The Vietnam Story

[Tractor Seabee]

Check out the link below before wasting time watching the documentary starting tonight; which many consider a communist propaganda story. It is your decision just as I have made mine. I was there; saw the aftermath of the devastation of HUE in the sacking of 1968.

Review Of Ken Burn's Vietnam PBS Series - Maggie's Farm

Ron

 

[RNeumann]

Thx for the info. Hard for anyone under 40 to understand this war.

 

[mddorange]

Hard for a lot of people over 40 to understand it either.

I have never been able to watch anything portrayed about that time because it never matches what I experienced.

After, how for such a long time we tried so hard to hide the fact that we were ever there, for so many now to lie about being there, I will never understand.

 

[CalG]

Every story has more than one version.

I'm over 40, and can't for the life of me understand how a single life was worth it. VN? Don't even go there.

 

[check 6]

A screwed up involvement started by Kennedy to avenge the French loss continued by Johnson with no plan for victory and finally ended by Nixon with no win. 58,000 plus American lives lost and many other destroyed for WHAT? Bottom line if the civilian politicians get us in a war then let the military win it and come home

I did four tours and missed much of my kids early childhood and many of my friends missed much more as POWS in a **** hole all so we could come home and be spit on. sorry for the rant, ignore the F4 pilot as what does he know

 

[Thomas]

Lot of memories.

 

[bigtiller]

The U.S. involvement in Vietnam began in July 26, 1950 when president Truman gave $15 million to France to help finance their war with the VietMinh. Eisenhower did it too. The first American soldier to die was under Eisenhower's watch on July 8, 1959.

The History Place - Vietnam War 1945-1960

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just another winfall for the Military Industrial Complex. Never mind the terrible human toll. The crimes against nature and the environment were truly disgusting.

 

[jajiu]

I was there in '69 and '70 and have no interest in watching any crap about that place. I did my duty for my country, got no respect for my service to my country and only now have joined the VFW and American legion because I am a VETERAN and PROUD I served. There is NO good war, only BAD war, but I served.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I saw a set of tires that looked pretty good, great price at Discount Tire, but then saw the label "made in Vietnam". Couldn't bring myself to buy a set. Went with "made in USA" Goodrich instead.

 

[/pine]

...There is NO good war, only BAD war...

"good wars" are the ones that never reach a physical level...sometimes cooler heads prevail...

 

[kthompson]

I was about two years young to make Vietnam. I know you were treated terrible by many when you came back and sad we have so many who hate the country that gives them so much. I and many many others do appreciate what you all did and those who gave all.

 

[hslogger]

And it's one, two, three, whata we flighting for?
Don't ask me I don't give a ****
Next stop is Vietnam

And it's five six seven open those pearly gates
there aint no time to wonder why
whoopee, we're all gonna die.
USN three years one month six days.
I don't need to see any more of it.

 

[HCJtractor]

I have not watched the documentary or read much about it. Ken Burns has made some interesting things in the past. What's the general feeling about this work?? Is it truthful or inaccurate? Worth watching?

I too was a few years too young to serve there. Of course I saw the sad events taking place in our country during that period. For those of you who served our nation in Vietnam (and of course served in any period) I thank and admire you. One of my life's regrets was not serving in the military when I was young.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I have watched many Burns documentaries. It's my opinion that some of them have a somewhat liberal bias.

I was in OCS when the Vietnam war was winding down, too late to be sent there. I served with many Vietnam vets during my time on active duty. They were generally not treated so well by the civilian population. When I came off active duty in mid December 1978, being a vet was an impediment to getting a civilian job, IMO. Sad. The Reagan years ended all that nonsense.

 

[HillStreet]

A screwed up involvement started by Kennedy to avenge the French loss continued by Johnson with no plan for victory and finally ended by Nixon with no win. 58,000 plus American lives lost and many other destroyed for WHAT? Bottom line if the civilian politicians get us in a war then let the military win it and come home

I did four tours and missed much of my kids early childhood and many of my friends missed much more as POWS in a **** hole all so we could come home and be spit on. sorry for the rant, ignore the F4 pilot as what does he know

I am watching this series with keen interest. Kennedy built a team of people to advise and run the war, and they were only interested in the political twist of how to facilitate Kennedy being reelected. The VietMinh just wanted independence, not a French or American way of life. Now we sell them blue jeans and CocaCola like the war never happened. I always admired JFK because my parents did, now I have to reassess that position.

 

[dmccarty]

I am watching this series with keen interest. Kennedy built a team of people to advise and run the war, and they were only interested in the political twist of how to facilitate Kennedy being reelected. The VietMinh just wanted independence, not a French or American way of life. Now we sell them blue jeans and CocaCola like the war never happened. I always admired JFK because my parents did, now I have to reassess that position.

I found a most excellent history professor when I was in school and took quite a few classes with him. Far more than what I needed to graduate. One of the classes was on Viet Nam. Some really good comments and knowledgeable people on this thread I would like to respond too but work is in the way. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

One of the things I took out of the history class was that it SEEMS that Ho wanted an independent Viet Nam and that he wanted to align with the US. Is it true? I don't know but there is some evidence. One thing is for certain is that the French were brutal overlords of the Vietnamese people. In the 20's or 30's, when Vietnam was a French colony, the largest exporter of rice in the world was Vietnam. As the French were selling the rice to make money, millions of Vietnamese people were dying of starvation. One of the big failures after winning WWII was giving Indochina back to the French. One of the big failures after the Allied Victory in WWI was giving France what is now modern day Lebanon and Syria....

There is some evidence that JFK was going to pull back, if not end, US involvement in Vietnam. There is a book about JFK's involvement and he had already started to draw down US forces/block further movement of US units to Vietnam. Supposedly after the election, more of a draw down would take place. After JFK was killed, LBJ overturned JFK's orders and increased US involvement.

My history professor said something to the effect that an event is not history until 50ish years have passed. I guess that is about right ,but it might take a bit longer in the case of Vietnam, since it is still a political hot potato. Too many people are in power today who were on one side of the war for there to be a balanced view of the history. Power meaning in the media and government.

Later,
Dan

 

[/pine]

I have a big issue with what most regard as "history"...and what irks me even more are the goofballs that continually write new versions supposedly based on facts...What a joke...!

You can take 10 people that just witnessed an event 10 minutes ago and ask them what they saw and you will get ten different answers with some similarities...even with video evidence you will still get diversified descriptions...
Any trial lawyer will tell you that "eye witnesses" are among the most unreliable...

Obviously, major points and events are well enough documented to get the basic gist of elapsed times etc...but what really happened is up for grabs...

"History is a set of lies agreed upon."
Napoleon Bonaparte