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Movies like Platoon address the atrocities that were comitted by the U.S., but I have failed to find a movie that depicts the horror and atrocites that the NVA and VC inflicted upon their own peoples, the U.S. pales in comparision to these. I served 18 months with the 9th ID in the delta area of VN, I saw things that no 19 year old should see, things that the VC and NVA did to their own peoples, there still burned into my memories.
I tried to watch "We were soldiers", from what I saw of it, it was the most accurate depiction of one single event in many.
I served 18 months with the 9th ID in the delta area of VN, I saw things that no 19 year old should see, things that the VC and NVA did to their own peoples, there still burned into my memories.
At My Tho during Tet '68 they were throwing half-American babies into the air and shooting them for sport.
Before my dad passed away from lung cancer last year, he finally opened up about his time on the flight deck of a carrier during Vietnam. None of the movies he saw showed what happened on the flight deck. He saw someone cut in half by the arresting cable, jets crashing on deck (funny story about that later), flight deck crew getting agent orange on them but the VA refusing to cover them, and people getting killed or injured on deck.
Before one crash, my dad's buddy went to the head to drop a load. Jet crashed and a piece of the jet sliced into the island structure inches in front of his buddy as he sat on the throne. That was the fastest and most complete load drop he ever made.
At My Tho during Tet '68 they were throwing half-American babies into the air and shooting them for sport.
Did you actually see that or was it something you heard? The reason I ask is that the Viet Cong around My Tho were largely Hua Hua (Hua Hoi) Bhuddists they, like the Cao Dai around Tay Ninh joined the NLF before it was Communist and autrocities like that were not common to them.
Movies like Platoon address the atrocities that were comitted by the U.S., but I have failed to find a movie that depicts the horror and atrocites that the NVA and VC inflicted upon their own peoples, the U.S. pales in comparision to these. I served 18 months with the 9th ID in the delta area of VN, I saw things that no 19 year old should see, things that the VC and NVA did to their own peoples, there still burned into my memories.
I tried to watch "We were soldiers", from what I saw of it, it was the most accurate depiction of one single event in many.
Platoon dealt with 2nd Bde 25th Infantry Division operating in an area where the population not only supported the VC, they were the VC. Every Man woman and child. The Viet Cong representative at Paris was a local.
Even attempts to resettle those people failed and in areas like the Boi Loi they would stand and fight leaving burning APCs and overun artillery in their wake. Nothing like up north.
Movies like Platoon address the atrocities that were comitted by the U.S., but I have failed to find a movie that depicts the horror and atrocites that the NVA and VC inflicted upon their own peoples, the U.S. pales in comparision to these. I served 18 months with the 9th ID in the delta area of VN, I saw things that no 19 year old should see, things that the VC and NVA did to their own peoples, there still burned into my memories.
I tried to watch "We were soldiers", from what I saw of it, it was the most accurate depiction of one single event in many.
The Green Berets and The Seige of Firebase Gloria both touch upon atrocities committed by the Communist forces.
What really infuriates me is all those people in the media and Academia who try to paint every US serviceman in Vietnam as a baby killer, drug addict, etc when in reality incidents like My Lai and the Tiger Force scandal were isolated incidents. But yet you never hear about how the VC went to Hue and killed anyone who was a teacher/professor, politician, government official, all media people, and anyone who was a known anti-Communist. When US and ARVN forces finally retook the city they found mass graves with THOUSANDS of people. Or how about when the VC would walk into villages and force the villagers to provide food, medical supplies, and even manpower and if they dident they would kill everyone? Never hear about either of those.
I AM NOT a Vietnam Veteran, however, I'd like to reccomend a little known movie. Its called 84 Charlie Mopic. While low budget, I've been told its quite accurate.
As a former US Marine, I can tell you, Full Metal Jacket was the most accurate depection of boot camp, ever to hit the big screen (I still don't understand R Lee Ermey NOT winning an academy award). I can still remember seeing it in the movies. I actually started sweating and was squeezing my wife's hand so hard, she had to make me stop.
I AM NOT a Vietnam Veteran, however, I'd like to reccomend a little known movie. Its called 84 Charlie Mopic. While low budget, I've been told its quite accurate.
As a former US Marine, I can tell you, Full Metal Jacket was the most accurate depection of boot camp, ever to hit the big screen (I still don't understand R Lee Ermey NOT winning an academy award). I can still remember seeing it in the movies. I actually started sweating and was squeezing my wife's hand so hard, she had to make me stop.
You're supposed to ACT to win and Oscar. R. Lee was just being himself. I've always liked the story about how he got the part. He had someone whip oranges at him while he did the lines and filmed it for the director.
I'm a Viet Nam era Veteran of the U.S. Navy. My first Westpac deployment was in 1969 onboard a Guided Missile Destroyer out of San Diego. We were part of a Destroyer Escort Group for the Kitty Hawk and a couple of other Carriers. My GQ station was Pointer for the 5" gun on the bow. Even though we did spend some time on the "gunline" and at Yankee Station, we didn't see any real combat.......but, I sure knew that I was there! When I heard over the 1MC, "This is not a drill, this is not a drill......General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations", I REALLY knew I was there, then!
A couple of years ago, I talked to a former Marine who was in Recon in Nam and asked him about the Rambo movies. He laughed and said, I never seen any of that kind of weapon (bow/arrow/w-explosive tip) when I was there. But, he did tell me that at the end of the first Rambo movie, when Rambo is sitting on the floor and telling the Colonel about being in charge of multi-million dollar equipment in Nam, but not being able to get a job here and how they were called "baby killers" at the airport when they got back to the U.S.......was very true.
I also have a friend that was part of a Army unit that got ambushed and he was shot. He couldn't tell his wife the whole story, but he was able to tell me.
Have to agree that Platoon is very close to how it was over there. Apocalypse Now is another one that seems to depict the true Viet Nam War experience. I do like John Wayne's, The Green Beret, but how authentic was it, really don't know. Who played the VC and NVA? I heard it was Phillipino actors, but don't know.
There is a documentary that really, and I do mean REALLY, shocked me and that was called, The Vietnam War (from The History Channel). It was shown as a series and showed actual film and talked to the different Viet Nam Vets who were there and a couple of Nurses. Show film/photos of them there and interviewed them today about their experience. Highly interesting and shocking at the same time!
The Anderson Platoon, a French documentary, focuses on an American Army combat unit in Vietnam in the early 60's. I think it's on Youtube.
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