Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

Topic for 25 September: Vietnam

The war in Vietnam has had a profound impact on the United States both internally and around the world.  It was costly, long and ended in a humiliating defeat.  What went wrong?  And what are the lessons for the future?

As for reading, there are so many views and so much literature on the war in Vietnam that it’s not easy to find a good summary article.  But the documentary currently running on PBS by Ken Burns is a good memory-jogger, especially since most of us lived through this period in US history and doubtless many have read such books as Fire In The Lake, Bright Shining Lie, or Robert McNamara’s In Retrospect or H.R. McMaster’s Dereliction of Duty.

But the documentary currently running on PBS by Ken Burns is a good memory-jogger, especially since most of us lived through this period in US history and doubtless many have read such books as Fire In The Lake, Bright Shining Lie, or Robert McNamara’s In Retrospect or H.R. McMaster’s Dereliction of Duty.

Suggested by Dick M.

If you’ve missed any of the episodes on PBS, you can stream the broadcast versions for free, at least for a while. They released five the first week, and I think all ten episodes are available now.

This alternate site has versions in several languages, including  Spanish subtitles, Vietnamese subtitles, and a language called “explicit language.” I tried googling to find out what “explicit language” was but I could not discover what the f*** kind of language it is. Perhaps one of you knows.

I tried googling to find out what “explicit language” was but I could not discover what the f*** kind of language it is. Perhaps one of you knows.

 

1 Comment

  • Wish I could join your discussion but we’ve decided to skedaddle back to Florida two weeks earlier than planned. Hope to get back to Deer Isle next May and pull a steady oar in your weekly chat stream. I’ve watched the Burns’ episodes through today and have to say they are as you’d expect on NPR/PBS. Having spent 12 months in the field with the 38th Vietnamese Ranger Battalion, I say Burns’ “facts” don’t match the truth. My “spin” is closer to what you can pickup at http://www.longwayhomeproject.com which peddles a four-DVD set on Vietnam War Lessons.


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