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The Ken Burns/Lynn Novick Vietnam Documentary

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BirdinBama

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Is anyone else as riveted to this series as I am? I have so much respect for Burns, and knew this was going to be a masterpiece. It's better than I thought it would be in my wildest imagination.

Having lived in the Vietnam era, I can tell you that there were so many times that I just wanted to cry, and times that I was just angry. this documentary has brought a lot of those emotions back. I had some friends whose name are on that wall. So sad.
 
I was of draft age toward the end of the war and was classified 1A. Thankfully, I was a few years too young. I come from a town of 15,000 people that had nine kids killed in Vietnam and I too have so many memories spanning a wide range of emotions.

I agree, the documentary has been fascinating. The verbal depictions of some of the fire fights by the Marine last night were riveting.
 
Watched the first episode on Sunday. Need to figure out when the next one comes on. Very well done so far.
 
Shorty, I turned 18 during my freshman year at Wake in 1972. Remember the draft lottery? My birthday was picked 7th! I was scared as hell about being drafted. Soon after that, however, we decided to "have peace with honor", and began the gradual withdrawal from that shit.
 
Phys, it was on this week, Sunday through Thursday. It resumes this coming Sunday night.
 
I’m getting the sense from watching it that Washington DC politics held back the war effort
 
Some of the quotes in the first two episodes from Kennedy (as a senator, Johnson, and other political leaders) is hard to fathom.

Basically, I don't want to do this, but if I don't, I don't think I'll get x or I'll be accused of y. The story of Johnson and the majority leader basically boiled down to dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.

I'd like to think leaders got better but.
 
BirdinBama said:
Shorty, I turned 18 during my freshman year at Wake in 1972. Remember the draft lottery? My birthday was picked 7th! I was scared as hell about being drafted. Soon after that, however, we decided to "have peace with honor", and began the gradual withdrawal from that shit.
Click to expand...

I turned 18 right at the beginning of my freshman year in 1974. They sent me a draft card classifying me 1H (holding). I think (not sure) that my birth year, 1956, was the last one they drew the lottery for. My number came up 87 which was enough to get me a new draft card reclassifying me 1A.

Then came the ROTC guys knocking on my door. Fun times.

I think we all kind of knew Vietnam was winding down. I remember being more concerned about potentially being sent to the Middle East.
 
Really learning a lot. I have essentially zero formal education about Vietnam (born in 1971).

Fuck war.
 
Have an older brother who went. Volunteered to be a 50 cal. gunner on a medi-evac helicopter. He was there 13 months and it changed him forever. Has been on VA disability for ptsd and agent orange exposure for the last 20 years. My lottery number was very low, and I signed up for ROTC (Sargent Tinga) at Wake thinking that WHEN I got drafted I would go as an officer. After 2 years, you had to sign up for tuition assistance and 4 years active duty or get out. I rolled the dice and got lucky. Not only was the war over when I graduated, the draft had ended.
 
thrilling first episode but man, it's 2017, can't we get better foley artists on the job yet?
 
So sorry for your brother, godeacs. My oldest brother served in med-evac, taking wounded soldiers fro Da Nang back to Guam several times per week. It was often said that in the late 60's and early 70's that Da Nang was the busiest airport in the world.
 
As an FYI, this can be streamed from the PBS website for free- every episode that has aired thusfar. Currently streaming onto my Apple TV from my iPhone
 
I've been watching and recording (since I've also been working and can't stay awake watching anything for too long). Very fascinating, riveting even. Crazy times.

Fuck politics and war.

Two things stand out to me from what I've seen...the dude that said war was just the finishing school for human killing proclivity. And the shit chance of a successful government(s) we were backing in the south.

 
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