The Silence on this forum is Deafening RE: Ken Burns' VIETNAM

[S.A. Boggs]

One thing I have never understood is guy's who won't stand when it is right, not politically correct. I am not a brave guy but I won't back down when I have needed to. Many times when working with some of my clients I often wondered what they would do. One was ticked off in general with a large butcher knife in reach it wasn't in reach very long I tell you. My hat is off to you guys who have seen the elephant, I was scared being in the regional jail.
Sam

[Griff Murphey]

I have not watched all of every episode but I will say it's interesting. I think to some extent they hand picked the Veterans they interviewed looking for guys who got active in the anti war movement later. They have had one guy who ran off to Canada and described it as the "bravest thing I ever did." Hmm.

Interesting new to me footage on Kent State. The Nat. Guard was sure passing out armloads of pump shotguns and digging shells out of red and green Remington Express commercial ammo. I learned that one of the four kids killed was an ROTC scholarship student who was just an onlooker.

You can sure see the deterioration of the Army in appearance of personnel and installations by the 1970 time frame. Quite a difference from the very STRAC troops who first arrived. The Marines were affected too but not as badly.

Definitely left leaning but worth looking at, IMO.

[clintonhater]

I have not watched all of every episode but I will say it's interesting...

And this was YOUR topic? Only during the last two episodes have I found it necessary to get up and do something else while scenes of anti-war scumbags are being shown, or the uproar at the Demo convention in Chicago (all of which I watched on TV while it was happening, loving every min because it was hurting their candidate). Don't know how much more I can stand, however, as the hopelessness of the situation beginning with Nixon's pullout is just too depressing to watch.

[Griff Murphey]

And this was YOUR topic? Only during the last two episodes have I found it necessary to get up and do something else while scenes of anti-war scumbags are being shown, or the uproar at the Demo convention in Chicago (all of which I watched on TV while it was happening, loving every min because it was hurting their candidate). Don't know how much more I can stand, however, as the hopelessness of the situation beginning with Nixon's pullout is just too depressing to watch.

I have thought a bit about your response and how to respond or even if I should respond. Started to say I didn't produce it, I just reported my thoughts on it. Whether we who lived through it like it or not, this series will probably stand as the only comprehensive video version of the entire war to be available and will certainly define the thoughts our grandchildren will have about Vietnam. Much in the same way VICTORY AT SEA sort of defined WW-2 (at least the Navy part of it). I agree it's a lot to take in at once and at times gets overwhelming.

[togor]

The thing that jumps out at me from the series is that the guys in charge even early on knew this was going to be trouble but for one reason or another couldn't come to a decisive moment. All this well before the public view of the war changed.

[dryheat]

I remember someone who was present talking later about the Bay of Pigs decision . He said, if one person had stood up and said No, this is a bad idea, it might have changed the outcome.

[oscars]

Togor:
Read "Dereliction of Duty" by H.R. McMaster to see the description of leadership failures.

[clintonhater]

Togor:
Read "Dereliction of Duty" by H.R. McMaster to see the description of leadership failures.

Pointed out more than once was that it's usually the tendency of military leaders to "fight the last war." But our leaders hadn't even learned the lessons of WWII, when Germany & Japan were pounded into rubble without "breaking their will to resist," as Johnson kept talking about doing in the North. It took TWO A-bombs to finally break Japan's will to resist! So how could it ever have been conceived that bombing the North, ruled by do-or-die fanatics even more indifferent to civilian deaths than the leaders of Germany & Japan, was ever going to work, short of using nukes?

[Vern Humphrey]

Pointed out more than once was that it's usually the tendency of military leaders to "fight the last war." But our leaders hadn't even learned the lessons of WWII, when Germany & Japan were pounded into rubble without "breaking their will to resist," as Johnson kept talking about doing in the North. It took TWO A-bombs to finally break Japan's will to resist! So how could it ever have been conceived that bombing the North, ruled by do-or-die fanatics even more indifferent to civilian deaths than the leaders of Germany & Japan, was ever going to work, short of using nukes?

But a good part of the problem wasn't the military leaders -- it was Johnson and MacNamara. The military leaders were at fault in not standing up and saying, "This isn't going to work."

[2flasargent]

My experiences have been different. I grew up in a small Pa. town. Most older men were WW2 vets and it was assumed that if you were my age and weren't going to College you went in the military. Viet Nam for me was enlisting in the Navy in '67 and one tour on the gun line on a DD. Lots of lost sleep, 7 month cruise, and a few days coming and going in Olongopo. when I went home on leave I wore my uniform to Church and actually on a date or two, no problems and positive interest expressed. So the entire country wasn't negative. I stayed in until 1990, and we lived in predominantly military towns. I never had a real problem with harassment. A few name calling incidents I blew off. In one airport restroom a long haired punk was being an idiot when a couple young marines upended him in a toilet for a swirley. Cop walked in and walked right back out. I heard many incidents from friends in other parts of the country enough to realize I was the exception. I've avoided the series, thinking it was left wing garbage. Truly unfortunate that as someone said this will be the 'definitive' story of Viet Nam.