The Vietnam War will return to American living rooms starting Sunday.
That’s when “The Vietnam War,” the latest film from celebrity documentary maker Ken Burns, will debut on PBS.
The Vietnam War lasted from 1955-1975. American advisors arrived in 1950 in what was then French Indochina. American combat troops were deployed in 1965. The Americans pulled out in 1973, and North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam in 1975.
At 18 hours over 10 consecutive nights, the documentary may seem like it lasts as long as the real war.
Burns first came to wide national attention with his documentary “The Civil War” (1990), which is his best work. He has stayed busy since. His best films since 1990 have been “Baseball” (1994), “Jazz” (2001) and “The War” (2007).
“The Vietnam War” is being touted as representing all sides, including veterans, politicians and peace activists from the United States and Vietnam.
The Vietnam War is still a raw wound for many people. After all, the U.S. and its allies won most of the battles but lost the war.
Fittingly, the turning point in the war turned out to be a North Vietnamese and Viet Cong defeat. In 1968, they launched the Tet Offensive, making surprise attacks all over South Vietnam.
Militarily, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong failed in their bid to take over South Vietnam. They suffered more than 100,000 casualties.
The surprise attack shocked the American public, which had been told by political and military leaders that the enemy was being defeated and was incapable of launching such an offensive.
U.S. public opinion began to turn against the war. U.S. officials began peace negotiations with the North Vietnamese.
I followed the news at a young age and watched the “CBS Evening News” every night to see the war news. I particularly remember the Tet Offensive and some of the graphic footage — including a South Vietnamese officer executing a Viet Cong guerrilla in the street -— that was shown on the news.
Every week, CBS would report the casualties in Vietnam. The North Vietnamese casualties were always reported as being much higher than the Americans’. I asked my father once how the Communists could lose so many men every week and keep fighting. He didn’t know either.
After the war, many in the U.S. military blamed TV news for turning U.S. opinion against the war. Starting with the Gulf War, the military has kept a tighter rein on journalists.
Making a film like “The Vietnam War” probably wouldn’t have been possible until now. It’s taken 40 years for Americans to gain enough perspective on the events of the 1960s. Time hasn’t healed all wounds, but the pain has faded.
There have been plenty of Hollywood movies about the Vietnam War. One of the first — and most ridiculous — was “The Green Berets” (1968), starring John Wayne. It wasn’t the Duke’s finest hour. The movie, which is so old-fashioned that it creaks, was released at the height of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. But it was still a box office hit.
“The Green Berets” turns up on TV occasionally, but its entertainment value is limited to unintentional laughs.
The two best films on the Vietnam War to date are both classics, “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and “Full Metal Jacket” (1987). Both depict the madness and terror of war.
I’ve known a few Vietnam War combat veterans over the years. One told of being shot at by South Vietnamese soldiers. Another, who was drafted after college, ended up as a rifleman. He said his unit constantly went on patrols in “free-fire” zones. “If something moved,” he said, “we started shooting.”
The U.S. is again in another war that is seemingly unending, this time in Afghanistan. American troops have been fighting there for 16 years, twice the time Americans spent fighting in Vietnam.
Victory is seemingly nowhere in sight. Many strategies have been tried and failed.
As in Vietnam, the U.S. enjoys major advantages in technology and firepower. But they again face guerrillas who usually choose when and where they want to fight. Another similarity to Vietnam: The U.S. is supporting an often-corrupt government that seemingly wants Americans to do the dirty work.
Foreign armies have been trying and usually failing to conquer Afghanistan since Alexander the Great. The British and Russians couldn’t do it either.
Another difference in the two wars is the peace protests. Anti-war activists regularly staged massive protests during Vietnam. Protests against the Afghan war have become increasingly rare.
I suspect that’s because the U.S. doesn’t have the draft anymore. Most people seem to have forgotten what our all-volunteer forces are going through.
• Contact Charles Corder at 581-7241 or ccorder@gwcommonwealth.com.
