Thank God I wasn't drafted.

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2016)

I turned 18 in 1971 and got a nice high draft number. Naively I had figured if I got nailed I'd just volunteer for Nam and get it over with.
I started hearing from the vets on campus about how bad it was and I was skeptical. By the time Platoon came out, I knew better and watching this movie solidified it.
Combining combat conditions with futility and hopelessness has to be one of the most stressful conditions a human can be exposed to. Platoon quite accurately suggests only the extremely naïve and the sociopaths can find anything of value in such a situation. The rest come to realize they're trapped in a deadly environment where they can trust no one and expect only bad things to happen.
Platoon gave me a more concrete vision of what Viet Nam was really like. I've tried to imagine myself in that war as a combat soldier where I would have feared my fellow soldiers and officers as much as the enemy and it isn't pretty. I have a much better appreciation for why so many vets came back so damaged and realize how easily it could have been me.
This movie changed my view on war forever.