Vietnam War Historian Breaks Down 8 Vietnam War Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It?

Vietnam War Historian Breaks Down 8 Vietnam War Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It? | Insider

3 місяці тому

At 05:00 in this video, the expert identifies an object for firing Claymore mines as a "clicker." The correct term is "clacker." Business Insider regrets the error.
Military history professor Bill Allison rates Vietnam War movies, such as "Apocalypse Now," for realism.
Allison breaks down battle tactics used by the United States military; Viet Cong, or VC; and People's Army of Vietnam, or PAVN; during the Vietnam War, such as the use of helicopters and napalm in "Apocalypse Now" (1979), starring Marlon Brando; and the use of tunnels and firepower in "We Were Soldiers" (2002), starring Mel Gibson. He looks at the realism of urban and jungle warfare, such as the battle of Huế during the Tet Offensive in "Full Metal Jacket" (1987) and "Platoon" (1986), featuring Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, and Johnny Depp. Allison also looks at the portrayal of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, or ARVN, in "Mùi Cỏ Cháy" ("The Scent of Burning Grass") (2012) and "The Green Berets" (1968), starring John Wayne. Additionally, he discusses the tragedies and aftermath of the Vietnam War, connecting the Mỹ Lai massacre to the civilian deaths in "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), with Tom Cruise, and talking about the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue in "Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985), starring Sylvester Stallone.
Allison is a professor of military history at Georgia Southern University. He has written several books about the Vietnam War, including "My Lai: An American Atrocity in the Vietnam War." He is also a Vietnam battlefield tour guide with the UK company The Cultural Experience.
You can find out more about Bill here:
www.profbillallison.com/
You can check out Bill's podcast, "Military Historians Are People, Too!" here:
www.mhptpodcast.com/
WATCH MORE HOW REAL IS IT VIDEOS:
Afghan War Veteran Rates 9 Afghanistan War Battles In Movies
• Afghan War Veteran Rat...
Military Experts Rate 70 Military Battles In Movies And TV
• Military Experts Rate ...
World War I Expert Rates 6 WWI Battles in Movies
• World War I Expert Rat...
-----------------------------------------------------
#Insider #HowRealIsIt #War
Insider's mission is to inform and inspire.
Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: www.businessinsider.com/
Insider on Facebook: / insider
Insider on Instagram: / insider
Insider on Twitter: / thisisinsider
Insider on Snapchat: / 2708030621
Insider on TikTok: / insider
Vietnam War Historian Breaks Down 8 Vietnam War Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It? | Insider

КОМЕНТАРІ: 1 900

@SushiDan23 3 місяці тому

I'm really surprised he didn't review the most accurate Vietnam film of all time. Tropic thunder.

@aliasmarg8ta127 3 місяці тому

I know! How disappointing.

@scottbarkley496 3 місяці тому

DIET COOOOOOOOKE

@Klaus-em3ix 3 місяці тому

It's a film about a film and there Producers (Tom Cruise). It's how to make a very bad Vietnam movie.

@SushiDan23 3 місяці тому

@@Klaus-em3ix you mean it's not accurate??? I thought Robert Downey Jr was an actual black man until I read your comment and did some research.

@renecomedy 3 місяці тому

Hahaha😂

@etiennesharp 3 місяці тому

The soldier taking the photo didn't have a 'fancy camera' because he went on R&R; he had it because, in the film, he's a a combat photographer.

@Ganiscol 3 місяці тому

But in reality it was so.

@justmeeagainn 3 місяці тому

Is that you, John Wayne? Is this me?

@RobARug 3 місяці тому

Animal Mother: Well, you seen much combat? Private Joker: I've seen a little on TV.

@leibermuster2399 3 місяці тому

True, pilgrim, only after you eat the peanuts outta mah shiieeeeet

@pgo2372 3 місяці тому

I picked up on that. It tells me the guy probably never watched the whole movie.

@gmlogan4889 3 місяці тому

My Dad who served as an infantry Sgt in Vietnam said that surprisingly, he thought Forrest Gump got Vietnam the most accurately.

@AngelusEchoes-kh4fd 3 місяці тому

There was the big ol fat rain, the itsy stinging rain, rain that fell from the side...

@thegadflygang5381 3 місяці тому

It was actually pretty good The movie as a whole is terrible and really didn't hold up very well but i agree with you. The few Vietnam scenes were kept simple

@mikebrase5161 3 місяці тому

@@RinkFloydI just saw the bye Forrest I'll see you again after I'm a single mom with AIDS meme. 😂

@chrishestand1032 3 місяці тому

My dad said the same.

@tomaskadlec9534 3 місяці тому

@@thegadflygang5381 i doubt you know much about movies if you think Forrest Gump is terrible...

@bicivelo 3 місяці тому

The Nikon F camera, like the one shown in full metal jacket here, was the primary camera used by photojournalist during the Vietnam war. It was Nikons‘s first SLR camera and was produced from the late 50s until around 1973 or 74. it also went to space in some of the late Apollo missions. In short, the thing is an absolute BEAST of a camera and is extremely well-made and very very heavy. I have two of them and absolutely love shooting with it. It’s just an amazing historical piece of photos of journalism. GREAT video too 😊

@hubbsllc Місяць тому

Absolutely, and the lenses were very, very good. I was heavy into photography in the early- to mid-1990s and one of the lenses I had was a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 that I really shouldn't have sold; I could be using that lens on a fully modern digital camera even today.

@martinbrody3315 3 місяці тому

They should have shown Hamburger Hill. That movie doesn't get a lot of love. While an exciting and engaging war film with great storytelling and a great cast, it often gets overshadowed by more famous Vietnam War films. However, it's extremely realistic to some veterans who have been there but still is a forgotten gem worth watching that will satisfy war movie buffs.

@docgillygun9531 3 місяці тому

Totally agree. Great movie.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

I agree . That and We were soldiers should have been rated higher at least a 6 maybe 7.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

@@docgillygun9531 A very underrated Vietnam film capturing the post tet mentality of the soldiers in 1969

@NecramoniumVideo 3 місяці тому

Because it does not have a real story to it, it just shows the battle, Platoon shows the brotherhood in the platoon.

@S0ulinth3machin3 3 місяці тому

@@NecramoniumVideo I agree. The plot is completely forgettable. I saw the movie, remember some gnarly combat, and have no idea what the plot was. The way my brain works, if something isn't very good, I forget it.

@jasechurch5124 3 місяці тому

“Broken Arrow” was declared over the radio by the Battalion Forward Air Controller, which meant that an American unit was in imminent danger of being overrun. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit.... it also doesn't show Gibson calling I'm broken arrow. It shows him ordering it. But the FAC calls it in

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

Yeah the historian had a few f ups in this review.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

10:14 that was Charlie Hastings the air combat controller calling Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow, and just like you said Moore was tell telling him to call it. Its not inaccurate.

@Lowlandlord 3 місяці тому

It is not an official code phrase in wide usage for this purpose though. It had been officially used for nuclear weapons at the time though, and still is. He used all the language to make his statements about it accurate, except that Gibson's character doesn't call it, he states it in a very dramatic fashion in the film, and the way the Hastings character is played throughout the film is really not that complimentary, seems slack jawed and simple most of the time.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

@@Lowlandlord It was in during the Vietnam War.

@robertagu5533 3 місяці тому

@@Autobotmatt428including the VERY start too, the dude said there was "NO evidence, AT ALL." This was wrong. There's very real documentaries stories of dudes that escaped an survived captivity that SPECIFICALLY SAID they WAS POWs from Vietnam.

@JimBro317 3 місяці тому

In the "Full Metal Jacket," sequence, you address the Marine taking a picture with his nice camera. If you watch the whole film, you'll see that that was his MOS, something like photojournalist for the Marine Corps.

@RandomDudeOne 3 місяці тому

Stars and Stripes.

@Dregkar 3 місяці тому

Feel like this dude hasnt seen most of these movies and it's pretty embarassing.

@alexhobson5478 3 місяці тому

@@Dregkarhow dare a historian do stuff like read books and go to archives and find first hand accounts instead of watching fictional movies about his work

@crazyralph6386 3 місяці тому

It was also he’s second one, the first was stolen by Bruce Lee and the karate kid in Da Nang 😂

@NoMo-xr4xl 3 місяці тому

@alexhobson5478 it's fine for him to do that. But then he shouldn't be judging said films he hasn't seen

@ryanfreese1113 2 місяці тому

I met an American Vietnam Veteran several years ago who was still struggling with the trauma he experienced and he said Platoon was the most accurate movie he had seen with respect to what he experienced in that war/conflict

@adameanglin 2 місяці тому

My dad (1st Cav & 9th ID) also said Platoon was most realistic.

@jansenart0 3 місяці тому

First Blood was an important and historic statement about PTSD, the treatment of veterans after the Vietnam War, and ultimately the penal system of the US. First Blood Part II (and the rest of the Rambo saga) continued the abuse of a mentally ill man who needed a robust VA social and mental healthcare system, but was instead exploited by a rogue officer in a private, secret war. Rambo himself said that he couldn't keep a job parking cars, and instead of ending up in treatment, was sentenced to hard labor. He was purchased from jail to commit crimes in an undeclared war against a foreign government. Things never improved for Rambo, but ask yourself this: what would've become of him in that era, had he lost a leg before First Blood?

@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 3 місяці тому

Yes, but it was the 80s. It was more important to pretend to help people (or help pretend people) than actually do something about the problems facing US vets. Ronnie Ray-Gun had to ensure that those tax-cuts stuck so he gutted the mental-health and social-welfare system. Rambo would have been screwed had he lost his leg, but in a different manner. Left to rot in government housing with little help for his PTSD. But, it's fine because the country could go down its POW/MIA rabbit-hole, with full support of the GOP as the POW/MIA organization became increasingly political, so folks could help people that didn't exist instead of the vets.

@MotorcycleSalesVideo 3 місяці тому

Actually, the U.S. President may initiate hostage rescue operations, if he becomes knowledgeable that a U.S. Citizen is being unjustly deprived of his liberty by a foreign government, assuming the President first demanded the release of the hostages, and was refused. In Rambo, a recon operation was authorized. It went hot when a prison guard engaged the rescuers. The crime in Rambo was the illegal detention of U.S. Citizens.

@davisworth5114 3 місяці тому

The Rambo movies are all total garbage, the problem was that he was concocted by Hollywood, subconsciously no doubt, to be the new role model for US males, when what was desperately needed after Vietnam was a man who was circumspect and cautious. Rambo created the whole 6 pak abs, biceps as 'guns', 'roid rage, etc, it seems as though Rambo et. al. created young American males who have somehow inherited the unrequited rage of Vietnam veterans, and other young men are rightfully alienated by such a cartoon version of manhood. Stallone weaseled out of the war, he was teaching English at a girl's school in Switzerland, ok? Very good comment about the total failure of the VA.

@tuberific454 3 місяці тому

BOT4OJ which he rates as most accurate also dealt with the subject of ptsd and post-war disabilities. And on that note it would've been interesting to hear his opinion of Casualities of War since like BOT4OJ it was autobiographical and depicted the main character's long-term struggle with his experiences. And before anyone knocks the John Wayne film he mentioned, it might be worth noting that it inspired 4 star Admiral McRaven to join the SEALs.

@Asillyhobo 3 місяці тому

@@davisworth5114 the first film, First Blood, and the book it's based off of, are better than what came after. If only for the original ending, and it being tame in comparison to what came later. It wasn't originally trying to portray a male archetype. And it shows in that first film.

@siouxzgreene6274 Місяць тому

My husband was a LRRP68-69 central highlands. Platoon was his film of choice for realism. He returned home in 69 but mentally he never left the bush, the nightmares, the cautiousness everywhere he went. And up until a few years before he passed from agent Orange related illnesses, he would not talk about being in country.

@dicksonfranssen 18 днів тому

I've heard this more than once. Veterans get irritated by someone mumbling "thank you for your service" when they have no idea what it is they're thankful for. My parents were liberated in spring 1945 so with the full understanding of what it is I'm thankful for, Thank you both.

@marklee8198 3 місяці тому

The guy who's holding the camera depicted in Full Metal Jacket, that was Mathew Modine's partner, they were part of Stars and Stripes to take pictures and publish them in newspapers. They are actually attached to Cowboy's combat unit, to take pictures and interview soldiers as well.

@ralphalvarez5465 16 днів тому

Rafterman - "a heartbreaker and life taker"

@DCS_World_Japan 3 місяці тому

"Broken Arrow" was the correct term during the Vietnam War. Its usage as a nuclear weapon accident is post-Vietnam.

@ronaldtartaglia4459 3 місяці тому

Nope

@patavinity1262 2 місяці тому

I was really curious about this and decided to look into it. I found a lot of contradictory information, but on balance I think you're wrong. The second part of your assertion is absolutely incorrect: 'Broken Arrow' is one of two flagwords used by the Air Force indicating a nuclear weapon mishap (the other being 'Bent Spear'), and this was certainly the case during the Vietnam War. The 1970 report on the 1968 crash of a B-52 at Thule Air Base for example notes the term. As for whether it was used at the battle depicted in the movie, I think the historian being interviewed here was justified in saying 'maybe'. The *only* source for this phrase *ever* having been used in this way in a battle was the book 'We Were Soldiers'. There is no reference to it anywhere which predates the publication of that book. Could it have been a codeword approved by command for use during this specific operation? Perhaps, but again there's no definitive evidence of that happening, and it certainly was not commonly used in that way throughout the Vietnam War.

@amkrause2004 2 місяці тому

Broken arrow was probably just a code word for that specific unit or battle. Many of these movies don't ever show how a real briefing is, right before units go into battle. There's code words for just about anything, think of it as the bugle sounds during the US civil war, there was tone for each command execution.

@StallionStudios1234 Місяць тому

Interesting. What about SKSs where they used much? I get the AK47, I just think an SKS would not be as useful given its semiautomatic and only holds 10 rounds. There is lots of Chinese made ones that are dirt cheap and still come with the bayonet. Apparent the Balkan versions are best well made.

@chris-zt7eo 3 місяці тому

Didn't Hal Moore, the actual dude who served for this specific battle, comment on exactly what word was used for calling in all air assets on your position? I'm pretty sure he said it was exactly Broken Arrow.

@Strickland1992 3 місяці тому

What did broken arrow mean in Vietnam? in imminent danger of being overrun A “Broken Arrow” was declared over the radio by the Battalion Forward Air Controller, which meant that an American unit was in imminent danger of being overrun. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit. The fighting continued for three hours.

@jayfro8340 3 місяці тому

Yes, broken arrow had a different meaning than it does now

@uosdwisrdewoh418 3 місяці тому

@@jayfro8340*then, not “than”. Why do you get them confused? The former (again the word you mean) is an adverb meaning “after”. The latter is a conjunction used to introduce the second item in a comparative statement.

@budgiefriend 3 місяці тому

@@uosdwisrdewoh418 The commenter might be word blind or from a non-English speaking part of the world. I too get annoyed when people not spell good. But i don't feel like i HAVE to call people out like that. What is to be gained from being "that person" ?

@BonShula 3 місяці тому

@@uosdwisrdewoh418 Who cares. 50% of commenters are stupid and the rest is mentally ill.

@alankaufman385 3 місяці тому

Of all of the UKposts videos about Vietnam, this is the first time that someone recognized that Robert Duval's Col. Kilgore was based on Col. Stockton. He was very much Like the depiction of Co. Kilgore and was, in fact, relieved for being a little too aggressive.

@kennethstover1741 3 місяці тому

He just wanted to smell that napalm😁 Can't we all just get along? ✌️😏Peace my brothers and sisters

@pagodebregaeforro2803 2 місяці тому

@@kennethstover1741you are cool brother

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

Yeah, imagine beating the VC/NVA... They were not there to 'win' and the Army did its best to obey that order...

@andrewdon1747 3 місяці тому

I know old mate has written a book but both Oliver Stone and Dale A Dye (the bloke calling for air support in Platoon) were there, they probably know what they're about

@whydat684 5 днів тому

The other Nam vet was the fat Sgt in the white tee-shirt during the final combat scene yelling at the other soliders . For real

@bboomermike2126 3 місяці тому

I was a Navy (Seawolf) door gunner in Vietnam. Twice an outpost was being overrun and we put our strike in the compound. The friendlies took cover in bunkers and we only shot 7.62, no 50 cal or rockets. The friendlies were safe from rounds from the M-60 and mini-gun.

@Sharkman1963 3 місяці тому

Thank you for your service and for this information. I'm glad you made it back.

@tuberific454 3 місяці тому

It sounds like you were part of what they called a SEAL support package, and thus part of black ops wherein airstrikes of that nature were more common.

@michael-4k4000 3 місяці тому

@@tuberific454it's actually called an Elite SEAL team package 📦

@tuberific454 3 місяці тому

@@michael-4k4000 That is incorrect.

@patwxdaddy 3 місяці тому

No one in Special Ops uses the term 'Elite" ever. @@michael-4k4000

@TheRafaelRamos 3 місяці тому

Hamburger Hill is one of the best Vietnam War movies I've ever seen, it's a shame it was not mentioned.

@ministerofdarkness 3 місяці тому

Exactly! And Tropic Thunder

@cesaru3619 3 місяці тому

Because this guy is not a real expert, he's just a tom cruise fanboy.

@joevicmeneses8918 3 місяці тому

how about a TV series"Tour of duty" ??

@Atomicsunshine67 3 місяці тому

The friendly fire incident in Hamburger Hill is true

@paimanish 2 місяці тому

He does review it. In another recent video. And he rates it very highly

@Eoraptor1 3 місяці тому

IMO, the key sentence in Rambo is when Col. Trautman recruits John Rambo from Federal prison and Rambo asks, "Do we get to win this time?" That, again IMO, is the underlying fantasy of the entire film. JAMES

@Lowlandlord 3 місяці тому

Winning the war, decades after it was lost, while also making up how evil the Vietnamese still were. Is kinda the purpose of the movie, which really shouldn't be that surprising consider it was a Stallone film, and he was doing things with similar jingoistic, American-exceptionalism messages in Rocky movies.

@deanrobinson4129 24 дні тому

Not entirely sure but it's a bit ironic that stallone famous role is rambo when he dodged the draft for Vietnam

@Blix-Tha-Epic-TM4L 3 місяці тому

Oliver stone was there, and made platoon about his experiences and meshed characters together. Platoon is the best Vietnam war film ever made. Period.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

yes but Stone does fall in to a lot of the Hollywood stereotypes about tis war.

@fuzzydunlop7928 3 місяці тому

@@Autobotmatt428 Tbf, a lot of those tropes come from the experiences of one dude - Michael Herr. And his book Dispatches features multiple events that would be depicted in Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse NOW, and he had direct input on both films (and iirc other films made around that time). It's crazy how much the popular understanding of the Vietnam War in this country comes from one guy's experiences, and in all fairness there's worse books to be that influential. Anyone curious about the Vietnam War should read Dispatches. It's right up there with Tim O'brien's work and the 13th Valley.

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

Nonsense - yes, he was there, but it is clearly biased and embellished (his own words) - the Berenger/Dafoe scenes are over the top.

@StallionStudios1234 Місяць тому

I like that movie it was very well done. Very disturbing how many innocent people were caught in the middle. Those scenes in that movie are probably based on real encounters.

@nolanfroese9164 3 місяці тому

I thought friendly fire was super common. That's what oliver stone said that a lot of fire missions hit a lot of their own and that was his experience that he showed. He did say parts of the movie were embellished

@tuberific454 3 місяці тому

The guy in this vid isn't talking about the church ambush scene when it was an accident. He's talking about the battle at the end of the film. While the film was based on Stone's experiences, the blu ray extras discusses how he and Dale Dye had disputes on set about the accuracy of Stone's vision.

@00poopmonster 3 місяці тому

Looked it up on Google and about 5% of US casualties in Vietnam were from friendly fire. Differs from source to source but probably somewhere around that number.

@nolanfroese9164 3 місяці тому

Which is a lot, and a percentage that is on a lower range. @@00poopmonster

@hazardeur 3 місяці тому

think what stone meant was the friendly fire from handheld bullet weapons, so basically rifles and pistols.

@RW77777777 2 місяці тому

The Ia Drang friendly fire scene(which breaks my heart ofc) is quite small compared to other misuse of air power events in US history I think Iwo Jima had almost 100 casualties(in 24hrs) due to friendly ordinances

@rankoldbeast3479 3 місяці тому

I was living in Hanoi when General Giap died. There were mourners lining the streets for the processions for miles and miles. He was held in high regard by a lot of the VNese

@jadger1871 3 місяці тому

VNese? This had nothing to do with the residents of Austria's capital.

@deathclawdaddy 3 місяці тому

probably because if they didint they would be flogged and miss out on the half rations they get this week.

@dtq3809 3 місяці тому

Giap was puppet of Ha Noi, he didn't even command Dien Bien Phu, the Chinese did.They let him take the credit

@maliusmaximus1428 3 місяці тому

Some pretty hilariously uninformed comments here so far. Giap was hailed as a hero and did indeed lead the northern forces through several major victories and losses. He was hailed as a hero here in Hanoi, but post war, especially in his later years, he was very critical of the sitting government, in particular in relation to the govt doing things like ceding land use rights for logging to foreign interests, particularly the Chinese. He was too big and perceived to be too much of a hero to try to bring his name down, so instead he was just kept out of the media. The irony is actually in the fact that in death he was celebrated as the greatest hero of the American War behind Uncle Ho, by the very people that he spent his final years railing against and who had kept him quiet

@rankoldbeast3479 3 місяці тому

@@maliusmaximus1428 100%. Today's VN is clearly not the country Uncle Ho wanted.

@B4TEMAN 3 місяці тому

Platoon deserves a higher rating imo.

@patwxdaddy 3 місяці тому

Another case where this 'historian' knows more than Oliver Stone who was there.

@kdizzle901 3 місяці тому

I agree it’s a masterpiece

@B4TEMAN 3 місяці тому

@@kdizzle901 Completely agree. it’s one of my favourite movies.

@mijreed 13 днів тому

Academia vs. real life

@ronnie_5150 8 днів тому

I always though 'Platoon' was more about the relationship and turmoil between the soldiers themselves than the enemy.

@MandarAkre 3 місяці тому

In Platoon ... Before the final battle you can hear a few soldiers discussing how they captured VC soldiers and they found the entire layout of their Camp marked to their foxhole. So the guy who blew himself up in the command centre was pretty aware of its position in the camp.

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

They always were - their sapper needed that info. Allison is completely misguided.

@user-cv4wh6vb2o 3 місяці тому

I'm surprised Hamburger Hill wasn't mentioned. Some Vietnam vets I've spoken with over the years have all stated that that was the only film that accurately depicted what they experienced over there.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

I know right but instead Rambo 2 is on this list and its not a Vietnam film

@user-cv4wh6vb2o 3 місяці тому

++ @@Autobotmatt428

@lukewise1227 3 місяці тому

'Go Tell the Spartans' - how can you not like a movie with Burt Lancaster. From 'The Kentukian' right up until movies like 'Field of Dreams', he was just so good at his craft.

@eriktruchinskas3747 3 місяці тому

Broken arrow was indeed the codeword for them for being overrun. For rhe green beret SOG guys it was called a prarie fire

@SEAZNDragon 3 місяці тому

i wonder if he was thinking "Danger Close." When I was a mortarman in the Marines that was the phrase we used for fire missions closed to friendlies.

@moappleseider1699 3 місяці тому

Just from reading "Across the Fence" I can tell this guy is way off on his knowledge.

@Ganiscol 3 місяці тому

It is still and has been for decades one of the terms describing incidents with nuclear weapons or reactors, as per DoD directive 5230.16, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Manual 3150.03B and USAF Instruction 10-206. So, he is right on the money. Danger Close is the proper term for dropping ordnance close to friendlies. Like he said, it may have been the code for that operation, it may not have been official nuke incident terminology at the time, but it has been for at least 4 decades if not more.

@PJV1990 3 місяці тому

@@Ganiscol Nobody freaking cares about what you wannabe soldiers googled! It has been documented with first hand testimony that 'broken arrow' was used over radio to describe a position being overrun. I'd rather trust actual veterans than a UKposts loser who is quoting goole like a little bth

@Lowlandlord 3 місяці тому

He specifically says that "is what is reported in the book", but at the same time, it had a different official meaning outside of this one specific instance. The question becomes why did it have this other different meaning in this one specific instance, and is there paper work to prove it instead of just someone's recollection. Recollections are quite fallible and can be the bane of accurate histories, going through archives has shown that many recollections printed by official sources after WW2 were incorrect. Although, for that it is largely because the primary purpose of printing some of those was that spreading propaganda to rehabilitate the German Here, which were though of as needed to fight the Soviets, and heap praise on people that we beat, so we must be better than these cool people.

@timinwsac 3 місяці тому

I was drafted in 1971 and this is the first time I've heard the NVA referred as PAVN.

@sundancetitan5675 3 місяці тому

NVA is what you gentlemen called it during the war the north Vietnamese called them Peoples Army of Vietnam. And thank you for your service too sir

@charlesfiscus4235 3 місяці тому

Being Politically correct

@williambrandondavis6897 3 місяці тому

This guy is a liberal college professor at University in Georgia.

@williambrandondavis6897 3 місяці тому

college professor

@cesaru3619 3 місяці тому

Yup he's politically motivated and a failure as a professor as all lefties are, that's business insider for you.@@williambrandondavis6897

@Jerry10939 3 місяці тому

Full metal Jacket Joker’s character was PAO, I was Army PAO in the late 80s early 90s during Desert Storm, I was a photographer. So he would have been issued the camera because that was his job in the Marines as a Journalist.

@Gruntman77 3 місяці тому

Rafterman IS a photographer for stars and stripes. Well established earlier in the movie. Did this guy even watch FMJ?

@menachem2521 3 місяці тому

Doesn't seem like it lol. It's one of the easier things to understand in the film...

@zaynevanday142 3 місяці тому

He’s an out right idiot 😂😂😂

@dougkleen9917 3 місяці тому

he isnt that good a historian.

@chrishestand1032 3 місяці тому

@@dougkleen9917 Between my dad being a Vietnam vet and the fact that I work with vintage cameras all the time, I agree and so would pops.

@zeropoint546 3 місяці тому

Pretty sure he didn't read "We were soldiers once... And young" either. Epic failures.

@michaellogico5613 3 місяці тому

My father was the pilot of one of the UH-1H in Apocalypse Now. He was a LtCol in the Philippine Air Force at the time

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

Is it true that they got called away for real combat missions while shooting the film.

@michaellogico5613 3 місяці тому

@Autobotmatt428 yes. We had a communist insurgency.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

@@michaellogico5613 The crazy stories that came out of that films production your dad must have some stories.

@michaellogico5613 3 місяці тому

@Autobotmatt428 filming took place in the province of Laguna. Back then, there weren't any hotels so the cast and crew slept in the homes of the locals. Some older folk still remember hosting Marlon Brando

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

@@michaellogico5613 I feel bad for them I heard he was a bit of a diva

@immikeurnot 3 місяці тому

The Claymore clacker generates electricity when you squeeze it. That's why you give it two or three firm smacks; to make sure you get enough electricity down the wire to the detonator on the mine. Also works with other explosives, obviously, since the detonators are a standardized item.

@miduv82 3 місяці тому

My father who just recently passed away served two tours in Vietnam with 2nd battalion 5th marines 1st marine division FMF during 1967 and 68. He told me at night they'd sleep in cemetery's if possible because the VC were superstitious about going into cemetery's. They just would avoid it. Also told me 90% of the fighting happened at night and you never wanted to fire at night unless you had to because you'd be giving your position away.

@Rakshasa1986 3 місяці тому

I'm sorry for your loss.

@kendelvalle8299 3 місяці тому

I was in several firefights in cemeteries. The VC were not afraid of attacking. The great thing about fighting in graveyards was that the graves are dirt mounds about three feet high and they provide good cover. The trick was to make it to a grave yard across an open field and then set up and whack the VC as they came at you over that open field. I was a Corpsman with a CAC unit... 65, 66 and 67.

@miduv82 3 місяці тому

@@kendelvalle8299 I just remember him telling me that story. He never mentioned getting into firefights but may have. I know there was a false sense they were superstitious. The Japanese were considered very superstitious as well.

@KingOfKingize 3 місяці тому

I can’t say what it was like during the war because of different circumstances. But the Vietnamese are indeed pretty superstitious in general.

@longshotny 3 місяці тому

Jesus Christ that must have been absolutely terrifying

@TranscendianIntendor 3 місяці тому

I asked a noticeably twitchy Viet Nam Veteran in the East Village Manhattan what was the best Viet Nam movie. He told me to watch 84 Charlie MoPic. I rented the tape and watched it with my girl. My girl and myself had trouble seeing the movie as a fiction. It hits as if it is a documentary. If you haven't seen it do what you can to find it and watch it. 10, it deserves a rating of 10 and I am surprised it isn't mentioned here.

@bestestusername 3 місяці тому

Yeh that's good I have seen it, Blair witch war movie

@foxbat203 3 місяці тому

I kept hoping it would get a mention, fairly overlooked piece of found film history.

@foxbat203 3 місяці тому

I kept hoping it would get a mention, fairly overlooked piece of found film history.

@foxbat203 3 місяці тому

I kept hoping it would get a mention, fairly overlooked piece of found film history.

@Kier4n99 3 місяці тому

@@foxbat203WE HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME 😂

@user-xr4zt3vm5l 3 місяці тому

The biggest concern with this presentation, is that it gives the younger viewer the impression that only the USA Forces, where the only ones there. I challenge all to watch Danger Close.

@karlmortoniv2951 3 місяці тому

I’m glad to see “Go Tell the Spartans” get some love. It got eclipsed by all the big war movies that came out around the same time so not many people know about it now. My Dad served in Vietnam and he didn’t rate too many Vietnam War movies other than “…Spartans.” Burt Lancaster’s damn’ good in it as well.

@TheLoachman 3 місяці тому

One of my all-time favourites. So many good, quotable lines too.

@NHinPA 3 місяці тому

Eric L Haney spoke about a mission that Delta Force trained for to rescue POWs in Vietnam in the 1980s until Bo Gritz started talking about this. He mentions it in his book, so there must have been some evidence that there were still POWs for Delta to train for a mission

@TheGravitywerks 3 місяці тому

I quit watching 19sec in because he said "no evidence of MIA....." BS...we are still collecting them from N. Korea..

@user-vj8gp9lw1l 3 місяці тому

PFC Bobby Garwood. Was left behind buy choice or by capture.

@fuzzydunlop7928 3 місяці тому

Consider the source.

@dkroll92 3 місяці тому

bear in mind that Haney served in a unit that, years later during the GWOT, would routinely hit the wrong target as much as half the time even with the most advanced SIGINT and IMINT collection platforms the world had ever seen providing intel for them. Did they believe they had viable intel at the time? Yes. Did any of that intel end up being validated? To this day, none of it has.

@Xx-lq9su 3 місяці тому

PAVN may nit have dug the tunnels, but they absolutely would have utilized them. And yes, the battle of ia drank was PAVN, but its not a stretch to say the forward scouts were VC. Hal Moore in his book did say broken arrow was the code word. Don't really think this guy is the best choice for this video.

@biggooders3001 3 місяці тому

Nice, it's been a while 😂 i love these movie reviews

@robertfarmer9901 3 місяці тому

The scene in Platoon with the flares at night, my dad was in the Marines based out of An Hoa and talked about the flares and those shadows moving around all over the place and it was really confusing and difficult to focus. Also about the cameras in Full Metal Jacket, my dad bought a really nice Pentax in Vietnam and kept it with him through the war, and that was still our camera we used on family vacations and whatnot. I used it when I took photography in high school. He also bought a reel to reel tape player while he was there and somehow brought it back aftwr the war.

@noface4176 3 місяці тому

Robert garwood came home in 79 and he was captured in 1965 as a marine in Da Nang

@frankb2602 3 місяці тому

I don't think this guy is 100. But it's a no pay video, you roll the dice

@Sokol10 3 місяці тому

@@frankb2602 His options deserves 5/10 at the best.

@MichaelMansi-is4pc Місяць тому

He deserted to the enemy and was a collaborator.

@noface4176 Місяць тому

@@MichaelMansi-is4pc didnt say he wasn’t

@SaroBW 3 місяці тому

The major function of Special Forces during the Vietnam war was working with Vietnamese, and more importantly, the Montegnards. US Special Forces worked with the "Yards" to build and equip both strategic hamlets as well as rapid response militia militia. So it would have been quite common for them to work together on a joint missions. Quite different from "...maybe..." Would such a team have engaged in abducting a PAVN officer? Not likely: missions like that were usually done by units from the Special Operation Group (SOG). Yeah, John Wayne threw accuracy out the door with "The Green Berets", which he unapologetically stated was meant as a rebuttal to the "UnAmerican" protests against the war. I do agree that the respect shown for Vietnamese soldiers on both sides is admirable. And yeah, no "Hamburger Hill" is a dreadful oversight. Maybe in a ..."Rates more battles" video?

@-Zevin- 3 місяці тому

The "Montegnards" really really shows what the US thought of the Vietnamese people. Nobody in Vietnam called themselves the Montegnards, it was literally just a French term, like "Mountain men". We never had the respect to even learn what they called themselves, they were disposable pawns sent to slaughter, sure some fought well, then we abandoned them. You will find no love of American's in those territories today...

@darthvader1772 3 місяці тому

Special Forces was part of MACV-SOG in Vietnam, so yes a special forces team kidnapping or assassinating a high ranking NVA officer is not only likely to have happened but did happen many times. Look up Project GAMMA, it was a code name given to Detachment B-57 of the 5th Special Forces group that ran covert operations in Vietnam to locate Viet Cong, they even assassinated a South Vietnamese officer who was a mole on the behalf of the CIA Then there was Project DELTA made up of Detachment B-52 of the 5th Special Forces group who was designated as Hunter Killer teams, their mission was to provide recon in heavy Viet Cong areas, capture and interrogate officers and assassinate them, as well rescue downed pilots and POWs, bug compounds, counter intelligence and sabotage Then there was Project OMEGA made up of Detachment B-50 of the 5th Special Forces group, who conducted clandestine operations, much of them is still classified but it's heavily implied they were an assassination team Then there was Project SIGMA of Detachment B-56 who basically did the same thing as OMEGA only in Cambodia instead of Vietnam

@indigowendigo8464 3 місяці тому

Easter egg. When the suicide bomber runs into the bunker and blows up, Oliver Stone is inside it. Not only is Platoon very realistic, its much more than a documentary. The philosophical divisions between the main characters reflect the entire American population at the time, and it is a timeless commentary on war itself

@JuveVinny Місяць тому

My father was in Vietnam with the Navy attached to MACV. He told me that Apocalypse Now was the movie that, to him, got the vibe right.

@GamerKatz_1971 3 місяці тому

Platoon was directed by a Vietnam combat vet, who was advised by a Vietnam combat vet. Also I assume Hal Moore was fully aware of the orders he gave as he was there with his men during the battle just as depicted. These people did not dream up their experiences. And I take their word over a 'historian' any day.

@menachem2521 3 місяці тому

Ya this guy is a bit of a clown. More of a historian than a tactician.

@pabs1888 3 місяці тому

@@menachem2521film danger close shows them firing on there own position

@sureshot8399 3 місяці тому

Gotta agree with that. A director may have to take some artistic licence in the interests of making an entertaining movie, but I'd take that interpretation 100% of the time over a historian if that director lived through it and the historian did not.

@GamerKatz_1971 3 місяці тому

@@sureshot8399 If you have a copy of Platoon, watch it with the commentary by Dale Dye if available. During the scene where the Platoon is in the village he says the extras would all gather up and be talking in Vietnamese and there were a few times where he and Stone had to walk off set and take a break because it was all getting a tad too real. Another example is one of Dyes jobs was to occasionally fire an M16 close to the camera for certain scenes. During the ambush scene when the claymores were set off he had been dozing and according to him launched out of his chair and had the rifle up to his shoulder before he stopped himself.

@RickRoss440 3 місяці тому

From the research I’ve done it seems most Veterans conclude that Platoon is the most realistic Vietnam War movie of all time and one of the most realistic depictions of modern war in general. If anyone wants to know what it would be like to serve in an infantry combat unit on the frontlines today watch Platoon.

@marlonmoncrieffe0728 3 місяці тому

No 'Hamburger Hill' (1987) nor the true story, 'Rescue Dawn' (2007), was commented on? And 'Casualties of War' (1989) was penned by a Vietnam War veteran!

@patwxdaddy 3 місяці тому

I like 'Rescue Dawn' but they ruined it for me in the opening scene they show him flying wearing a tankers helmet for a Multi million dollar film. At least 'Bat-21' and 'Flight of the Intruder' could afford flight helmets.

@michaelkenney3288 Місяць тому

My dad fought In Vietnam, he was in the 1st Marine Division. When “platoon” came out we saw it, after the movie he said, “that’s how it was” he added that he and the guys he served with did not do any drugs. He said any guy that did didn’t last long.

@dantepearl4186 Місяць тому

My father was in the 3rd Marines and said the same thing

@stevecattani9545 3 місяці тому

Nice touch adding GO TELL THE SPARTANS. I wasn't expecting that to show up. Good film.

@LupusSanguis 3 місяці тому

I'd like to know his opinion on Danger Close. A story based around the Battle of Long Tan which heavily involved Australian and New Zealand combat in a rubber plantation. My ex"s deceased father served with the artillery during this battle. I have some small issues with the film, but I would love to hear a professor's viewpoint on the battle and film.

@chrisrabbitt 3 місяці тому

A bloke who couldn't get broken arrow correct and you want his opinion... try asking one of our vets who was actually in Vietnam, you will get a far more accurate answer. Just out of curiosity who's artillery did he serve in? Aussie, Kiwi or Yank?

@LupusSanguis 3 місяці тому

@chrisrabbitt a Gunner from the Aussie 1st Regiment Artillery. He died in 2019 a day and a half after my dad and a short time before the movie came out. I would have loved to have heard his thoughts on the movie.

@danwebb6766 3 місяці тому

@@LupusSanguis Lest we forget.

@chrisrabbitt 3 місяці тому

@@LupusSanguis Thank you for clarifying, given he was one of ours the biggest thing that would have stood out to him is they forgot to or didn't include the American Arty that was also firing in support from Nui Dat. There are a few other things that aren't quite right but as I said you would get a more accurate answer from one of our guys than an American uni professor. Also if you haven't seen it (highly unlikely) there is a documentary done about Long Tan by the same guy that is definitely required watching.

@TheLoachman 3 місяці тому

@@chrisrabbitt Highly recommended. It uses the actual radio messages as well. There are also dozens of videos about the battle, the aftermath, a meeting years later between a pair of Australian participants and two Vietnamese participants, and the making of the film on UKposts. The comments on most of those are well-worth reading through. Many are from family members and provide a lot of background. The Australian government treated these guys shabbily.

@verdigrau 3 місяці тому

I wanted to hear what he thought of the Vietnam segment from Forrest Gump. Even though the movie's focus wasn't solely on the war, it was probably my first introduction to the Vietnam war as a kid and so it's stuck in my head when I think of the topic.

@MrGibbonboy 3 місяці тому

A good compilation and nice to see a Vietnamese film included. Sad there was no 84C MoPic reference though. That was pretty raw and revitalised the "found footage" genre.

@scottsevers6194 3 місяці тому

I would love for this historian to look at " Danger Close " an Australian movie about the battle of Long Tan. I've listened to the original radio transcripts. It's a great movie

@ADxG1369 3 місяці тому

Bring Bill back again. Great video! Have him rate Hamburger Hill, Boys from Company C , The Odd Angry Shot, 84 Charlie Mopic & Danger Close!!!

@Madmij 3 місяці тому

Should have done Danger Close, the film about the Australian forces in Vietnam.

@alanmacpherson3225 3 місяці тому

I agree I've read a couple of accounts of Long Tan and the movie is pretty accurate.

@LupusSanguis 3 місяці тому

@alanmacpherson3225 I have some very minor issues with Danger Close, but nothing really worth mentioning. Only because of stories from my ex's dad, who was with the artillery there. I really like the film. I just wish he and my dad could have seen it. They both died hours apart shortly before the movie was released.

@adambydand1214 3 місяці тому

He wouldn't have known a thing about it...

@patwxdaddy 3 місяці тому

Good call! I think people should see 'Bright Shinning Lie'. It was a HBO movie about Lt.Col. John Paul Vann, one of two people who could have single handily prevented Vietnam. The Other being Col. Aaron Bank.

@vsdube Місяць тому

I appreciate his academic study of the war and it's operations. His commitment to go on site to gain knowledge and become a tour guide. But he was not a armed service soldier on the ground in the heat of the battle. To me that discounts his rating ability.

@andymiller6661 15 днів тому

By that logic, we should discount every single hostorian

@joelamb3581 3 місяці тому

‘The Short Timers” by Vietnam veteran and library book aficionado Gustav Hasford has a memorable scene where the troops watch “Green Berets.” They especially love it when credits roll as the sun sets into the South China Sea to the east.

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

FMJ is based on that book.

@PatrickAshe41 3 місяці тому

FWIW, my late father was USMC early in Vietnam, artillery observer, 64-65 including Operation Starlite. He also was a movie buff and saw most if not all of these. He definitely agreed with the consensus that the first half of FMJ was true to Parris Island. I have memories of him watching it with other Marines. As far as "true to life" war, he only said so much, but he particularly thought Platoon was overdramatized (even though Stone's a vet, of course) and that We Were Soldiers was the most accurate to the combat he experienced (even though that was Army, obviously).

@slaystationgaming5585 3 місяці тому

lol i like how he tried to explain the reason for the soldier in Full Metal Jacket having a camera was that they JUST DID SOMETIMES. He's either never seen the movie or they didn't tell him that the soldier was part of the journalism section of the war effort. in other words IT WAS HIS JOB TO HAVE THE CAMERA

@skylongskylong1982 3 місяці тому

The Odd Angry Shot, about Australian SAS in Vietnam, is a very good film.

@pvda64 3 місяці тому

Great film with the mix of Aussie humour and the serious stuff but I'm not sure it was 100% accurate.

@jenniturtleburger3708 3 місяці тому

I learned a lot! Thanks.

@minehawx64 3 місяці тому

I find it a bit odd that people think that Apocalypse Now was supposed to be accurate, when it's a movie adaptation of a book set in 1800's Africa, and was purely fiction. They just modernized it.

@davisworth5114 3 місяці тому

Well, not exactly............

@thatnorwegianguy1986 3 місяці тому

Some vets have defended Apocalypse Now and said that i really represented the confusion and the madness especially as the war dragged on

@AndrewAMartin 3 місяці тому

@@thatnorwegianguy1986 It might be more of an authentic representation, but that doesn't mean that it was entirely accurate, or that accuracy was even the goal...

@chagadiel 3 місяці тому

Yes it was hallucinogenic crazy vietnam war movie. Great one at that

@nathanjames611 Місяць тому

Correct!

@douglasdea637 3 місяці тому

I was hoping he'd get to Casualties of War (the one with Fox and Penn.) Maybe in part 2. Oh and Forest Gump and Hamburger Hill must be in part 2.

@Janelectro 3 місяці тому

And 84 Charly MoPic

@MemoryofSouthVietnam 3 місяці тому

The inaccuracy of Vietnam War movies and documentaries is not what they depict, but what they don't. So much of the battles primarily fought by the South Vietnamese (some of them far larger than American ones) are glossed over or ignored. Now the general public have the impression that South Vietnam straight up didn't fight and it was a fully Vietnam vs. American war.

@gulliverthegullible6667 3 місяці тому

American Vietnam movies also gloss over all the atrocities the Americans inflicted on the Vietnamese. It is always all about how horribly the poor American boys suffered. That those boys were the perpetrators not the victims is deliberately ignored.

@bicker31 3 місяці тому

@@gulliverthegullible6667 "the gullible" is an accurate name for you, good work

@gulliverthegullible6667 3 місяці тому

@@bicker31 so which movies show the atrocities the Americans inflicted? About 76% of people killed in that conflict were civilians. I don't see that reflected in the movies. Point me to a good movie.

@tenia5319 3 місяці тому

Well, it kinda was. What i mean is, the war was escalated by the US for US interests. Of course South Vietnamese fought, and fought a lot, but they were an asset of US operations at large.

@bicker31 3 місяці тому

@@tenia5319 imagine reading so much propaganda you think a people are an asset of another country while fighting a civil war lol

@philippschwartzerdt3431 3 місяці тому

Your Choice of “Go Tell the Spartans” and “Good Morning Vietnam” is great. I was missing tough “The Deer Hunter” and “Rescue Dawn”.

@zer0tzer0 3 місяці тому

A couple things you might have mentioned, they could have gotten the boat into the river if they waited six hours for the tide to come in, but they wanted the morning off shore breeze so they could surf. However, the Nug River is fictional. There were no rivers near North Vietnam that went all the way from the sea into Cambodia. But that fits in with the source material, Heart of Darkness.

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

Which is about an African river... 😉

@Maazzzo 3 місяці тому

I'm going to need Bill to come back and do Good Morning Vietnam and the original Magnum P.I., please!

@TheOnceMoreGaming 3 місяці тому

3:00 I'm surprised you didn't explain the quote. The reason he says he loves the smell is that Napalm was usually used as either an entrance or an exit strategy in order to guarantee safe passage of an area.

@TheBourbonWrench Місяць тому

Id love for an uncut version of these because there's so many times where he clearly has A LOT more to say but they just cut it short. When he gave We Were Soldiers a 5, he went on a rant and I need to hear it!

@arthurcuelho7279 3 місяці тому

I was born I 1966. I remember news videos showing videos from Vietnam. The memory that sticks with me was an M113 med evac, under fire, backing over the wounded. It was so brutal that no news agency today would ever display this in the news today.

@babachloe7140 3 місяці тому

We were soldiers for me is the end. There was no glorious charge into NVA hard defensive positions, by that time survival was the name of the game

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

Aside from that scene talked to some vets they give it about 80% to 70% accurate for the training, the main battle itself and how it depicted the battle and that type of warfare.

@andrewsummerour3692 3 місяці тому

Interesting how he brought up Dien Bien Phu, but also said a PAVN soldier blowing up a command bunker with a grenade is innacurate. That happened at Dien Bien Phu!

@michaelkneale3825 3 місяці тому

My belief was that the NVA were extremely effective in reconnaissance of American positions. Therefore, surely they would know where the command bunkers were.

@voodoo1094 3 місяці тому

Yeah the whole "Well it's night, you couldn't possibly see where the bunker is" logic seemed rather flawed. Sure you may not see very well at night, but it's not as if the bunker could just be moved around randomly. Targeting high priority targets such as those seems like an obvious choice and even if it goes wrong 99 of a 100 times, if there's one thing the VC could do, it was throwing people at problems.

@davidperdue7506 3 місяці тому

Problems because of finding it in the dark? The aerial flares had it lit up like broad daylight.

@gapshot5065 3 місяці тому

That was a sapper with a satchel charge not a grenade

@fhlostonparaphrase 3 місяці тому

"With a grenade"...sure looks like a suicide bomber to me. THAT is what he should have addressed, was that a common "tactic"?

@timh3576 Місяць тому

I enjoyed it! Thank you!

@joeadd5911 Місяць тому

Great analysis!!!

@TJTAS 3 місяці тому

It's a shame "Danger Close" is not mentioned. I know it's an Australian film and probably doesn't have the international exposure of a Hollywood block buster but it is a solid film. I would like to here this guy's opinion on that film. For anyone interested in Vietnam war movies I highly recommend it.

@granitesevan6243 3 місяці тому

Only just noticed that's R. Lee Ermey checking out that large weapon system in Apocalypse Now

@DoctorWondertainment-sb9ee 2 місяці тому

He was also Kilgore’s chopper pilot.

@edwardbloecher4563 3 місяці тому

Great video. I am a retired Army Infantryman. One thing though, Ross Perot actually did have 2 of his employees rescued from Iran in the 1970s.

@nitramgnal Місяць тому

Fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

@robvegas9354 3 місяці тому

Good to see 'Go Tell The Spartans' get a mention!

@TheGodDamnJets87 3 місяці тому

Boys in company C and siege at firebase gloria are great flicks too!

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

'Gloria' has the best human wave attack!

@vonjororo 3 місяці тому

Appreciate the 'Sources' outro!

@StudioMod 3 місяці тому

"Guy who wasn't in Vietnam talks about Vietnam when we could have gotten someone who was there". Thanks

@zaynevanday142 3 місяці тому

100% 💯

@fhlostonparaphrase 3 місяці тому

The best would have been a combination, a vet turned historian.

@Brainiaccccc 3 місяці тому

a vet would be biased, any American or Vietnamese probably is biased. Also, a veteran soldier has advantage only in telling story about his/her unit, operation and/or location. To know the big picture you still have to rely on testimony from other people, which any historian could do, being hopefully, unbiased and critically thinking.

@StudioMod 3 місяці тому

@@BrainiacccccPointlessly argumentative take. History itself is biased, my guy.

@hazardeur 3 місяці тому

still better to hear it from a historian that has knowledge of first hand accounts than from some grunt that was there who typically has much less incentive of delivering a neutral sentiment @@StudioMod

@alexdelarge209 3 місяці тому

'Go Tell the Spartans' with Burt Lancaster set back in '64 is never reviewed & is one, if not the, best Vietnam movies made.

@chrischerry2955 3 місяці тому

Broken arrow is still used to this day when troops are in danger of being overun to allow aircrew to drop closer than they normally would (very simple examination). It's basically a last resort call.

@nicolas44991 3 місяці тому

I tought the modern use of Broken Arrow was about a lost nuclear weapon ?

@jaspersmith5748 3 місяці тому

Danger close?

@ZeroOne-mp1qe 3 місяці тому

@@jaspersmith5748 only used for when you call in air support and you request it within about 600m of your position

@Ganiscol 3 місяці тому

No its not. Broken Arrow is one of the official terms describing incidents with nuclear weapons or reactors. In this case, a nuclear weapon that is (amongst other things but not limited to) no longer in possession and/or under control of the military, damaged or accidentally detonated. These terms, including Broken Arrow, are outlined in DoD directive 5230.16, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff manual 3150.03B and USAF Instructions 10-206 for internal and external use. They are official terminology. Anybody yelling that into a radio for the purpose you describe, is going to cause quite a bit of hectic confusion up and down the chain of command. Dropping ordnance close to friendlies is indeed called 'danger close'.

@jadger1871 3 місяці тому

@@Ganiscol lol Who's controlling nuclear missile launches via radio? There's a lot more secure means that are actually used. Words can have different meanings depending on context. You never say "repeat" (unless, as a FOO/FAC you really mean it) over military radio, but if someone says it over the CB no one will bat an eye.

@451degreesF 3 місяці тому

The longer these episodes are the more I enjoy them!

@Mohamedetp 3 місяці тому

I love how the historian is very knowledgeable

@cesaru3619 3 місяці тому

NOT!

@axnyslie 3 місяці тому

Totally agree with the assessment of Apocalypse Now. A perfect work of art as a film, but pretty far from reality in it's Vietnam War portrayal.

@casinodelonge 3 місяці тому

But a lot of the dialog was written by Michael Herr and some of the scenes based on his book Dispatches. That book is like a series of vignettes that captures the mood of the war from his perspective rather than forming a historical synopsis of the 2nd Indochina War.

@hossbeki9266 3 місяці тому

It's based on heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad,the massacre of Congo people by king leopold of Belgium in 19 th century

@rossbooth4635 3 місяці тому

It's an adaptation of Heart of Darkness first, and a war film second. Makes sense that it got fantastical with the details.

@carsonm7292 3 місяці тому

Apocalypse Now as an adaptation of Heart of Darkness is supposed to be surreal. It starts out fantastical and over-the-top, then slowly descends into madness by the end of the story. I don't think you can fault Apocalypse Now from a historical perspective because that'd be faulting it for not being something it's not trying to be. It was using a contemporary setting as the backdrop to critique interventionism as opposed to Conrad's contemporary criticism of colonialism in his day; the purpose is not to be accurate but to be evocative in order to make a point.

@Goldy-zw7fp 3 місяці тому

Would be nice to see two of the Australian movies, "Odd angry shot" and "Danger Close".

@johnharris6655 29 днів тому

I once heard a Vietnam vet tell a bunch of students who thought Platoon was an very real depiction of war. The vet said "No a real depiction would be you and 9 friends go see Platoon, 5 of them get killed , 2 are horribly wounded, 2 commit suicide when they get home and you are left with survivors guilt. "

@krymera666x7 10 днів тому

An ex of mine had an uncle, who was Canadian that volunteered to go to Nam. I met him just after I had joined the army. This guy was fully benefiting from VA, and was completely gone. His PTSD was very severe and I felt for him. Looking back now, as a fully benefited veteran with PTSD, I’m way more understanding of how he struggles every day and what the real effects are on a person. Nothing but love for all the Nam vets.

@thatnorwegianguy1986 3 місяці тому

A lot of vietnam vets said that Apocalypse Now was really representive of the madness in vietnam along with the movie Platoon. So would really like to hear from actual vets who were there

@-Zevin- 3 місяці тому

It was representative of the madness, just no representative of any real events or battles. I think that was more of his point.

@bigmike9558 3 місяці тому

That’s funny several Vietnam vets told me Platoon got it right.

@jamesrichey5334 2 місяці тому

This was fascinating. I had no idea there was even a difference between VC and PAVN; I thought they were all VC. And I'm from that era, so I didn't expect to learn anything but I did learn a lot from this review.

@ibubezi7685 Місяць тому

VC were the guerrillas in SVN - black pajama's and conical hats (which was basically farmers' clothing). As they had not enough people, NVA started to fill up the ranks (coming in via Laos/Cambodia). During TET ('68), the VC was basically wiped out 60.000+ KIA. From then on, the NVA fought as VC in the South until at the end, when they overran the South as NVA (again).

@polkbritton 3 місяці тому

My dad's best friend was in the battle of the Ia Drang at LZ XRay with Bravo 1/5 Cav. He said the movie was reasonably accurate but the ending was totally bogus. There was no final charge where helicopters swooped down in support with miniguns blazing. He said that in reality the end of the battle was anticlimactic --the PAVN just melted back into the jungle and didn't show up to fight.

@The_Not_So_Great_Cornholio 3 місяці тому

I've read a decent amount about Vietnam and my feeling is that the suicide guy who ran into the command bunker is absolutely plausible. The NVA were sneaky and would have already determined where the command bunker was. And they absolutely came inside the wire at night. I've read about soldiers who would wake up and see shadows running through camp: NVA.

@subzero9113 3 місяці тому

And from what family member who were in Vietnam said that there were Vietkong IN the wire sometimes. Occasionally they would catchone counting off morter pits or Machine gun nests.

@Desomorphinum 3 місяці тому

Bro this guy reads more about Vietnam in a year than you did your whole life. If he saids it's not realistic then you better believe it

@RSWT79 3 місяці тому

⁠@@DesomorphinumVC/PAVN/NVA sappers ready to die for their mission was the norm… they had a suicidal mission from the start, the bunker was the donut. Don’t read all your news from one source..

@The_Not_So_Great_Cornholio 3 місяці тому

@@subzero9113 sneaky bastards

@The_Not_So_Great_Cornholio 3 місяці тому

@@Desomorphinum I guess if the non-fiction I read doesn't match what he is saying I guess there's a problem.

@ThomasAT86 3 місяці тому

Finally a rating on "Apocalypse Now" by a Vietnam war historian. I always thought it's probably one of the closer ones to the real war, besides some of the super weird stuff, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks Insider and professor Bill Allison!

@moappleseider1699 3 місяці тому

First off it absolutely 1 of the most inaccurate movies about Vietnam. Secondly this guy is off on a lot of his "knowledge"

@Ganiscol 3 місяці тому

@@moappleseider1699 how many books with your "knowledge" got published? 😊

@maxiejohnson8356 3 місяці тому

@@Ganiscol Books aint the end all be all of knowledge. Also he got some stuff off. The Vietnamese tactics in Platoon was not correct, the VPA did not just charge in like that,. the motto was "Hold on to the enemy's waist and strike" as the VPA would lay ambushed around the clearing (obvious choice for heli to land) and start the attack once the American came close to minimize air and artillery support (at least he got this right), not open fire from far away then rush in like Call of duty bots. And the battle of Dien Bien Phu did not consist of just human waves, it was the waves that did not do much so Giap switched to offensive trenches (but the guy specialty is VNW, not the First Indochina War so Im gonna let that pass).

@jamesdownen8980 3 місяці тому

@@moappleseider1699 Yeah, for starters, full bird Col. Kurtz would've been the 5th SF Group commander, not a renegade A team leader who went nutz in the jungle!

@casinodelonge 3 місяці тому

The film is an amalgam of Hearts of Darkness, a novel based in the late 19th century and the experiences of Michael Herr, a journalist who wrote Dispatches which was a recollection of his experiences covering the war. Apocalypse Now doesnt ever present itself as a historical representation of the "2nd Indochina War and the historian commenting should really know better.

@mikhailv67tv 3 місяці тому

I’d like his call on the Australian movies about Vietnam. The Odd Angry Shot and Danger Close

@JosephHuether 3 місяці тому

“Green Beret”!… No mention of the hit song! I had a friend who sang it during a late 60s junior high talent show…and his classmates never let him forget it.

@MemoryofSouthVietnam 3 місяці тому

Unfortunately for many war movies, not just Vietnam ones, they are made by directors to feel right rather than be right. Also, many Vietnam movies are made with a narrative in the background as well.

@Bandog23 3 місяці тому

Nice to see you here, a lot of them were more artistic expressions than anything else, with the theme of the Vietnam war.

@alexisborden3191 3 місяці тому

Cue the joke about Americans making movies about how it made them feel sad to kill a bunch of brown people.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

3 film the Best films on Vietnam in my view are Danger Close, We Were Solders, And Hamburger Hill.

@Autobotmatt428 3 місяці тому

@@Bandog23 Apocalypse Now is a good example of that. Also FMJ.

@dtq3809 3 місяці тому

Nice to see you here, this historian bullshit is just wild

@michaelgross7016 3 місяці тому

actually there was so much evidence that pows were left behind that delta was ordered to prepare a rescue mission in 1981. the mission got scrubbed, but operators from that era say the Intel was rock solid that about 100 men were being held in Laos. also, under oath, former secretary of defense laird and former secretary of defense schlesinger both stated men were left behind. This based on intel they had access to. They said this under oath to the senate select committee. we left them behind, and we failed to rescue them. sad fact.

@taproom113 3 місяці тому

Exactly. Navy Commander Harley Hall was shot down on January 27, 1973 ... the last offensive day of the war. He was never returned. Recently, the family received a few teeth confirmed to be Harley's from his last dental exam (which recorded his teeth as extremely healthy), but scientific examination showed "years of periodontal disease due to chronic malnutrition". So it was confirmed he was alive and in captivity for many years 'after the war'. Harley's case is not the only similar one. Guess this guy missed the memo. ^v^

@fuzzydunlop7928 3 місяці тому

Jury's still out, you're allowed to be convinced privately, but it takes longer for enough evidence to be collected to cause people with skin in the game - who rely on their credibility - to throw their weight behind a claim.

@bradynorris1653 3 місяці тому

“War is a racket” -Marine General Smedley Butler, 1935.

@chuckschillingvideos 2 місяці тому

19:40 That was not your typical ground pounding Marine wielding a pro Nikon body he scored from the PX. His assignment was as a photographer detailed to Stars and Stripes and his camera would have been issued to him for his duties.