We discovered this (originally broadcast on PBS) Ken Burns documentary last week on Netflix and we just could not stop watching it. This is Ken Burns at his very finest. It truly gives a complete overview of the war in Viet Nam and how it affected 5 different US Presidents.
Some of the video clips are very graphic and TBH there were so many of these film clips that I remembered watching bacon the 60's ever night on the evening news.
The interviews of everyone were enlightening as they started with the typical US Marine grunt who either never graduated from High School or graduated and wanted to be a Marine. The reward was that the Marines got 13 months of service whereas the army only got 12 months.
Burns systematic description of the tactics of the North and South Viet Namese was enlightening. Corruption in the south with mock leaderships and the Viet Cong guerrillas in the north who were lead by Ho Chi Minh and united with the NVA.
From the very beginning every president said it was a war that could never be won. It was a war by proxy and the first war fought with helicopters and in the jungles as gorilla warfare. There was never anything won or claimed by either side as the guerrillas escaped down the hills or through the jungles after every offensive
The loss of life on every side was staggering
This documentary is a MUST watch. It spares nothing. It brings back memories for me as I watched the war unfold every night on the evening news. America was in chaos as a result. The documentary also focused on what the war did in tearing apart America.
The documentary consists of 10 episodes varying in length from 1 1/2 hours to just over 2 hours. It was intense and gripping and truly gave the best overview of the war that I have ever seen
Definitely thumbs up, way up