The Vietnam War- PBS America Documentary.

T

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Ken Burns, Lynn Novick's brilliantly directed examination of the war, and the politics behind it.
I'm watching this series of programs again this week after seeing it a few years ago and keep shaking my head, with tears in my eyes at times of the first hand accounts of people who were witnesses to the war. Interviews from both sides and really is a must see. It really makes you think how it could of/should of have been avoided. I am proud to say our politicians very early on in the conflict agreed not to be involved militarily and send troups there. Virgin 273
 
It’s a brilliant series using real archive footage that clip of the monk who set himself on fire is truly haunting.
 
If it is the uncut version it is brilliant and raw. When Bridge Over Troubled Water played over the wall of names I had some dust in my eye
 
I personally know a British soldier Who served in that war .
former special forces small group had a couple of missions.
known the man for 20 years and thats just about all he’s said on the matter,
he’s called ‘blue’ was always known as blue, but nobody has ever known why .
riddled with arthritis now, a crying shame
 
Brilliant series. The US should never have got involved. It was hard hitting and shows that a superpower should not automatically assume they will defeat a vastly inferior nation so easily, if at all. A terrible tragedy for all concerned. The same happened in Afghanistan, but they never learn. One incredible song which I think encapsulated the mood and era is Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel. Haunting tune and profound lyrics.
 
Watched about 5 episodes straight off on a flight to Australia for last Ashes. Then watched another 3 on way back not sure if I finished the series. Must check as I have it on a hard drive somewhere.
Brilliant documentary.
 
Seen documentaries before but this current one on PBS is the best. Very good on getting analyisis right while still showing all the human side.

The Yanks were obessesed with the threat of Communism. Maybe Cuba had spooked them. They certainly were very insecure for such a powerful country in the early to mid 1960s. They became the foreign aggressor by late 1965 propping up a regime that had possibly only 20% of its own SV population supporting it. In Malaysia we defeated the communists in the 1950s and 60s, because the locals generally supported us and the communists were more the foreign aggressor.
 
Redwurzel said:
Seen documentaries before but this current one on PBS is the best. Very good on getting analyisis right while still showing all the human side.

The Yanks were obessesed with the threat of Communism. Maybe Cuba had spooked them. They certainly were very insecure for such a powerful country in the early to mid 1960s. They became the foreign aggressor by late 1965 propping up a regime that had possibly only 20% of its own SV population supporting it. In Malaysia we defeated the communists in the 1950s and 60s, because the locals generally supported us and the communists were more the foreign aggressor.
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Wasn't just the Americans who were concerned about the threat of communism. But the way to deal with it was to back the people and not a regime. To think Ho Chi Minh wanted the Americans to back him very early on to give the Vietnamese their independence was really short sighted.
 
Watched this a couple of years ago. Brilliant series, due a re watch. What struck me the most was the utter futility of fighting over areas just to abandon it as soon as the enemy fled. Achieved nothing except too many young men dead.
 
Redwurzel said:
Seen documentaries before but this current one on PBS is the best. Very good on getting analyisis right while still showing all the human side.

The Yanks were obessesed with the threat of Communism. Maybe Cuba had spooked them. They certainly were very insecure for such a powerful country in the early to mid 1960s. They became the foreign aggressor by late 1965 propping up a regime that had possibly only 20% of its own SV population supporting it. In Malaysia we defeated the communists in the 1950s and 60s, because the locals generally supported us and the communists were more the foreign aggressor.
Click to expand...
The US was trying to stop the spread of communism, but so were many other other nations both in SE Asia, and in Europe. The roots of the conflict date from WWII, and the conflict itself from the 1950s. It's easy to criticise the US through the retrospectoscope, but it really was much more complex than the US getting involved in a conflict which didn't directly affect them.
 
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