Ken Burns The Vietnam War

[Sgt. Steiner]

I have been watching the initial installments of Ken Burns The Vietnam War on PBS.. I feel it has been balanced and very informative. I think the interviews with the NVA vets provide insights that I was not previously aware of. There has also been some incredible archival footage of the combat in the war and of the 173rd Airborne, which has some additional personal significance. Anyone else have any feelings on thid documentary?

[Darrell]

I have found it excellent. Even though 10 years is hard to compress into 10 hours ... they have done a good job so far. I give it a big

[bodes]

I'll probably get lambasted for this, but the history channel had a pretty good series on the Vietnam war...Albeit they didn't have the inerviews with the enemy per Ken Burn's, but did have a lot of color footage and interviews with American GI's and their families....One family had a member who was MIA, and they kept it right to the end as to whether/not he was reunited with them....Each episode is like two hours long....Bodes

[Totenhead]

Interesting thoughts on his work here

http://www.aim.org/special-report/ke...t-wing-gasbag/

[Kelly w]

I really am enjoying this series. Lots of footage I've never seen before. Sad time in US history. 18 hours over 10 episodes Darrell.

[DaveG]

My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the series, just completing the episode dealing with the Tet Offensive. I'm 64 and remember the era fairly well but I've learned a considerable amount watching the documentary. For example, I had forgotten (or never knew the extent of) the corrupt South Vietnamese leadership. And, sadly my own prejudices made me assume the VC were rag-tag and poorly led and the NVA was second rate, but they seem to have had excellent tactical skills in the field. I feel Burns has made an excellent attempt at portraying the war in a balanced fashion. Since David A. Koch helped support the project, any hint of a left-wing bias is pretty much just trying to nit pick. It's so sad to realize that Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson all knew, or came to see, that there was no winning in the conventional sense but continued to sacrifice young American soldiers to win elections. Always remember the 58,318 young men who never made it home, and always to grateful to those who served.

[Totenhead]

My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the series, just completing the episode dealing with the Tet Offensive. I'm 64 and remember the era fairly well but I've learned a considerable amount watching the documentary. For example, I had forgotten (or never knew the extent of) the corrupt South Vietnamese leadership. And, sadly my own prejudices made me assume the VC were rag-tag and poorly led and the NVA was second rate, but they seem to have had excellent tactical skills in the field. I feel Burns has made an excellent attempt at portraying the war in a balanced fashion. Since David A. Koch helped support the project, any hint of a left-wing bias is pretty much just trying to nit pick. It's so sad to realize that Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson all knew, or came to see, that there was no winning in the conventional sense but continued to sacrifice young American soldiers to win elections. Always remember the 58,318 young men who never made it home, and always to grateful to those who served.

I am not fond of any lefty agenda but will be watching the fist episodes tonight

[eubank]

Sounds an excellent programme.
On bbc4 tonight at 9pm.

[bmsmear]

The series is well worth watching, and is available for purchase already.

[eubank]

Interviews with NVA vets sound fascinating.
Will be interesting to hear it from " the other side of the hill" .

[Kelly w]

What is bothering me as I'm watching is all the suffering and the darn leaders didn't want to take 1 ft of enemy territory to help end it sooner, too afraid of China/Russia. Millions have questioned this in the past but this series really makes me mad about it.

Just wondering and now asking the US military historians here, what was up with Gen Westmoreland? HE seems ineffective about the whole action.

[DALE ELLIS]

My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the series, just completing the episode dealing with the Tet Offensive. I'm 64 and remember the era fairly well but I've learned a considerable amount watching the documentary. For example, I had forgotten (or never knew the extent of) the corrupt South Vietnamese leadership. And, sadly my own prejudices made me assume the VC were rag-tag and poorly led and the NVA was second rate, but they seem to have had excellent tactical skills in the field. I feel Burns has made an excellent attempt at portraying the war in a balanced fashion. Since David A. Koch helped support the project, any hint of a left-wing bias is pretty much just trying to nit pick. It's so sad to realize that Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson all knew, or came to see, that there was no winning in the conventional sense but continued to sacrifice young American soldiers to win elections. Always remember the 58,318 young men who never made it home, and always to grateful to those who served.

What changed your mind about the VC and NVA? The interviews with the Vietnamese leadership? It is my understanding that they lost every major engagement and head to head with US troops they almost always came out losers. They did not win the war through their leadership on the battlefield.

[DaveG]

What changed your mind about the VC and NVA? The interviews with the Vietnamese leadership? It is my understanding that they lost every major engagement and head to head with US troops they almost always came out losers. They did not win the war through their leadership on the battlefield.

They did have heavy losses for sure but my point was that I never thought there was any sort of experienced leadership in the field at all and apparently there was, hence my comment about my prejudice. I guess I thought they were a bunch of guys and girls in black pajamas carrying Ak-47s running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

[ValhallaMilitaria]

What is bothering me as I'm watching is all the suffering and the darn leaders didn't want to take 1 ft of enemy territory to help end it sooner, too afraid of China/Russia. Millions have questioned this in the past but this series really makes me mad about it.

Just wondering and now asking the US military historians here, what was up with Gen Westmoreland? HE seems ineffective about the whole action.

The mission was never about winning to address the Westmoreland comment. The only way to 'win' was to play it like Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. Our guys were there because they were told they had to go, the VC fought without any remorse, without any restraint. One of the failings of the US IMO is that we want to be 'the nice guy' when war is a terrible, dirty and ruthless business.
Just my two cents, fire away.
And I have not watched this series yet, only read dozens of books on the war.
A frustrating war with so many lives lost for nothing.
No wonder we all long for WW2, it was the last time a war actually made sense.
Eric

[bodes]

The mission was never about winning to address the Westmoreland comment. The only way to 'win' was to play it like Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. Our guys were there because they were told they had to go, the VC fought without any remorse, without any restraint. One of the failings of the US IMO is that we want to be 'the nice guy' when war is a terrible, dirty and ruthless business.
Just my two cents, fire away.
And I have not watched this series yet, only read dozens of books on the war.
A frustrating war with so many lives lost for nothing.
No wonder we all long for WW2, it was the last time a war actually made sense.
Eric

We underestimated the resolve of the North Vietnamese and in many ways overestimated our reputation and presence as a world power....Eisenhower and Kennedy warned we should not get bogged down in southeast asia.....Eisenhower also warned of the "falling dominoes" and the total collapse of that part of the world.....Communism was our sworn enemy and our policy was to stand up to any of their agression.....Had we backed Ho Chi Minh and supported Vietnamese unification, 58,000 American lives could have been spared.....But when Minh spoke of communism, the die was cast....Bodes