Vietnam on PBS

[South Bender]

Anybody been watching this? I'm hooked. Not old enough to remember, but it's pretty fascinating.

 

[Cameramonkey]

your description is me. I'm not feeling this one as much as all of his previous ones. I consider myself a Burns Fanboi, too. I'm just not as engaged with this one as much as his others. (I just finished #3)

This one is definitely NOT one you can multitask. With all the subbed Vietnamese you HAVE to watch it with a purpose.

 

[Snapdragon]

I wish I had started recording it. The BF is DVR-ing it, so maybe I can get him to burn it to DVD's for me.

I remember part of it, but not a whole lot. I was too young to understand the significance of the POW bracelets that some of my friends thought it was cool to wear.

 

[South Bender]

Yeah there is a lot from the Vietnamese perspective. This is like near 15 hours or so though, pretty in depth. What a crazy time.

 

[KittySlayer]

I was young enough not to realize the war's significance. So far have been impressed. Ken Burns does a pretty good job of turning off political views and giving a balanced presentation. Favorite quote so far:

This is war. This is what we do.

Thank You to those that served through this horror.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I wish I had started recording it. The BF is DVR-ing it, so maybe I can get him to burn it to DVD's for me.

I remember part of it, but not a whole lot. I was too young to understand the significance of the POW bracelets that some of my friends thought it was cool to wear.

you can stream it from pbs.org

 

[Snapdragon]

you can stream it from pbs.org

Awesome, thanks.

 

[rob63]

I have been enjoying it, but it has been slow going because, like cameramonkey said, you have to sit and really pay attention (I've been streaming it). There have been a number of things cleared up for me that I knew about, but was really fuzzy on since I was a kid during this time. The audio tapes of Johnson privately disclosing his reservations have been revealing to me. All in all, very well done, a very balanced treatment of a subject that is still a lightning rod for that generation.

I will say this, there is one of the NVA vets that you just want to punch in the face. Something about the way he grins when talking about it that just doesn't sit well. Other than him, the reflections of the people from all sides has been fascinating.

 

[indiucky]

Rob and I are about the same age....I have vague memories of that time and seeing it on the news....I know mom had me in 1964 so dad had an exemption (IIRC) to his draft status as I was an only child (at that time)....I think I know what NVA vet Rob is talking about and yes I too want to punch him in the face.....The footage is amazing and the soundtrack seems to fit....

 

[KellyinAvon]

1965 model here. I don't remember much, I do remember watching a Tv special when Saigon fell. That was the only television show that my dad ever asked me if I was sure I wanted to watch it because of the graphic nature . From my USAF days I know we lost a third of the F-105 fleet over there.

 

[rvb]

wanting to watch this, but haven't been able to yet. planning to stream it. I was born well after, but Dad was in Saigon during Tet offensive (USAF).

-rvb

 

[Thor]

I wonder how many of the common myths they will perpetuate and how many they will debunk.

A little over 9M served in uniform during the conflict, 2.7M in country...the 16+M who dodged are invested in maintaining the myths (along with their families and supporters). They should look back on their cowardice with shame.

86% of those killed in VN were Caucasian, 12.5% black, 1.2% other. The higher your education level the more likely you were to become a casualty (pilots, officers), 79% of the force had a HS education or better. The average age of troops was 22 and only 25% were draftees. So, the troops were not conscripted, poor, young, uneducated or predominately racially unrepresented by the population at large.

We won the war. The U.S. military didn't lose a battle of any significance, the Tet Offensive was a complete disaster for the commies; they lost over 45k troops and their entire structure in the south (but they won it in the U.S. Press who carried the commies water and propaganda). The U.S. military pulled out of VN after the signing of the peace treaty in 1973...2 years before the fall of Saigon. Congress lost South Vietnam, they reneged on their treaty commitments while China still supported the North.

 

[LtScott14]

I have been watching. Didn't really know about the 50's and way early 60's involvement. My Brother was a 65-66, 66-67, participant. 1st Air Cav, Helicopter Crew Chief/Gunner. Didn't really talk about it much, but he changed from a 19 year old. He has told me a little, but Ken Burns has done a great job. I also enjoyed the "Civil War" by Burns. Very hard worker, and covered a lot of history. Its long watching, but seems worth it. Enjoy.

 

[indykid]

Lived it as a child watching Kennedy, and then Johnson send advisers over there. I figured by the time I was old enough to worry, it would surely be over, it wasn't.

The first and only lottery I ever won was Dick Nixon's draft lottery. My dad had friends in high places and wound up getting me approved for the Air Force Academy in Colorado but a serious injury intervened and I wound up with a winning draft card stamped 4F. Thankfully with enough rehab I was able to walk again.

After all was over I was amazed to find that all my friends and classmates that went to Nam made it back.

This series brings back some memories that I wish I could forget, and I wasn't even over there! I did find it horrifying to find in the first episode that we were friendly with Ho Chi Minh before Johnson lost his mind.

 

[DragonGunner]

Have watched a little of it. In WWII Ho Chi Minh joined our OSS to fight the Japs. The French refused to fight them….our Country told Ho Chi Minh if he helped we would help get the French out. After the WWII Minh although a communist was so impressed with US history wrote the declaration of independence for Vietnam that sounds very much like our own…..next chapter cold war and we wanted France on our side and decided to forget our promise to Minh to get France out. France hires thousands of ex Germans fighters who become part of the French Foreign legion and go fight Minh…Minh wins and by then most know the rest of the story….just not the real beginning back in WWII. I was born in 1961 and my brother went to DMZ area and got to go through hell, he even flew with his capt to a besieged Green Beret outpost to fight of waves of the enemy and to kill any ARVN that ran from their positions…..he did. A nightmare of hell and I watched the tv and refused supper every night watching the the tv news to see if I could find him or see him, every evening….Dad finally gave up and trying to get me away from it. Brother made it home and all i wanted was to be near him….I would sneak into his room as he slept on the floor…..3 times he woke and thought I was a gook kid trying to kill him, and he almost killed my 3 times….Dad saved my life twice….the 3rd time was worse but was saved by my mom and her prayers. Awful times and days they were. We should of stayed the hell out on Nam. Politicians suck.

 

[Bennettjh]

I wasn't even thought of during 'Nam. I do like watching documentaries on it and reading about it. I've caught one episode of this show, if you're not focused on it, you'll get lost. Definitely have to pay attention.

Anytime I see something about the war, it's just so hard to understand why all the lives lost and turmoil it caused just to try to stop Communism and in the end, Saigon was still captured by the North.

 

[jsharmon7]

Watching this makes our current political issues seem inconsequential.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Episode six included the video of the execution of Nguyen Van Lem but failed to say why he was executed.

 

[SMiller]

My grandfather was a K9 handler, his job was to go out in front of the infantry and sniff out the Vietcong. I cannot ponder going our by myself into enemy territory. He made it back and is still here living the dream, had a grenade go off by his head and lost hearing in one ear, one bad dude.

Need to ask him if he is watching the series.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Episode six included the video of the execution of Nguyen Van Lem but failed to say why he was executed.

Seems odd for Ken to miss something so obvious. (the why of the situation)