Vietnam -- Its Legacy, Its Lessons for Us Today

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2014)

This film touched my heart in the way it showed the valor, the commitment, the utter devotion and supreme dedication of those whose awful task it was to go to Vietnam and suffer and die, or suffer and live (in many cases a fate worse than death), all for nothing. Well, it wasn't exactly for nothing, was it?. Many made fortunes off that war, and it is the contrast of the dedication of these great patriots, misguided and downright misled though they were, with the behind-the-scenes corruption and greed that used Communism as an excuse to wage a no-win war at the expense of human life that I wish to address.
I must say the movie did a good job in portraying just how awful it was to have to endure all that over there in Vietnam, and it gave me a new respect for those who went through it all.
Frankly, I didn't make it past the first jungle scene or two before I had to switch off. I couldn't bear to watch all that suffering and dying... all in vain. I was looking at this story of the war in Vietnam with hindsight, since I knew how it was going to end, and my heart groaned over that waste of human life that was going to accomplish nothing good. We were never meant to win.
Vietnam stank of Machiavellianism on an international scale.
Niccolo Machiavelli was a sub-human parasite. He lived in the 1700's I believe. He was a master at profiting from wars and disputes between peoples. If there was no conflict going at the moment he would try to instigate one, and then pretend to befriend both sides behind both their backs. By controlling the purse strings he could keep each side from getting too dominant and annihilating the other, thereby destroying that side's ability to pay off the war debt and also keeping the conflict alive as long as possible. Can we see any resemblance to the Vietnam war here? People back here at home smelled a rat and hated the war. Maybe they couldn't put their finger on the problem, but they knew something was deeply wrong. There was some talk about America having lost her resolve to make the world safe for democracy. Why should the world's greatest power not be able to bring a two-bit country like North Vietnam to its knees, they wanted to know, and couldn't articulate why not.
It wasn't about resolve, it was about money, and sacrificing human life to feed the economy and line the pockets of the ones who stood to gain at the expense of our fighting men's very lives. The problem is that some of those people who opposed the war also hated our own soldiers for participating in the war. It is in the honor of those valiant men that this review is dedicated. They were patriots and should never have been mistreated by their own, no matter how misguided or exploited they were. They didn't question, they just obeyed. They followed orders, as they were taught to do.
I can't speak for the Army of today, but I can tell you about how it was back in the sixties. Independent thought was discouraged. You were taught to follow orders without question. Military life may always be so. It always has been, that's for sure. I remember one of the Dirty Dozen movies where there was a mission given the dozen to kill some general who planned to assassinate Hitler. The sharpshooter had the general in his sights but the problem was that Hitler was there too, and he thought Hitler made a better target. I remember Lee Marvin's character saying several times, "Just the general".
He knew that the higher ups in America wanted Hitler alive so he could keep on making his strategic blunders and keep on losing the war for his country. But would Marvin's character confide that to his sniper underling? Not on your life. Just obey orders and do not ask questions was his approach to command.
When I took an oath upon joining the Army I remember I had to sign a paper giving up my rights under the Constitution of the United States of America, especially that of free speech. We were ushered into another room after the swearing-in where it was explained to us that we were now property of the U.S. Army. "GI" stands for government issue. You became a part of the weapons arsenal, with your own serial number, even. The power and control that is exerted over you is deep and intense. It is hard to imagine what pressure these men who went to Vietnam were subjected to in order to get them to fight this awful war.
All I can say for those poor, blind, and misguided souls who fought in Vietnam is may God bless them, both living and dead. I deeply appreciate their unselfish devotion to their country and to the oath they swore.
And the opposite for all those who exploited them for financial gain.