Customer Reviews

Vietnam - The Air War [VHS]

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AWESOME documentary on the 1/7th Cav main battle in Vietnam.. highly recommend it.

This series, presented by Walter 'most trusted man in America' Cronkite is good for anyone one wanting to view an unbiased account of the Vietnam war. There is no Barber's Adagio over the footage, no critical narration - it lets the footage and facts speak for itself - boo-koo information as a VET would say.

This was a brief and very telling anecdote to the later "feel good" film, We Were Soldiers" of the same battle, the Ia Drang Valley battle of Nov 14-18 1965. This brief documentary includes reminiscences of participants including Colonel Moore of the First of the 7th Air Cav, and Colonel Anh of the NVA and his superior officer, who were in command of the battle. It is far more honest in its representation which includes memory of the haymaker ambush by the NVA after the main battle was over (the Americans thought). The battle was highly significant since General Westmoreland chose to ignore the disastrous ambush and take his lesson from the main battle, which the US "won" in terms that had little application in Vietnam, and also Secretary of Defense Macnamara may have concluded, based on this battle, that the war was unwinnable in any terms the American people would accept, yet kept his counsel for three more years. The Hollywood film, we were soldiers, based on Col. Moore's study of the battle, was dishonest and a disservice to Colonel Moore and all the brave soldiers on both sides who fought this battle. It came out just in the wake of 9/11 and as we were gearing up for Iraq and may have fed the need for Americans to feel good about themselves, but it was an historical atrocity which this earlier documentary repairs.

Charles Bland Niagara Falls NY

An ABC News VIDEO,Hosted by Forrest Saywer of DAY ONE, A video version of We Were Soldiers Once And Young which is 25% Fiction and should'nt be considerd as history. ABC News takes Jack P. Smith(coward at LZ ALBANY and of the Vietnam war accoording to the uniform code of military Justice art. 99), of ABC News and Host of ABC NEWS VIDEO "VIETNAM The Soldiers Story"Which volume one "AMBUSH! THE BATTLE OF THE IA DRANG is a take off of Saywers "They Were Young and Brave" and Galloways and Col.Moores "We Were Soldiers Once And Young". Smith does correct some of the mistakes from "They Were Young and Brave" BUT!! not all of them. , Galloway (plegerist) at U.S.News and World Report and Col.Moore (had no knowledge of airmobile tatics) the Battalion Commander of the 1 Battalion 7 cavalry 1 cavalry Division Airmobile, and a select group of veterans back to the battle field of LZ XRAY NOV 14,1965,LZ ALBANY 17 NOV 1965. The video a collection of shorts of the 10000 Day War,and Vietnam TV History, video shot during the trip and combat film shot after 5:00pm when the team arrived at X-RAY. Saywer(Who caught malira during the trip) and ABC News trying to bolster Day Ones rating aired "They Were Young and Brave" on Jan 10,1994 and June 29,1995 of 1 Hour each, "Prime Time". THINGS WRONG Helicopter being shot down. Helicopter is from village war and the PAVN gunner is from TET, The rest of the mistakes Quoated by Saywer the corrections are Taken from We Were Soldiers Once and young so I'll put the page and number. Col. Moore did'nt call in the BROKEN ARROW code, The FAC LT. Charlie W. Hastings did. Page 7 and 149. The lost Platoon wase'nt rescued in the morning but in the afternoon at 3:00pm by Tully's 2/5,Page 174. The combat film team did'nt get to X-Ray until 5:00PM they came in with B company of the 2/7, Capt. Forrest of the 1/5 did'nt fly in the day before, They walked in with McDades 2/7. on the way to LZ Abany. The 2 PAVN captured at LZ Albany were ARMED not unarmed page 225, Jack P. Smiths story dose'nt match his orignal story from the Saturday Evening Post Jan 28,1967 page 263 when he is used as a sand bag, Smith changed his story when he spoke at the Wall becouse any veteran there would know he was lying.From the post page 82 3rd coloum bottom of page SMITH " His feet were by my head and his head WAS BETWEEN MY FEET!!!! as you see the hot rounds coulnt hit him in the back!!. BY SP/4 RUSSELL L. ROSS D TROOP 2/7 garry owen(RECON PLATOON)loneranger32, B company 1/511 inf airborne 11 AirAssualt test 90mm Recoilless Rifle antitank gunner, B company 2/8 1st cavalry division Airmobile, the 511 became the 2/8