Ken Burns and Lynn Novak spent the better part of 10 years to try and repaint the graphic picture of the Vietnam War. Their 18 hour epic is possibly the most gripping documentary I have been subject to.
Like many of us who did not live during this war, our knowledge of this period of time can be summed up in the following:
- Vietnam war movies like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket & Apocalypse now
- The Kent State shootings of 1970
- The treatment of veterans by American protesters upon their return
These issues certainly are presented in depth during the documentary but there are so many more nuances to the war and its affect on the people who fought it. Of fascination to me were the dissection of the way that the Vietnam draft process shaped the discord with the USA during those years. It is now said that those of wealth or influence who were able to have their service deferred for a year, forced another, poor American son into action for 2 years. The commentary by military leaders about their experiences and relationships during the battle, give you chills. These leaders knew that they were sending these young men to their inevitable death and there was nothing that could be done to stop it. The other interesting aspect of the documentary was the political impacts that the war had on the US Presidents and the logic that was being rationalized to remain in this conflict, when much of the nation was against the reasoning. The Cold War and the threat of the Communists taking hold of another country, drove the USA braintrust to compound bad decisions and remain in a war they couldn’t win.
In the process, almost 58,000 men and women lost their lives and thousands more came hame injured, many critically. The psychological scars from the war have tormented those who were there, from the day it ended. The participants of this war, gave brutal context to the scene that played out and were ready to tell their stories.
Attached here is the NY Times review of this epic and it frames the story for you. Make some time for this story and be forever changed from the voices who lived to share the story.
Marco