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The other two regiments were only a little bit better off. This film shows some battle footage I've ...
on February 10, 2017
My dad served with the First Marine Regiment, I was a preschooler when he came home. This is the only film about that battle that agrees with all the things he said about that place. It was hard to see the fights and bitter cold he talked about. They interviewed men who served with the Fifth and Seventh Regiments, they couldn't find any still alive from the First Regiment, there weren't enough of them, only 648 of about 5000. The other two regiments were only a little bit better off. This film shows some live battle footage I've never seen before, dead Chinese everywhere. It shows just how cold cold can be. Now I know where my dads swagger came from. At the end of this film the men recounted how many men were still alive in their units after each fight, my dad had said the same kind of things except the smallest numbers were 9, 7, and 3. The Marines saved about 90,000 refugees. This film shows the grave yard the Korean refugees made by going back and finding the remains of the men who saved their lives. It's huge, beautiful, and heart breaking.
Normally I don't write reviews but this film stands head and shoulders above the rest, especially the PBS American Experience one by Randall Maclowry. They didn't do their homework, and they certainly didn't find men with swagger. All the men they interviewed showed no signs of frostbite, they still had all their fingers, and looked like they wondered if they had said things right. Their numbers don't add up. This film reports that each regiment of 5000 were attacked by 40000 Chinese soldiers. My dad said there were between 30000 and 40000 that his regiment fought and the other 2 regiments were hit every bit as hard.
There is no glory in war, but there is valor. This film isn't for the weak, it will shake you up, and show you what Marines are made of.
Normally I don't write reviews but this film stands head and shoulders above the rest, especially the PBS American Experience one by Randall Maclowry. They didn't do their homework, and they certainly didn't find men with swagger. All the men they interviewed showed no signs of frostbite, they still had all their fingers, and looked like they wondered if they had said things right. Their numbers don't add up. This film reports that each regiment of 5000 were attacked by 40000 Chinese soldiers. My dad said there were between 30000 and 40000 that his regiment fought and the other 2 regiments were hit every bit as hard.
There is no glory in war, but there is valor. This film isn't for the weak, it will shake you up, and show you what Marines are made of.
on March 7, 2012
My parents remember the Korean War vividly. They were young and had just survived Japanese occupation. Brother fought against brother, and families were torn apart. But to this day, my parents will always be grateful to the Americans who came and saved their world, allowed them to pursue their futures and know a life free from oppression-something some of their friends would never experience. It was a war that receives little recognition here, but in the minds of people like my parents, the sacrifice of American soldiers will never be forgotten. Watching a documentary like this one- to see the faces and hear the words of these men- makes me realize that many of us have forgotten the price that many have paid for peace. The documentary's strength lies not in graphic images of death or fighting, but in listening to the memories of these men who endured horrific conditions and frequently overwhelming odds . Most of the film is made up of interviews of these veterans, who bear both physical and emotional scars that are still painful after all this time. Their accounts reveal portraits of bravery and kindness interspersed with suffering of both soldiers and civilians. Yes, this is perhaps a very simplified portrayal - no mention is made of the darker side of soldiers and their actions- but that was not the point of this documentary. We need to learn about those early days of the Cold War and remember those men that allowed people like my parents to live in a world of freedom and democracy. The Korean War remains a chapter in American history that receives little attention, and I hope that documentaries like this one will change that.
on May 21, 2017
Superb account of one of the greatest feats in all of military history. Only U.S. Marines could have done something as impossible as what the First Marine Division did in the bitter cold of that Korean winter. The Marines not only endured, they inflicted massive casualties on the Chinese who engulfed them and outnumbered them by a huge factor. They fought their way about eighty miles, cut off and totally surrounded, to the sea. They were written off as "lost" by the Pentagon, and the Chinese were celebrating the defeat of U.S. Marines for the first time in history, but the Chinese trap exploded in their face. Marines don't surrender, and for the men caught in the trap, they came out fighting, they came out like Marines, bringing their dead, wounded, and equipment with them.
The Marines who are interviewed are truly heroes . Their ordeal by fire and ice stands as a singular event in the history of men at war. The film "Chosin" does a great job of getting a deeply personal look at what these heroes experienced. I highly recommend this documentary.
The Marines who are interviewed are truly heroes . Their ordeal by fire and ice stands as a singular event in the history of men at war. The film "Chosin" does a great job of getting a deeply personal look at what these heroes experienced. I highly recommend this documentary.
on May 23, 2014
I teach US History. Here are some responses from my students after watching this:
"This war cannot just be forgotten many men died for the rights and freedoms that so many people, including me, take for granted. Let this documentary of the struggles and bravery of these marines help us to be thankful and to count our blessings everyday! May those who died not be forgotten and let those that survived know that they didn't fight The Forgotten War, but saved thousands of people that lived in South Korea from having to be forced to live under communism. This documentary has truly made me proud to say that I get to live in the land where these marines fought for the rights that we have today! Thank you MARINES!!!!!"
"I learned from the veterans that freedom has a price. It gives me a great deal of respect for them because they were willing to pay that price with their lives if necessary. The spirit and dedication of the marine corps is truly amazing-it is no wonder they are the best fighting forces in the world."
"The men that we were privileged to hear about in the video about the Chosin Reservoir especially deserve to be remembered for their dutiful but heroic service to our country. Just as their duty was to fight for their nation, our duty now is to remember and honor them for what they have been through."
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” and we should treat our veterans accordingly.
"I never realized the horror of what went on at the Chosin. I guess this really made me sober and think about this in a way i haven't before. I gave me a true respected for our troops and veterans. You don't really realize what people go through while you are in your own little "protected" world. What impacted me the most i would say is how these men had witnessed their buddies brutally murdered, or even a man you don't know personally. It must have been such a traumatic and dramatic experience for these brave and courageous men."
"I walked away with a new outlook on life, for the better."
Semper Fi!
"This war cannot just be forgotten many men died for the rights and freedoms that so many people, including me, take for granted. Let this documentary of the struggles and bravery of these marines help us to be thankful and to count our blessings everyday! May those who died not be forgotten and let those that survived know that they didn't fight The Forgotten War, but saved thousands of people that lived in South Korea from having to be forced to live under communism. This documentary has truly made me proud to say that I get to live in the land where these marines fought for the rights that we have today! Thank you MARINES!!!!!"
"I learned from the veterans that freedom has a price. It gives me a great deal of respect for them because they were willing to pay that price with their lives if necessary. The spirit and dedication of the marine corps is truly amazing-it is no wonder they are the best fighting forces in the world."
"The men that we were privileged to hear about in the video about the Chosin Reservoir especially deserve to be remembered for their dutiful but heroic service to our country. Just as their duty was to fight for their nation, our duty now is to remember and honor them for what they have been through."
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” and we should treat our veterans accordingly.
"I never realized the horror of what went on at the Chosin. I guess this really made me sober and think about this in a way i haven't before. I gave me a true respected for our troops and veterans. You don't really realize what people go through while you are in your own little "protected" world. What impacted me the most i would say is how these men had witnessed their buddies brutally murdered, or even a man you don't know personally. It must have been such a traumatic and dramatic experience for these brave and courageous men."
"I walked away with a new outlook on life, for the better."
Semper Fi!
on January 14, 2015
This is an awesome account of the Battle of Chosin, the battle in which some 12,000 US troops came up against 120,000 Chinese Communist soldiers. Completely surrounded, the US troops had to fend off nightmarish attacks from all sides as they fought their way south towards the coast, all the time suffering from the bitter cold and lack of artillery or other external support. 3,000 died; 9,000 were left with permanent physical injuries or amputations from frost bite. I won't spoil the end for you but I heartily recommend this movie for anyone who would like to get started learning about the Korean War.
As a military veteran myself, I was greatly moved by the movie 'We Were Soldiers Once and Young" and went on to read both Col. Hal Moore's book and Joe Galloway's book on the Battle of La Drang Valley during the Vietnam war. This movie "Chosin" has done the same and I now see that learning more about the Korean War is important if I am going to understand the present cold war between North and South Korea. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
As a military veteran myself, I was greatly moved by the movie 'We Were Soldiers Once and Young" and went on to read both Col. Hal Moore's book and Joe Galloway's book on the Battle of La Drang Valley during the Vietnam war. This movie "Chosin" has done the same and I now see that learning more about the Korean War is important if I am going to understand the present cold war between North and South Korea. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
on August 14, 2016
This is a fantastic documentary not just of the Korean war, but of all the twentieth wars the U. S. became involved in. It supplements the book written about Gen. Oliver Smith, the Marine Corp commander in charge of the Chosin. Reservoir campaign. Gen. Smith became the epitome of an excellent and empathetic commander in my estimation as a result of his leadership. In addition "East of Chosin" by Ray Appleman gives a very detailed account of the problems encountered by Smith's command. As a result of Smith's decision to do "what was needed" to fight and survive, he had to buck the Tokyo command of Gen. MacArthur and his naive and flunky subordinates. This resulted in Smith never obtaining the just recognition he should have received. If one never reads much of this oft neglected war the one episode deserving attention is the Chosin Reservoir.
on January 11, 2015
Perhaps love is not the right grade; intense, realistic, horrifying, shocking. . .all these words apply and yet do not sum up this film. These two military men who gathered Korean War veterans and allowed them to tell their stories did a great service to the men who fought the war and to those of us who actually did not understand how bad it was. I've watched tv programs that presented facts about the war, but nothing brought the horror of what happened at the reservoir to me - the viewer -like listening to these men as they recounted what they went through. I know this was the most accurate account available because my husband agreed with everything these veterans said. He was sent to Korea in 1950 as a 17-year-old Marine and was part of the 1st Marine Division's march back from the Chosin Reservoir. He survived, but now I realize how many did not; the percentage is astounding. Thank you to the producers of this film for helping the rest of us understand.
on March 4, 2017
This is one of the greatest documentaries I have seen. This should be a required see for anyone who advocates going to war. I am a Korean Veteran and know what it was like. The ones who produced this movie should be commended for bringing it to the screen and telling it what it was like. Others who have seen this documentary about the "Forgotten War" couldn't believe that anyone could go through battles like this.
on June 18, 2014
As an amateur historian who has followed various wars and the history and stories behind those wars I can only say, "From where do such as these men come?"
First hand accounts of hell. Marines and Soldiers fighting for another moment of life in conditions that would make others turn to mush and dig their own grave! References, pictures, background and video of what has to have been one of the most terrifying yet defining moment in the lives of the warriors who fought these multiple battles and became the Chosin 'Few'.
If you stand in awe of such bravery and courage while knowing full well you will probably die, and, as I, simply thank God for this kind of resoluteness and steadfastness under fire, than this movie will be well worth your time. There are not enough accolades to describe such behavior. Outnumbered from day one and often 20 to 1, using the enemy bodies (and sometimes those of your own dead buddies) to build a 'hole' (because the ground could not be dug) to fight from, seeing companies reduced to 15 or 20 functional, carrying the frozen bodies of people who ate a cold dinner with you to the morgue in the morning... and going back up to fight again. I do not know if we, in America, now have the "stuff" that made up these immortal souls (and I know we've had the same kind of "do or die" in Vietnam, the Middle East, Mosul, Fallujah and Nasiriyah, and in the small but heroic battles throughout that region, no disrespect, but we are looking at unprepared, less trained, 'civilian' warriors at Chosin)
Watch this with your grandchildren or children. Unbelievable story of heroism, courage under conditions that turn most to water, and "no greater love...". (as a side note - I read "Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story" by O'Donnell, a worthy companion to this DVD).
First hand accounts of hell. Marines and Soldiers fighting for another moment of life in conditions that would make others turn to mush and dig their own grave! References, pictures, background and video of what has to have been one of the most terrifying yet defining moment in the lives of the warriors who fought these multiple battles and became the Chosin 'Few'.
If you stand in awe of such bravery and courage while knowing full well you will probably die, and, as I, simply thank God for this kind of resoluteness and steadfastness under fire, than this movie will be well worth your time. There are not enough accolades to describe such behavior. Outnumbered from day one and often 20 to 1, using the enemy bodies (and sometimes those of your own dead buddies) to build a 'hole' (because the ground could not be dug) to fight from, seeing companies reduced to 15 or 20 functional, carrying the frozen bodies of people who ate a cold dinner with you to the morgue in the morning... and going back up to fight again. I do not know if we, in America, now have the "stuff" that made up these immortal souls (and I know we've had the same kind of "do or die" in Vietnam, the Middle East, Mosul, Fallujah and Nasiriyah, and in the small but heroic battles throughout that region, no disrespect, but we are looking at unprepared, less trained, 'civilian' warriors at Chosin)
Watch this with your grandchildren or children. Unbelievable story of heroism, courage under conditions that turn most to water, and "no greater love...". (as a side note - I read "Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story" by O'Donnell, a worthy companion to this DVD).
