Customer Reviews

Return with Honor

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In what is probably the most revealing documentary ever created on ex-POW's from Vietnam, Return With Honor is an outstanding testament to absolute courage, honor, bravery, camaraderie, and survival.

Individual interviews woven with footage from United States and Vietnamese archives paint a very vivid and oftentimes emotional picture of the brutal experience suffered by our U.S. servicemen held captive in Hanoi.

Leaving very little to the imagination, this documentary explores the many facets of captivity to include barbaric torture, communication processes between prisoners, coping with solitary confinement, demoralizing loneliness, and inhuman living conditions. Additional interviews with the spouses of POW's reveal their pain and emotion they dealt with on the home front while not knowing the fates of their husbands.

Finishing off with their triumphant return home, it is truly inspirational and heartwarming to see the footage of these heroic men reunited with their families.

This DVD itself has superb sound and video qualities and offers good additional features such as 26 biographies of POW's and interviews with the producers on the making of Return With Honor.

This documentary comes very highly recommended to everyone and leaves you with a resounding message of patriotism and a deep respect for America and her U.S. servicemen.

I am definitely a priviledged service member. I work at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. I serve with Pete Peterson, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. Having walked through the doors of Hoa Lo Prison and viewed what is left of the infamous compound, I must say that the video truly puts into perspective the trials and tribulations of what those servicemembers went through. I have read the propaganda under photos of my Ambassador and of Everett Alvarez commenting of their humane treatment. The video gives some insight into how those activities came about. After viewing this documentary, I must say that we should all be proud of the ones who stand on that wall because all of us won't have the opportunity and those of us who will may not respond the same as these men did. I am honored to serve with just one of them! I am a privledged Marine who is living in one of the most famous landmarks in Marine history. This video is outstanding! Anyone who is interested in the history should view this video and I am here to tell you that it is the closest you can get to walking through that dark archway and feeling those walls and shackles. It is a must see for all veterans and civilians alike. I am appreciative of their sacrifices and praise their will to survive.

A film that should be watched by everyone. Words cannot describe the horrors and humiliations these men faced while in captivity, but this film effectively manages to convey the POWs' plight, their suffering, and their triumphant 'return with honor'.

Particularly compelling are their accounts of torture, their various methods of communication (the "tap code" in particular) and how a cough, a sneeze, or a blink was able to communicate a thousand words.

The newsreel images further bring these stories to life.

I cannot fathom how these men managed to endure for three, four, some six and seven years, and still maintain a belief in tomorrow and a will to endure.

This film is truly a testament to the human spirit.

The war *I* lived, safe here at home, critical of our involvement, was not the war fought by the men and families in this remarkable video. This is unlike any similar effort I have ever seen, and contains terror, humor, ethical struggle, and bravery; it shines a different light on that time. When it was over, I had to search out my POW/MIA bracelet that I wore for almost three years, and remember the moment "my" pilot came home again. I'll watch this video again, and again. . .when I am able, after some recovery time. Thanks to those with the vision to make it, and those who managed to live it.

Having seen the original film I had to get a copy to show to my friends. This documentary tells of the sacrafice that POW's in Vietnam made for this country in thier own word's. A truly inspirational film and a must view.

This piece is incredible. I caught it on PBS during one Memorial Day weekend a few years ago and was spellbound. I taped it onto VHS and watch it several times a year. It is an incredibly powerful documentary--the best television I've ever seen (thank goodness it's on DVD now as well).

Many of the descriptions of the experiences of the POW's of the Vietnam War that I was aware of centered around the torture that they went through. This video gave a fuller description of who our POW's were rather than the specific torture that they experienced. I don't know if enough was said about the leadership of people like Denton, Risner, and Stockdale. I was amazed at how normal the men looked given the horrors that they went through. I heard nothing of permanent damage. There was a brief section on what the wives experienced. I don't remember anything on the diet of the POW's. I never knew that there had been at least one escape (for which the recaptured POW's and remaining POWs paid dearly). I would have liked to know how many POW's died in prison. I was also surprised to hear that some thought their treatment got better after the death of Ho Chi Mihn.

For a full picture of who our pow's were and what they experienced done in a format that was tolerable for the more squeamish among us I think this was very well done.

This goes beyond just telling about the pilots and sailor who were captured and held as POWs in the Hanoi Hilton, it shows how the North viewed these men. The film footage used in this movie from Viet Nam's own files is incredable as you watch the men being parading in front of crowds with the crowds scaring even the NVA soilders. I really felt like I had a better understanding as the men told their stories as their captor's pictures show it as it happens. No Hanks or Stone here. This is as it happened, with the only lens being the camara, not a writer's or a director's.

A must view for everyone. The United States Navy's core values are based on Courage, Honor and Commitment; this film has all of that and more. I was deeply moved by the heroism of the Viet Nam POW's and was sickened to see the terrible treatment they received while captive in North Viet Nam. I think we should make this film mandetory viewing for all United States military members and show it to the children in our schools. It leaves a person feeling patriotic and thankful to be an American.

This is one of the best documentaries ever. I'm not a "war person," but this movie gave me a profound respect for what happened during the Vietnam War, and the power patriotism can inspire--and did inspire on both sides--and the immense strength of human spirits. Not having been yet born during the War, this film contained loads of footage I'd never seen. I felt it gave a compassionate and haunting look into the brutalities that happened. Words can't fully describe what each person is likely to experience watching this film.