America’s first televised war comes starkly and comprehensively alive in this weeping documentary collection. The best material from the archives of THE HISTORY CHANNEL and CBS News. 7 complete documentaries offers rare insight into critical elements of the Vietnam War. Contemporary footage and commentary capture the Vietnam experience as it happened. At a total cost of more than 3.1 million lives, the Vietnam conflict is, to date, America’s longest and most controversial war. It also marked the first time TV journalists ventured to the frontlines to bring the spectacle of combat into American living rooms. Across the nation, Americans watched, captivated by the surprise Tet Offensive and the slow-motion tragedy of the 77-day Battle of Khe Sanh, and inspired by the courage and skill of American soldiers at decisive engagements like Ia Drang Valley, Con Thien, and Dak To. This special THE HISTORY CHANNEL collection profiles the decision-makers of the Vietnam War and chronicles each key event, from the advisors’ arrival in 1959 to the airlift from the roof of the American Embassy in 1975. Archival footage and interviews with historians and veterans reveal the military and political strategies in play, and CBS News archives take viewers to the frontlines to witness the daily struggles of American servicemen and women. Combining interviews with Vietnam veterans and the actual footage from CBS News coverage, the viewer is given a glimpse into the war that has rarely been seen …
What is the psychology of war? Do soldiers become murderers when they enjoy killing? Is war beautiful? Are all humans capable of monstrous acts? FIRST KILL examines these and other questions, as it explores what war does to the human mind and soul. Interviews with several Vietnam veterans evoke the contradictory feelings that killing produces – fear, hate, seduction and pleasure. FIRST KILL also includes a discussion with Michael Herr, the former war correspondent who wrote the screenplays to Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, and wrote Dispatches, the best and most important book about the experiences of the combat soldier in the Vietnam War. For the last ten years Herr has refused to give any interviews, but in FIRST KILL he descends into his own dark experiences one more time. “If war was hell and only hell and there were no other colors in the palate… I don’t think people would continue to make war,” he says. For other people war is just work. Immediately after taking his well-known photograph of a Vietnamese general shooting a Vietcong soldier in the head, Eddie Adams went out to lunch. Other Vietnam veterans talk about similar numbing experiences, many of them continuing to suffer nightmares and are still struggling with their traumas. On the other hand, former “tunnelrat” Billy Heflin openly admits that, despite his aversion to war, he is addicted to killing, and longingly recalls his wartime experiences.
At a total cost of more than 3.1 million lives, the Vietnam conflict is, to date, Americas longest and most controversial war. It also marked the first time TV journalists ventured to the frontlines to bring the spectacle of combat into American living rooms. Across the nation, Americans watched, captivated by the surprise Tet Offensive and the slow-motion tragedy of the 77-day Battle of Khe Sanh, and inspired by the courage and skill of American soldiers at decisive engagements like Ia Drang Valley, Con Thien, and Dak To. This special THE HISTORY CHANNEL collection profiles the decision-makers of the Vietnam War and chronicles each key event, from the advisors arrival in 1959 to the airlift from the roof of the American Embassy in 1975. Archival footage and interviews with historians and veterans reveal the military and political strategies in play, and CBS News archives take viewers to the frontlines to witness the daily struggles of American servicemen and women. Combining interviews with Vietnam veterans and the actual footage from CBS News coverage, the viewer is given a glimpse into the war that has rarely been seen. Battle stories are heart breaking enough in the words of the veterans, but coupled with the news footage and reporting (for the first time from the front lines,) it becomes a greater more personal grief.
At a total cost of more than 3.1 million lives, the Vietnam conflict is, to date, Americas longest and most controversial war. It also marked the first time TV journalists ventured to the frontlines to bring the spectacle of combat into American living rooms. Across the nation, Americans watched, captivated by the surprise Tet Offensive and the slow-motion tragedy of the 77-day Battle of Khe Sanh, and inspired by the courage and skill of American soldiers at decisive engagements like Ia Drang Valley, Con Thien, and Dak To. This special THE HISTORY CHANNEL collection profiles the decision-makers of the Vietnam War and chronicles each key event, from the advisors arrival in 1959 to the airlift from the roof of the American Embassy in 1975. Archival footage and interviews with historians and veterans reveal the military and political strategies in play, and CBS News archives take viewers to the frontlines to witness the daily struggles of American servicemen and women. Combining interviews with Vietnam veterans and the actual footage from CBS News coverage, the viewer is given a glimpse into the war that has rarely been seen. Battle stories are heart breaking enough in the words of the veterans, but coupled with the news footage and reporting (for the first time from the front lines,) it becomes a greater more personal grief.
At a total cost of more than 3.1 million lives, the Vietnam conflict is, to date, Americas longest and most controversial war. It also marked the first time TV journalists ventured to the frontlines to bring the spectacle of combat into American living rooms. Across the nation, Americans watched, captivated by the surprise Tet Offensive and the slow-motion tragedy of the 77-day Battle of Khe Sanh, and inspired by the courage and skill of American soldiers at decisive engagements like Ia Drang Valley, Con Thien, and Dak To. This special THE HISTORY CHANNEL collection profiles the decision-makers of the Vietnam War and chronicles each key event, from the advisors arrival in 1959 to the airlift from the roof of the American Embassy in 1975. Archival footage and interviews with historians and veterans reveal the military and political strategies in play, and CBS News archives take viewers to the frontlines to witness the daily struggles of American servicemen and women. Combining interviews with Vietnam veterans and the actual footage from CBS News coverage, the viewer is given a glimpse into the war that has rarely been seen. Battle stories are heart breaking enough in the words of the veterans, but coupled with the news footage and reporting (for the first time from the front lines,) it becomes a greater more personal grief.
At a total cost of more than 3.1 million lives, the Vietnam conflict is, to date, Americas longest and most controversial war. It also marked the first time TV journalists ventured to the frontlines to bring the spectacle of combat into American living rooms. Across the nation, Americans watched, captivated by the surprise Tet Offensive and the slow-motion tragedy of the 77-day Battle of Khe Sanh, and inspired by the courage and skill of American soldiers at decisive engagements like Ia Drang Valley, Con Thien, and Dak To. This special THE HISTORY CHANNEL collection profiles the decision-makers of the Vietnam War and chronicles each key event, from the advisors arrival in 1959 to the airlift from the roof of the American Embassy in 1975. Archival footage and interviews with historians and veterans reveal the military and political strategies in play, and CBS News archives take viewers to the frontlines to witness the daily struggles of American servicemen and women. Combining interviews with Vietnam veterans and the actual footage from CBS News coverage, the viewer is given a glimpse into the war that has rarely been seen. Battle stories are heart breaking enough in the words of the veterans, but coupled with the news footage and reporting (for the first time from the front lines,) it becomes a greater more personal grief.
various images and photos depicting the Vietnam war. CAUTION….. Very graphic videos, please be aware that these videos show graphic scenes of napalm attacks. Always remember our veterans and have you thanked a one lately???
Rooted Sorrows
Emotional Burden to Emotional Health
Veterans with PTSD
By R 2 Productions
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, was not always around. It took our Vietnam veterans to make the medical community stand up and take the past phrases of “shell shock” or “combat fatigue”more seriously. Unfortunately, it still took about twenty-five years after the veterans returned home for anyone in key places to begin figuring out what really was going on. Oddly enough, it was the 1983 Congress that ordered a study into PTSD in Vietnam veterans. The conclusions were misleading. It showed that the majority of Vietnam veterans appeared to have successfully readjusted to postwar life, experiencing few symptoms of psychological disorders.
Appeared… to have successfully readjusted.
Let’s go back in time when the veterans first returned home in uniform. Ugly. No welcome. Blame. Shame. The uniform was taken off and stored away, and so was their sense of pride in doing their duty. Many veterans kept quiet about their time served. Most never talked about it. So in 1983, the veterans were really dang good at hiding what was really going on in their lives.
As one gets older, one gets wiser and more willing to live their truths, whatever they might be. In 2003, a reanalysis of the data was conducted and contrary to the initial findings, four out of every five veterans interviewed were living with chronic PTSD. In addition to the burden of the disorder itself, the veterans were experiencing additional bouts of depression and anxiety. Since many couldn’t feel they could turn to their VA, country or family, they turned to alcohol. The image of the homeless, long-haired Vietnam veteran drunk on the street corner comes to mind, doesn’t it? But the sad truth is, that many of those who suffered in such a way were the same as those across from you at the other table in the restaurant. Teaching. Doctoring and nursing. Walking your mail route. Making your farm tractors. Just living a “normal” life like the rest of us, but suffering in ways that none of us could imagine, and suffering alone.
The study showed that PTSD was more prevalent in Vietnam veterans than civilians, which is not surprising. But it wasn’t until the 2003 study that showed that Vietnam veterans with high levels of war-zone exposure were significantly more likely to have PTSD than those with low or no exposure.
Duh.
But scientific conclusions, although excruciatingly obvious beforehand, are good. They spark other investigations, additional theories and somewhere along the line…help.
Which brings me to Rooted Sorrows By R 2 Productions.
I’ve been very impressed with R 2 Productions. It’s sort of a peculiarity of our American culture to mention “company” and “corporation” like they are living things. In reality, every company, corporation or organization is nothing more than the combined value of a large group of people. So let me rephrase that. I’ve been very impressed with the people of R 2 Productions. They consistently not only talk the talk of caring for veterans, they walk the walk. They are for real. They aren’t afraid to bring up things like the phrase “baby killer,” or to mention how we in the United States turned our backs on our Vietnam veterans. This time, the people decided to talk about PTSD.
To illustrate how PTSD in a combat veteran can adversely affect his/her life, R 2 Productions chose only one man, Dr. Mitchell Young, who is currently an Associate Professor of Counseling at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Louisiana.
Dr. Mitchell Young has been counseling Vietnam veterans for over fifteen years and is highly qualified to do so. He is a Behavioral Medicine and Addictive Disorders licensed psychotherapist and can expertly discuss the afflictions of night terrors, chronic isolation and emotional numbness. He knows the statistics that support the statement that more than half of Vietnam veterans (1.7 million people) suffer or have suffered from PTSD.
But there is one more “credential,” if you will, that Dr. Young has in his possession. He is a statistic. Himself a Vietnam veteran, he is one of those 1.7 million people who suffer or have suffered with PTSD. His PTSD is in the present tense. And that’s what Rooted Sorrows is all about. Not just PTSD, but a living human being with PTSD.
To say the documentary is well crafted and informative, is insufficient. To say it is very moving, nearly heartbreaking, is closer to the truth.
With 1.7 million Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD, chances are you know somebody who is carrying this enormous burden. With our troops returning from Iraq and hopefully soon, returning from Afghanistan, chances are if you know no Vietnam veteran, you will indeed soon know a veteran with PTSD.
This documentary can help you understand how deeply the wounds of combat go, how raw the pain can be…and ultimately, how to help.
The first step is to acknowledge that war is hell on our troops. Secondly, that our troops’ emotional wounds run deep. Lastly, that they need our help and luckily, once we understand steps one and two, we can truly help. We can truly heal the hearts of our combat veterans who have placed their lives on the line in honor of duty and commitment to this country.
Maybe, eventually, we’ll put people in Congress who get steps one through three, too; who will think twice before they okay a combat mission; and who will include not only physical, but mental and emotional health care as part of the cost for putting our family members and friends in danger. Maybe, eventually, if enough people understand the scope of war, we will insist on peace.
The people of R 2 Productions already get that.
Thank you to all our service men and women who serve this country, and to the people in the companies, corporations and organizations who honor them for it. Especially, thank you to the folks at R 2 Productions. Keep being a voice we need to hear.
To purchase Rooted Sorrows, click on R Productions.
Note: The study referred to is the National Vietnam Veterans’ Readjustment Study (NVVRS).
Related Posts:
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=175912
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Specifically veterans who were actually in combat in all 3 wars.
A return to the Khe Sanh firebase after 40 years with my son. A salute to my fellow Marines who served in and around the firebase. It was an emotional experience, one that might provide a sense of healing for those Veterans who decide to view this video. More about the 2008 Vietnam trip at jalimager.blogspot.com