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For many Americans, especially those born after the Vietnam War ended in 1975, images of that cataclysmic and controversial conflict were forged by Hollywood: “Apocalypse Now.” “The Deer Hunter.” “Platoon.” “Full Metal Jacket.”
But as powerful as those staged moments are (who can forget Robert Duvall leading a helicopter assault in “Apocalypse”), be prepared to have those images of Vietnam replaced by harrowing scenes plucked from reality.
For his new Apple TV+ documentary series “Vietnam: The War That Changed America” (streaming now), British director Rob Coldstream (“John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial”) and his team poured through 1,000 hours of archival footage and spent a year reading countless war accounts.
Their mission: tell the intimate stories of veterans on both sides of the conflict through found footage of those very protagonists. They would watch stunning videotape and track down the aging vets, or read shocking written accounts and dig up original footage of those moments.
The result are gripping episodes whose titles, such as “Boots on the Ground” or “Mutiny,” telegraph the drama. Narrated in appropriately grave tones by actor Ethan Hawke, the series explores the political saga of a fated conflict that claimed nearly 60,000 U.S. lives while focusing on highly personal tales that seem like ready-made movie screenplays.
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“What struck me profoundly was that for many of these people we spoke with, their Vietnam experience lasted for six months and happened a half a century ago, and yet all of them were profoundly changed by having gone there,” says Coldstream.
There is, for example, the story of Bill Broyles, Jr., who at 25 left an Oxford scholarship to enlist and wound up leading a platoon of disillusioned teenagers who were an itchy trigger away from killing him. In “Vietnam,” Broyles, a screenwriter who went on to create the 1980s TV series “China Beach,” and one of those platoon members share their reflections of those tense times, as they emotionally reunite in a bar, 50 years later.
There’s also Larry Chambers, who during the war commanded the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway.
When told a small plane flown by a South Vietnamese fighter pilot with his wife and 5-year-old son requested to land, Chambers ignored orders and told his crew to push helicopters off his ship to clear room for the plane. Not only do we glimpse the choppers splashing into the sea, Chambers also is seen reuniting decades after the event with the the pilot’s son, who thanks him for saving his life.
Caught behind enemy lines, military DJ John Bagwell knew it was kill or be killed
And then there’s John Bagwell, a sunny fresh-faced DJ who found himself surrounded by North Vietnamese soldiers during the violent Tet Offensive of 1968, arguably the war’s turning point as it marked the first time U.S. forces realized victory might not be swift or assured.
“There were nine of us,” Bagwell tells USA TODAY. “Five were taken prisoner, three were killed and I managed to escape and spent two days behind enemy lines before I found our troops.”
Far from bitter, Bagwell, who was forced to kill enemy soldiers during his escape, says talking about his experiences has proved cathartic. He only wishes more veterans would do the same.
“I get it; it was a tough experience for many. I have a cousin who has maybe said five words to me in 50 years about his time in Vietnam,” he says. “But a lot of us are old and won’t be here much longer, and it’s good to hear the stories.”
By contrast, Bagwell vividly recalls his stateside return. Expecting applause, many veterans like him faced the ire of the nation’s swelling anti-war movement, whose protests pitted neighbor against neighbor depending on whether the war was seen as a heroic stand against Communism or a waste of young American lives.
But with the passing of years, Bagwell says he saw attitudes shift. “I have a hat that says Vietnam Vet, and when I walk into a Cracker Barrel with it, often people will thank me for my service or even buy me a meal,” he says. “That wasn’t the case 50 years ago, so that’s nice.”
‘Vietnam’ does not shy away from featuring interviews with elderly North Vietnamese soldiers
“Vietnam” illuminates because of its focus on the human stories, whether it’s the tale of two best friends whose bond is temporarily fractured when one becomes an anti-war leader, or the story of a foreign correspondent’s wife who, eager to prove her own mettle as a reporter, winds up with a notebook and tape recorder during the horrific battle of Hue. “Vietnam” features grainy, choppy and revealing footage of all them 50-odd years ago, fresh faced, eager, wide-eyed and scared.
Intriguing interviews with the North Vietnamese enemy, known as Viet Cong, show soldiers explaining in their native language what they were fighting for and how they persevered, leading to the unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. forces as they marched triumphantly into the capital of Saigon.
It is precisely these impassioned voices on both sides that humanize one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts, which saw more than 2 million Vietnamese killed.
“We didn’t want this series to be one big downer, which is what led us to focus on the relationships that were forged,” says Coldstream. “Finding what we did, whether it was audio or video of our featured interview subjects, was just a filmmaker’s dream.”
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