Vietnam in HD

This documentary covers the Vietnam War from 1964-1975 with a different set of people and different film footage. The series is 6 episodes long, with each episode running about 45 minutes.

Titled "Vietnam in HD" 2016 not 2011, you are expecting spectacular film footage. In reality, the HD is the content, not the footage. It is a tad graphic in descriptions. This has voices of many known and unknown people.

If you have seen other documentaries then you do not need to watch this rehash. If you have not seen other documentaries this is a good beginning as it is pretty neutral in its content and not trying to be more than a presentation. Of course, even without a covert agenda, it is one person's view.

I have knowledge of some of the places 1967-1968, 14 months so it looks real and reasonable. Of course, concentrating on war, you do not get time to see the majestic mountains, cool overgrown forests, clear sandy beaches and beautiful people.

It's a six-part History Channel show about the Vietnam War. The tagline is "It's not the war we know. It's the war they fought." It uses home videos, brutal battlefront footage, and real veterans' recollections. The home videos give a sense of the times. The war footage is bloody and vicious. The gore is front and center. There isn't anything new to the overall understanding of the war. It's interesting to walk a few steps in the shoes of these men. I would like an experienced narrator to do the general story. The real veterans talking does grow on me. When that reporter says "That boy haunts me today", there is a chill that radiates out of the screen. This is a brutal recollection and a compelling watch.

Lyrics excerpt - "All we are saying is - Give peace a chance."

This is a picture about war - And, believe me, it isn't a pretty one.

This was a war that the Americans had no business being in.

This was a war where two-faced, US President, Lyndon Johnson promised his gullible citizens that American involvement would only last for a few months.

This was a war that endured (under direct US occupation) for 10 years (1964-1974) and took the lives of 60,000 American military men (with 300,000 wounded) - Not to mention the dead Vietnamese.

This was a war where blacks (and other racial minorities), along with under-privileged whites, were the ones sent to the front lines to fight.

This was a war that was condoned by 2, hypocrite, US presidents (Johnson & Nixon) in order to save political face.

Through interviews, narration, and archival footage - This is a mighty powerful re-telling of the reality of that war, which, as you'll see, is like nothing that Hollywood has ever shown you.

Did I miss something here?

This was an excellent production. As some stated, a 'must see' for students of history and those interested in the Vietnam War.

It's a recollection, a compilation using home movie footage, archival footage, material released through FOIA, and plenty of other sources never before assembled together to present a very personal view of what it was like to fight in Vietnam and to be at home waiting for the loved one to return.

A personal view.

Judging by the criticisms of others here, complaining that the series is too patriotic or pro- American, I have to say, did you watch the same documentary as I did? Simply because the production focuses on American soldiers in this conflict does not make it jingoistic. It simply means it's from a perspective. Good grief, lighten up.

What I saw were personal stories, stories of men asked - no, make that ordered, drafted into action for their country (in this case, the United States). Action most neither asked for nor wanted. Yet, action they fulfilled nevertheless.

What I did NOT see was the flag waving jingoism many here are complaining about. If anything, this documentary illustrates the futility of that conflict and how the American leadership lacked the moral justification to order young men into battle. Yet, the men who were ordered to do so, did the best they could under the worst of circumstances, only to come home to the misguided anger, hate and violence of American protesters, which some of the comments here seem to side with.

This is a well produced, illustrative and interesting production on the personal side of Americans in Vietnam, right up there with the outstanding works of PBS's "Vietnam A Television History" and Stanley Karnow's companion book.

Like I said above, ignore the critics. See it.

This series is great for anyone who is not familiar with the Vietnam War. The personal accounts are wonderful and really take you inside the mindset of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from the soldiers, and appreciated the fact that the series attempted to stay away from political commentary / opinions about the war. I watched the series with two good friends who served in Vietnam, and both of them felt that it was an accurate portrayal of the war and the atmosphere at home. While it does gloss over some events, I suppose that cannot be helped since the series is only 6 episodes long, with each episode running about 45 minutes. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a good overview of the war and wants to hear it from the mouths of the men and women who served there. I'm also happy to see that the History Channel is still occasionally producing series with real historical content.