Vietnam War: Anybody got some books/movies to recommend?

[Ns1]

word, thanks guys.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Movie: We Were Soldiers

feat. Mel Gibson

my favorite and read the book too

http://www.amazon.com/We-Were-...&qid=1203557264&sr=8-2

We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam

Each year, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all Marines. The Commandant's choice for 1993 was We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young.
In November 1965, some 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War.
How these men persevered--sacrificed themselves for their comrades and never gave up--makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating. General Moore and Joseph Galloway, the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting, have interviewed hundreds of men who fought there, including the North Vietnamese commanders. This devastating account rises above the specific ordeal it chronicles to present a picture of men facing the ultimate challenge, dealing with it in ways they would have found unimaginable only a few hours earlier. It reveals to us, as rarely before, man's most heroic and horrendous endeavor.

That sounds extremely interesting. I'm definitely going to read that. :thumbsup:

 

[sestrugen]

I liked this movie: Path to War

 

[dakels]

There are a lot of factual things you learn about the war but another huge side is the political and especially social ramifications the Vietnam war had in our country. Those things are even evident with your family not willing to discuss it. You should try to see the myriad of viewpoints. I cannot speak from experience but it's clearly evident that it was a war that severely divided our nation.

On a personal side note, the disrespect, blame, and anger focused on the soldiers of that war by the civilian population is something I hope we never see again to that degree.

 

[Linflas]

"A Rumor of War" - Phillip Caputo
"The Gooney Bird" - William C Anderson

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Movie: We Were Soldiers

feat. Mel Gibson

 

[bctbct]

any book on Iraq

<runs>

 

[Feldenak]

One of my favorite books has been mentioned already: We Were Soldiers Once...And Young.

One of my favorite movies about Vietnam is rarely spoken of for some reason....Hamburger Hill

 

[Uppsala9496]

As many have mentioned, We Were Soldiers is a good book/movie.
Platoon is another suggestion.

My father served in Vietnam during '67 and '68 and those are his two favorite Vietnam movies. He was with the 1/9.
Just ran across a wikipedia entry "The unit is nicknamed the "Headhunters"; it was estimated to have been responsible for 50% of the enemy kills of the entire 1st Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War [1] For their reputation, the unit was featured as the command of Col. Kilgore in the movie Apocalypse Now."

Funny, but he really doesn't care for that movie...

 

[wwswimming]

Admiral James Stockdale's autobiography.

http://www.amazon.com/Love-War...tockdale/dp/0553253166

he was the senior flyer at the Gulf of Tonkin, then a POW in
Vietnam. then a fellow at the Hoover institution at Stanford,
then Ross Perot's running mate.

i saw him the day of my dad's military service at the Navy
cemetery near Point Loma in San Diego. just walked up
to him and shook hands, told him i had read his book.

 

[jandrews]

The things they carried or if I die in a combat zone (bag me up and take me home), I think they are both works of fiction but written by a guy who was an infantry troop in the war.

 

[Svnla]

PBS used to have a long (several hours) series about the Vietnam war/conflict.

 

[JDMnAR1]

Not all typical war movies...

Hamburger Hill
Gardens of Stone
The Deer Hunter
The Boys in Company C

 

[Soapy Bones]

A book I read for a course in college was "Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides" by Christian G Appy. I havent read it in a while but I recall that it had a lot of stories and accounts from real soldiers and people from all sides of the conflict. I thought it was pretty well done.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Movie: We Were Soldiers

feat. Mel Gibson

Good movie, but ten times better as a book.

 

[Ns1]

Damn, didn't expect so many follow-up responses to this thread! Time to clear out the schedule..

 

[GasX]

As far as coming out of the movie with some understanding of the war, I'd recommend the following movies:

A Bright Shining Lie
We Were Soldiers
Full Metal Jacket
The Green Berets


As for books:

The 13th Valley

 

[rudder]

Watch the series.. Vietnam: The 10,000 Day War. Starts from the beginning right after WWII.



EDIT: Also check Fog of War. Its a movie featuring a candid interview with The secretary of Defense during the height of the war, Robert McNamara. His thoughts reveal some of how the U.S.'s involvment based on the U.S. view of the Domino Theory and how the Vietnamese viewed the conflict as purely a civil war.

Wiki entry

 

[Cobalt]

Just saw Platoon for the first time two nights ago. I thought it was an amazing movie, best I've seen in a real long time.