Sir! No Sir!

"... to your country!" With these words I shook hands with Jane Fonda at the Atlanta showing one recent Friday night. Attendance was excellent, the audience was mostly older but there was a smattering of very young - some of whom asked questions of Jane and David and a Vietnam veteran up front between shows.... Yet, I could have answered those questions, too; I am a Vietnam combat infantry vet who was an existentialist then; I am a Christian now. I wanted to ask Jane: "Ms Fonda, do you love Jesus?" - but it is obvious she does. She shook hands with me - a huge, ugly guy in a "Vietnam Veteran" ball cap, not knowing me from Adam, and there was nothing but love and a hint of sadness in those beautiful eyes. Yes, we all made mistakes in those days.... it was cathartic for this vet to watch and regret and weep and mourn the live not lived, the sacrifices needlessly made by the thousands... but the movie has seen the light of day and for that I will ever be grateful. See it with a vet. Thanks to all fellow vets and Welcome Home; your service is appreciated!

SIR! NO SIR! demonstrates the unbelievable scope and power of the anti- war movement within all branches of the American military during the Vietnam War era. This documentary serves as a reminder for those of us who lived through this turbulent period of American history, and provides a cogent and factual historical record for those who were not yet born. Contemporary American pundits on the Far Right would like to see these truths silenced...permanently. The film shows that anti-war sentiment and anti-war activity permeated all sectors within the American Military establishment, and many brave men sacrificed their careers, and their very lives to stop our country's unnecessary and immoral war in South East Asia. One thing that struck me while watching the film, is that today, huge media conglomerates are being owned and operated by fewer individuals and groups, and how easy it has become to suppress and distort America's long history of dissent. These days, any critical examination of this country's involvement in foreign entanglements is perceived as disloyalty to the troops. Nothing can be farther from the truth, and SIR! NO SIR! shows that the genesis of this particular heresy began in the 1960's as those in power attempted to silence opposition to one of America's most unpopular wars. The film also boasted many Special Features which helped to reaffirm the theme that there was a concerted and intelligent opposition to the war in Vietnam , and this view was shared by a significant portion of this nation's fighting forces. Great film.

i had the opportunity to see this film in advance to write a term paper, it uses good evidence and is well done. if you want further information look up "Soldiers in Revolt" by David Courtright from Haymarket Books, and "The American War: Vietnam 1960-1975" by Johnathan Neale from Bookmarks. both of these books are invaluable resources and are well researched, Neale is based in large part from Courtright, but is a good summary of the situation in Vietnam throughout the French period, and into the American war, and it ends with a look at Vietnam today. Courtright is an in-depth look into the GI revolts, and the anti-war movement surrounding it.

The film Sir No Sir builds on these books and gives a compelling argument concerning the end of the Vietnam War.

Sir! No Sir! (2005) written and directed by David Zeiger is the "must-see" documentary of 2005. The film tells the story of the GI resistance movement during the Vietnam war.

I'm a Vietnam-era veteran, and I was peripherally involved in the military-based resistance to the war. Although I certainly wasn't an important player, I knew enough about what was happening to attest that the depiction in "Sir! No Sir!" is accurate and balanced. (Most of my own anti-war activity took place when I was off duty and could participate in public peace demonstrations. The GI's who opposed the war when they were on active duty took much greater risks than I did.)

Jane Fonda played a pivotal role in the anti-war movement, and she has a pivotal role in this movie. It's interesting that Ms. Fonda has--no doubt under pressure--retracted some of her statements and apologized for some of her anti-war activities. In the film she is not apologetic about her actions, and she clearly believes that what she did was right. I'm not sure which persona represents the real Jane Fonda. I hope it's the unashamed activist who was trying to save lives--both US and Vietnamese.

The movie spends quite a bit of time discussing the famous story about returning GI's getting spit at by peace activists. I had always accepted this story as true. All the civilian peace activists I knew were in sympathy with the GI's--we opposed the generals and the Commander- in-Chief, Richard Nixon, as well as his chief adviser, Henry Kissinger. However, I assumed that a small splinter group of peace activists really did harass returning GI's.

The film takes the position that the spitting episode never happened--it's an urban legend. I don't know the truth of this matter, but the fact that it may not have happened is certainly something worth thinking about.

I was interested that the word "Iraq" never appeared in the film. However, the implications of this movie are obvious. We are again bogged down in an unpopular war that cannot be won. Before the war on Iraq started, many of us in the peace movement said, "It's going to be another Vietnam. U.S. GI's and Iraqis will die, and the country will be divided." The rest is history, as they say.

In summary, this is an important documentary, whether or not you agree that the GI resistance movement was the correct and proper response to the war in Vietnam. See it and decide for yourself!

Who are returning from Iraq, who have questions and no answers.

I was interested in this film because Jane Fonda (demonized by the recent influx of right wing media hate mongers) clearly was proud of her position against the Vietnam War.

There are so many officers and people who lived through this. The doctor who protests being a trainer for new recruits, he mentions how dermatologists were used by the army so they could aid the Vietnamese to thinking the U.S. was helpful, even while bombing their villages. Victims were women, children, and the elderly. It is sad to me that no one hears the truth in todays corporate media.

Anyone who was born in the 70's or 80's must see this film to get a real picture of what was happening at that time. The My Lai Massacre and other atrocities. The only way I became familiar with the resonance of destruction was having read poet Anne Sexton's "My Lai Soldier" and I was interested to read and research what actually happened in Vietnam.

It is so important since we are yet going through more troubled times as a nation, the wars and what they do to humanity should be understood, and learned from. Noteworthy also, I don't recall being taught about Vietnam in honors history, American History taught the colonial days and founding fathers. Something young people should be learning about as they are at a recruit-able age in high school. Highly recommended to anyone wanting to learn the disturbing facts and reality. 10/10.