Posted on 03/03/2002 9:18:16 PM PST by Pokey78
Edited on 04/23/2004 12:04:15 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Vietnam was marked by the constant reshuffling of men in and out of fighting units resulting in, among other things, the loss of cohesion. This is what happened when politicians micro managed the war
What's sad is that the number two film of the weekend is about some guy that's trying not to have sex for forty days. Hollywood's got a long ways to go.
I know. I was there. Twice.
I was thinking of the scene at Benning when Moore (Gibson) had the conversation with the general just after they had been ordered to Nam.
Then I shall humbly thank and defer to you as I was seven years old during the the battle in the Ia Drang.
Vietnam was marked by the constant reshuffling of men in and out of fighting units resulting in, among other things, the loss of cohesion.
Your quote is a good one. But it was worse than that. LBJ should forever be held responsible for the failure of Vietnam.
Because it was not a "for the duration" kind of duty, units that DID go over as units had to go through "DEROS shuffles." I went over with A Co., 4th Avn. Bn. from Ft. Lewis during the first week of 67. By July of that year over half of us had been 'traded' to other units so as not to have everyone returning to "The World" at the same time after a year. You are right, it was all so counter-productive. Add to all of that, Battalion Command remained a 6-month tour, when studies showed there would be fewer casualties if it had been a year long assignment. Tickets had to be punched.
Worse than the example of the 1st Cav being formed quickly before deployment is the formation of the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal) IN Vietnam. Of course, the atrocities committed at My Lai were done by an Americal unit.
Excerpt:
Mel Gibson's new film "We Were Soldiers" tells a story of the first major American military engagement in Vietnam, the Ia Drang Valley battle of November 1965. The film focuses on some 400 American soldiers, inserted miles into hostile territory, who fought thousands of North Vietnamese army troops. They were surrounded for three days but fought on with bravery and honor--principled men vs. a determined, well-equipped foe. The Americans end up killing nearly 2,000 of the enemy and winning the battle.
What elevates the film is that it's a true story about Vietnam. Hollywood simply hasn't been able to tell a true story that portrays Americans as the good guys in that conflict in a long time. Take a look at "Full Metal Jacket," which follows a few Marines through basic training and into the war. One Marine becomes a reporter and sports a peace sign and the words "born to kill" on his helmet. It ends with the Marines singing the "Mickey Mouse Club" tune after a senseless battle. Or "Born on the Fourth of July," in which Tom Cruise plays an American soldier who becomes a paraplegic and joins the peace movement.
"Saving Private Ryan" paved the way for such gory, realistic war movies. But even that World War II portrayal of the search for one man in the confusion of war is fiction. "Black Hawk Down" is a true story. But it differs from "We Were Soldiers" in that nearly everyone admits the shootout in Somalia was the bad consequence of aimless foreign policy--many just don't want to admit it was Bill Clinton who didn't have a clear sense of what he was doing and thus his policy hung those men out to dry.
Mr. Gibson's film, which he might have named "We Were Soldiers, Not Baby Killers," is an argument for honoring the Americans who fought in Vietnam--and what they fought for. John Wayne's 1967 film "The Green Beret" made the same argument, and leftists have despised it since the day it was released. In that film Wayne dared to show the cruelty meted out by the communists and be unabashedly patriotic.
"We Were Soldiers" smashes most of the stock images of Vietnam that Hollywood has created over the years. The GIs never criticize the war or ask why they're fighting. Some are even happy to be there--the first American killed in battle dies saying, "I'm glad I can die for my country." To many in Hollywood, Vietnam was such an immoral war for this country to wage that it could only leave those who fought it confused, violent or insane--hence Rambo. Not so in Mr. Gibson's movie. None of the soldiers go crazy, join the peace movement or turn out to be weirdoes. They're God-fearing, devoted husbands who fight with courage and honor. The only thing that's abnormal about their return home is that not all of them are welcomed at the airport--a criticism not of the war, but of those who protested it.
This is a must see film....in honor of all those who served, especially my uncle(Marine) who served three tours.....I thank-you.....RIP Uncle Bob.
Hell, that's easy................get married.
It's about time Hollywood made an accurate picture about the heroism and patriotism of the soldiers in Viet Nam!
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I've heard nothing but GOOD about this movie, and I might even sneak out today and see this thing.
And I agree with you on that. HollyWeed is usually the left arm of the Liberal Left. . .
I'm one of those weird females who loves war movies, but also have kind of a weak stomach when it comes to (graphic) violence, so I haven't decided if I can see it.......as much as I'd love to.
My son said some of it was hard to take, even for him. And I heard Mel Gibson say that he had to look away when he saw the film himself. We'll see.......
It was very hard to watch, but it should have been. There was no smug "we were the smart ones who didn't go," or "we were the ones who went crazy," etc. The absolutely evil foreign policy under Lyndon Johnson was alluded to subtly but devastatingly.
Film critics have been unusually idiotic - they obviously spent most of their time in the popcorn line or in the bathroom. One critic referred to the massacre of the French as occurring "a few months before" November 1965; another claimed that the film (to paraphrase) "completely ignored the racism of the 1960s." Yet another sneered that it was "like a John Ford film." No doubt others found it reminded them of Frank Capra - a fate worse than death, I'm sure.
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