Who remembers the 60s and 70s? Vietnam
Discussion
Ive been writing about the American/Vietnam/Cambodiam/Laos war now since i moved to Saigon 2 years ago. Ive spoken to many people in all of these countries about their point of view and their memories. But i'm only 26 and what im trying to find out about is how it was reported in the UK? Im not publishing anything as its purly just out of interest and for my notes.
Was it a big thing or something that was on tv in the background that nobody paid attention too? In no way am i trying to offend any one and all opinions are welcome. Please try to keep this a serious thread, we've all seen Full metal jacket and Apocalypse now..... Im just trying to understand how the media portrayed it back then
Was it a big thing or something that was on tv in the background that nobody paid attention too? In no way am i trying to offend any one and all opinions are welcome. Please try to keep this a serious thread, we've all seen Full metal jacket and Apocalypse now..... Im just trying to understand how the media portrayed it back then
p17fld1 said:
Ive been writing about the American/Vietnam/Cambodiam/Laos war now since i moved to Saigon 2 years ago. Ive spoken to many people in all of these countries about their point of view and their memories. But i'm only 26 and what im trying to find out about is how it was reported in the UK? Im not publishing anything as its purly just out of interest and for my notes.
Was it a big thing or something that was on tv in the background that nobody paid attention too? In no way am i trying to offend any one and all opinions are welcome. Please try to keep this a serious thread, we've all seen Full metal jacket and Apocalypse now..... Im just trying to understand how the media portrayed it back then
I'd guess that the Vietnam war was the first to be covered wide scale and blow by blow on general television, and as such got far wider coverage than any previous conflict. This might have something to do with the way it was received across the world.Was it a big thing or something that was on tv in the background that nobody paid attention too? In no way am i trying to offend any one and all opinions are welcome. Please try to keep this a serious thread, we've all seen Full metal jacket and Apocalypse now..... Im just trying to understand how the media portrayed it back then
Up until then many younger people probably unwittingly believed that soldiers only got shot in the shoulder and only 'the enemy' actually got killed. I guess John Wayne had something to do with all that?
Wacky Racer said:
No wonder there was such hostility against the war. As I have said those combat soldiers were just kids and were acting normally to an abnormal situation.Its also no wonder that the vets were so messed up when they returned to civvy life.
Sad for everyone.
2009 and its still going on.
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother f
king cowards.It makes me sick.
You say you live in Saigon?
Have you not been to the War Museum yet at 28 Vo Van Tan, in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City?
I was in that museum only 2 weeks ago, i had been 6 years ago, and still i was physically shocked to see what i did. I came through the Vietnam/USA war era as i was in the Royal Navy at the time and used to watch updates on tv daily. However being a young easily impressed Brit, i didnt realise i was only seeing one side to what was actually going on out there. So going to the museum and seeing pictures from "the other side" actually shocked me to see what the yanks did to the Vietnamese. Only in my older wiser years do i now realise and understand that there are always two sides to any war and what you see at home, or at the time, is the propaganda set out to be shown by the government in power at the time. Many other people were shocked to as the place is full of tourists and foreigners, obviously doing the same as i did and finding out what the Americans did to others.
If you do visit, and i can not for the life of me understand why you have not been to see it, if you are writing a book on the subject, it is so obvious and blatant as to how "big" this war was at that time.
Have you not been to the War Museum yet at 28 Vo Van Tan, in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City?
I was in that museum only 2 weeks ago, i had been 6 years ago, and still i was physically shocked to see what i did. I came through the Vietnam/USA war era as i was in the Royal Navy at the time and used to watch updates on tv daily. However being a young easily impressed Brit, i didnt realise i was only seeing one side to what was actually going on out there. So going to the museum and seeing pictures from "the other side" actually shocked me to see what the yanks did to the Vietnamese. Only in my older wiser years do i now realise and understand that there are always two sides to any war and what you see at home, or at the time, is the propaganda set out to be shown by the government in power at the time. Many other people were shocked to as the place is full of tourists and foreigners, obviously doing the same as i did and finding out what the Americans did to others.
If you do visit, and i can not for the life of me understand why you have not been to see it, if you are writing a book on the subject, it is so obvious and blatant as to how "big" this war was at that time.
GTIR said:
Wacky Racer said:
No wonder there was such hostility against the war. As I have said those combat soldiers were just kids and were acting normally to an abnormal situation.Its also no wonder that the vets were so messed up when they returned to civvy life.
Sad for everyone.
2009 and its still going on.
p17fld1 said:
Ive been writing about the American/Vietnam/Cambodiam/Laos war now since i moved to Saigon 2 years ago. Ive spoken to many people in all of these countries about their point of view and their memories. But i'm only 26 and what im trying to find out about is how it was reported in the UK? Im not publishing anything as its purly just out of interest and for my notes.
Was it a big thing or something that was on tv in the background that nobody paid attention too? In no way am i trying to offend any one and all opinions are welcome. Please try to keep this a serious thread, we've all seen Full metal jacket and Apocalypse now..... Im just trying to understand how the media portrayed it back then
I Can't help with regards to your question, but my current boss was a U.S. Army "Drill Sergeant" that served 2 tours in Vietnam and a one of my Stepfathers former co-workers served in the U.S."Brown Water Navy" like the jet pump boat you saw in "Apocalypse Now"... He has said that the most accurate scene/line in the movie was ...."never get off the boat"!Was it a big thing or something that was on tv in the background that nobody paid attention too? In no way am i trying to offend any one and all opinions are welcome. Please try to keep this a serious thread, we've all seen Full metal jacket and Apocalypse now..... Im just trying to understand how the media portrayed it back then
No promises, but if you'd like some correspondence from them, I'll see what I can do.
phumy said:
GTIR said:
Wacky Racer said:
No wonder there was such hostility against the war. As I have said those combat soldiers were just kids and were acting normally to an abnormal situation.Its also no wonder that the vets were so messed up when they returned to civvy life.
Sad for everyone.
2009 and its still going on.
I still can't believe that Kennedy, who handled the "Cuban Missle Crisis" so well, allowed McNamara to screw up the Vietnam War so bad!
"Systems analysis" does not hold a candle to "The Art of War"!
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
Both of you need to report to one of Pol Pot's (Khmer Rouge government)Cambodian re-training center's post-haste.... those were some fine, upstanding, world citizens we were dealing with in Southeast Asia back then.
I'll bet that Kim Jong Il is your hero!
Trooper2 said:
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
Both of you need to report to one of Pol Pot's (Khmer Rouge government)Cambodian re-training center's post-haste.... those were some fine, upstanding, world citizens we were dealing with in Southeast Asia back then.
I'll bet that Kim Jong Il is your hero!
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
On a personal note, I was a youngster when the Vietnam war was happening and thought it came about in the middle of significant change in the world, playing a considerable part itself in real attitude change. Since the end of WW2 and up until the mid 60's, I only remember the mid 60's bit, you had the hangover from WW2 where life was very dull and black and white, indeed it seemed black and white in colour as everyone wore dark suits, cars were dull colours as was most decor. Folk were very institutionalised, non materialistic and followed without hesitation, perhaps to the point of sycophancy.
Then in the mid to late 60's things changed, people started to voice their disproval of what was happening around the world, Vietnam mainly, as well as the race riots. There were demonstrations and riots and the people, mainly students, found strength in the 'mob' and in drawing on respected members of society, film stars and musicians, to help fight the cause. Around this time the world went very liberal and Psychedelic, gone were the 'suit wearing public', bowing to an almost outrageous colourful fashion. Even cars took on change from the dull colours to the "Grabber" yellows, oranges and greens, Music broke loose, perhaps in a way never seen before, with it's peace and protest messages. People had found a voice and a new found freedom in many ways and in my opinion the Vietnam war had played a very big part in changing the course of world attitude.
Trooper2 said:
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
Both of you need to report to one of Pol Pot's (Khmer Rouge government)Cambodian re-training center's post-haste.... those were some fine, upstanding, world citizens we were dealing with in Southeast Asia back then.
I'll bet that Kim Jong Il is your hero!
Trooper2 said:
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
Both of you need to report to one of Pol Pot's (Khmer Rouge government)Cambodian re-training center's post-haste.... those were some fine, upstanding, world citizens we were dealing with in Southeast Asia back then.
I'll bet that Kim Jong Il is your hero!
You should be proud of Kim, you just got some jouno's back from N Korea, due to his "kindless and comapassion"
phumy said:
Trooper2 said:
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
Both of you need to report to one of Pol Pot's (Khmer Rouge government)Cambodian re-training center's post-haste.... those were some fine, upstanding, world citizens we were dealing with in Southeast Asia back then.
I'll bet that Kim Jong Il is your hero!
Yes, we could have bombed them back to the stone age (hard to do when most of the population is already there), but it was a time when our fearless leaders were concerened about ramping it up and ending up with a full out war, maybe nuclear, with Russia and China. Never fight on your enimies terms! We did that and got stalemate at best!
We won all of the important battles but lost the war because d
heads in D.C. forgot the basics in regards to war!Colonial said:
Trooper2 said:
TurboMills said:
Wacky Racer said:
Not much more to say, other than mother fking cowards.It makes me sick.
Both of you need to report to one of Pol Pot's (Khmer Rouge government)Cambodian re-training center's post-haste.... those were some fine, upstanding, world citizens we were dealing with in Southeast Asia back then.
I'll bet that Kim Jong Il is your hero!
Were you even alive for any part of the war, douchebag?
No? Were you? Did you serve? And remember, we were just as much a part of that ill advised and pointless exercise as the US.
To simply label all people who dare to question/criticise US action as commie bds is really not a sophisticated argument. Pretty simplistic and, well, schoolyard basically. "Oh yeah, we'll you're a poohead" kind of level.
I expected better. That's all. I'm not angry. I'm just disappointed.
To simply label all people who dare to question/criticise US action as commie b
ds is really not a sophisticated argument. Pretty simplistic and, well, schoolyard basically. "Oh yeah, we'll you're a poohead" kind of level. I expected better. That's all. I'm not angry. I'm just disappointed.
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