How many aircraft carriers did Belgium return?
You guys have fun, talk to you later.
FRegards!
Everything was held back, eastforker. I was there. Burns deliberately left out a lot about the whole Communist plan to takeover SE Asia, all the way to and inside of NE Thailand.
Their campaign of torture, kidnapping (most were killed), and assassination/bombings was ignored (I was a congressional source for much of the only study about it, published by the Senate in 1972).
Agricultural development was totally ignored, but it represented the biggest Government economic success program in the Mekong Delta (which I visited from Ca Mau to Chau Doc to Soc Trang, My Tho, Oc Island, Ham Leuong River, Ben Tre (it was not “destroyed” in order to save it), etc.
Burns was offered key Vietnam veterans/scholars for his movie and only chose one from our historians organization, Rufus Phillips, who, if given more time, would have totally destroyed the Left’s/Burns narrative on the Vietnam War.
Also, unknown to the viewer, is the fact that three of Burns’ top Viet vets were members of the decidedly leftist Vietnam Veterans Against the War in Vietnam (VVAW), once led by fake Viet vet Al Hubbard and fake Purple Heart claimant John Kerry. It was taken over by the Maoist faction of VVAW in 1973 (Romo, Cline, Adams, Uhl, Campbell, etc).
Burns was a fraud re this “documentary”. It was a hackneyed “hit job” on the real story of the war (no Laos, no Cambodia occupation by Hanoi’s 6 divisions - 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th - I met NVN POWS from the 6th Div).
View the Burns/Novick “work” as propaganda for the Left. It had a few good parts but remember, rotten apples spoil the WHOLE barrel, and this barrel stank.
I understand that, but there was some good stuff. I really enjoyed Dr. Kushner’s story.It would take many more hours for all the facts to be presented.But to say everything was held back is not true.For the layman, not the historian, this film laid out the history and the politics of the war.They got most of it right. I think they got the politics of it of our leadership from the Executive office to the field grade leadership correct.Please correct me if I am wrong on that point.
Also, the film made it clear about the VVAW, who they were and their activities, they did not try to hide it.
Sorry to disagree with you “eastforker” but more was held back than you will ever know.
Also re Dr. Kushner. There is a whole sidestory that has never been told publicly but some of it might be coming out next year in a new book on the POW issue.
Kushner’s wife sold out to the communists re helping the reds exploit POW families into joining the “ant-Vietnam war movement”.
I was involved in a number of POW related issues. I know things that have remained secret for decades. Once had to tell a young girl that her father wasn’t coming home (he was killed by the No. Vietnam. The only question was it during combat (as pilot) or when he was captured/possibly tortured to death). That might be coming out next year, too.
I’m hoping to live long enough to tell what I know about Vietnam (that I haven’t already told Congress or which is being held as classified because of its national security implications).
This movie did address Kushners wife and her activities.
One thing more,John Kerry was not wrong, even though I detest him for saying it, about atrocities committed by some, especially by the tiger force. Of course it was no difference than what the VC did to us, that’s a fact.
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