British Guy Reacting to The Vietnam War for the first time
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
- If you enjoyed this video don't forget to Like and Subscribe it really is appreciated
Link to my new channel: / @lavarzzz182
Link to My Twitch: / lavluka
To join my discord click this link
Join my Discord: / discord
Links to my socials
Twitter: / lav_tmp
What you don't see is the damage it did to the soldiers who fought in this war. I had a friend with PTSD from being there. He took his own life because he couldn't handle it.
so so sorry to hear that, RIP
Sorry for your loss.
@@lavluka6210 That sux. I hope I never experience a war in my lifetime
What does pstd do to soldiers ?
@@humansabouttoraidmars5343 PTSD is when you experience a traumatic situation.
American here: very sad how little we are taught about this war. In my high school it was summed up in TWO pages.
different for everyone i guess. my highschool spent quite a bit on it
What a shame
Fun fact: The draft isn't used currently, but it still exists and every male in the U.S. is still required by law to sign up for the draft at the age of 18.
A lot of people couldn't get drafted anyway from the original rules of the draft though. It's also no longer necessary and if the US for whatever reason did need people I'm sure plenty would volunteer
And you don't have to Join if you have medical conditions that would deem you useless
@@hunter9231999 You still have to sign. It's just not enforced.
@@roscoe_p_coltrane I've never been asked to sign nun for the military
@@hunter9231999 I get asked every time I go to the dmv
My grandfather was actually in this war. Happy he is still here till this day
yeah me too ive seen pictures of my grandpa in the war and he looks exactly like my dad
I hope he lives a happy life❤️👍
Had a brother in law who served in the Navy. Came home went to school worked 3 jobs just to put the memories of the jungle behind him. Only spoke about the silly things he did on ship I was in highschool asked him if his ship was ever fired upon, said yeah we fired back.
Same with my uncle, he was there during the tet offensive
my grandpa also, but he was a VietCong
Aussies fought with American troops, also I believe there some British special forces as well
And South Koreans.
I’m assuming they didn’t teach them about it. It’s a topic the school’s try to avoid because of the outcome
@@rickydillard1819 It is still mostly a footnote in terms of their history. The things going on in Europe at the time were of much more importance to them.
@@ajw5138 ya
The British actually fought against Communist forces in Vietnam (with the help of re-armed Japanese POWs) right after WW2, but were later relieved by returning French colonial forces.
Ken Burns' The Vietnam War is an amazing documentary, that I actually wouldn't be surprised if this video was inspired by. It goes very deep into the events, and a lot of first hand accounts and interviews. Not just Americans either, a lot of the Vietnamese interviews are excellent, anytime Bao Nihn is talking its surreal. The documentary is 18 hours total though, split into 10 episodes, so its probably not feasible to do a reaction even edited down, but still, its an excellent piece of film making nonetheless.
I was going to suggest this too. Way too much for a youtube reaction but he should definitely check it out, he would appreciate it. Best documentary I've ever watched.
When it came out a couple of years ago, I was very impressed. But I also noticed that it came and went without a whole lot of cultural impact. I think this is still a war many Americans do not want to think about.
@@johnalden5821 yeah in school they be like: yeah Vietnam war happen too.
The Tunnels (well a handful at the very least I forget the exact location) still exist and you can actually tour them to get a sense of how frightening it actually was to go into them.
*Those individuals who were sent to go and clear them were called Tunnel Rats* It was not a job you wanted.
One of my uncles was a tunnel rat. Because he was only 5’5” he was also crazier then a shit house rat so he actually loved it.
It’s Cu Chi tunnel, near Ho Chi Minh city, if you come to Vietnam 🇻🇳, you might like the food, learn something new about history and culture here ☺️
@@HaNguyen312k
Me personally I love Vietnamese Culture and the Food myself. Where I live at in New Orleans, Louisiana USA 🇺🇸 has a HUGE Vietnamese Population. The street signs are in both English, and in Vietnamese too!
@@srice8959 😊😊😊 so happy when you told that, some Vietnamese leave from Vn after 1975 to America, that why they bring the cuture all around the world, we still love them because we still spoken the same language, and only one country, so hope they knew where they was born and who they need to trust 😊
@@HaNguyen312k
I’ve got to agree with you completely. Right now there’s certain groups here in America that are really try to Sow Divison in my country. When in fact we should all be celebrating our many Different cultures that we have! I’ve always had a thing for the Vietnamese people and especially the woman. I mean that in a non creepy kinda way. That’s because when I was 16 my first serious girlfriend was Vietnamese, and French mix. Her family really embraced me, and they they taught me all about their Beautiful culture. Especially about the history of Vietnam. Along with the rough time that it took them to come to America. Her Mama, and Father was snuck into America by a navy commander they befriended. Damn Talking about all of this really has me craving some Bánh Mì right now!! One more thing that I really respected was how forgiving the people of Vietnam are. Normally after a nation had been at war with another nation for as long as Vietnam 🇻🇳 and America 🇺🇸 had been. There’s normally some BAD Blood, and most of the time it’s flat out hatred. From whatQ I’ve seen the people of Vietnam don’t hold those feelings. The yuh My dad and uncles all fought in, and even though they were in the middle of a war they never hated the people. After the war two of my uncles went back to see how much Huế has changed, and surprisingly how much it’s stayed the same time. Once the Rona is over I’m planning to go for 10 days. I want to see the history & all of the culture that Vietnam has to offer!!! I’m a HUGE history buff!!! Stay safe during the time of the Rona
My Grandfather was in the Vietnam war, he was a bomber pilot/aerial navigator. He passed away last week at 84 years old.
As is said: "Only the dead see the End of War" for now that seems to hold true.
RIP Grandad.
He must have also served in Korea
The US and Vietnam actually have great relations. Both the government and population of both nations have very positive views toward each other overall. There is little animosity over it. The US and Vietnam are partners against Chinese expansion (China actually invaded Vietnam in 1979, after helping them throughout he war, due to them ending the genocide in Cambodia).
The US has a good relationship with Vietnam now, or pretty much the same as the rest of SE Asia. The US also has a lot of refugees from Vietnam. Refugees came at least into the 1990s.
That has become an interesting turn of events with Vietnam. I found it weird and kind of inspiring that Vietnam hosted the talks between North Korea and the US in 2019.
@@chaost4544 Between the US and North Korea, Vietnam is essentially a neutral party.
As Churchill said, there are no permanent enemies or allies, only permanent national interests.
well jaeh the usa had an embargo up to 1994 with vietnam and just put back diplimatic relations in 1995 and trading in 2001 ... but basicly the usa understood they lost and accepted something they seem do not able with cuba xD
@@jacklewis5452 Churchill is so damn right. The average American in 1800 would have looked at you crazy if you told them the Brits and Americans are the closest allies. Britain and France are also strange bedfellows given their history.
I'm 66. I served in the Army from 1973-76; I was in no danger of being sent to Vietnam. Even in the context of the time, our involvement was a mistake. Our government, regardless of the party in control, couldn't see straight when it came to "communism." Vietnam had finally defeated the occupying French, when here comes the USA deciding that it should take over from the French and deny the Vietnamese the internal freedom to decide upon their own government. A fact that should be taught in schools is that Nixon conspired with South Vietnamese leaders to scuttle LBJ's peace negotiations with the North. Nixon did this in secret before he was even elected. In my opinion, the U.S. hasn't fought a war of necessity since WWII. If you truly support the troops, you would keep them from being sent where they don't need to be.
so Afghanistan wasnt necessary ?????? Al-Qaeda attacked our people???? wtf are you on
Vietnam is a heroic country.
We never attack we protect our country
@@midnightbat344 so Vietnam we invaded your country huh?
@@phuotkhampha8562 tôi việt nam nè
@@midnightbat344 á đù
@@phuotkhampha8562 2 THANG MAY RANH QUA HA :))
My Dad was a medic in Vietnam. He had nightmares for years, he'd scream in his sleep til my Mom woke him up. He won't talk about it to this day and he's an old man now. On the flip side, I worked with a Vietnamese guy who fought for north Vietnam AS A CHILD. Not necessarily "forced" but said that war was everywhere, it was what had to be done. Such a crazy world...
@@Thongdong365 🤷♀️ That's just what he told me, I wasn't there. Maybe he said/meant IN the North not necessarily FOR the North, as you point out. As I mentioned, he said war was everywhere in his country and he had to do what needed to be done to survive, not because he had a particular leaning towards North vs South but because he was a Vietnamese child living in Vietnam during war. All I know is that war has deeply traumatic lasting affects on all involved, that's all I was trying to communicate. But I hear you and concede your point about outside countries/militaries manipulating leadership and the narrative to gain further power and wealth. I also agree with your assessment of what the Vietnam War was really about, which was NOT a civil war but an occupation. Best wishes to you.
Fun fact… America’s military involvement in southeast Asia during the Vietnam war started shortly before I was born and ended when I got married in 1975. My entire childhood and into my adulthood was tainted by that war. Four of my brothers served in American military during that time. It was really terrible and incredibly stressful. What a mess.
I was in college when the Kent State Massacre occurred. Most of the colleges and the universities shut down in protest. I was at the University of California. Some professors kept their classes going, some ended classes altogether and just gave out grades. Some professors moved their classes off campus. Some professors held final exams then ended the class. One of the buildings I had a class in was fire bombed, and the class had to be moved.
Berkeley was a hotbed of protests. I walked into an off campus book store one day and went right into the middle of a cloud of tear gas that was still lingering from National Guard troops having fired on protesting students. At one point, National Guardsmen lined up to prevent students from moving from one side of the campus to the other (Ronald Reagan was governor of California at the time and he went fully hard line against protesters). A new bank building had just opened off campus, and it was designed so that once protesters came by and broke out all of the windows, the bank could just add wood walls to replace the windows, to make it look like it was planned like that all along. One protest led to all of the parking meters along the main street in front of the campus to be smashed.
There are videos about Kent State on TH-cam. You might want to check them out.
@corvus13 they call it a "massacre" but it wasn't. Only 4 students were killed and 9 wounded, students that never should have been there in the first place since everyone got the word that there would be no protests allowed after students fire-bombed the ROTC building on the campus, and the rioted and set fires in the town of Kent the night before. The Ohio National Guard was already on duty in the area, and the Governor called them in after protestors attacked police with bottles and rocks.
@deazy Right, from my recollection, some of the students killed were not even demonstrating -- just felled by stray bullets as innocent bystanders.
I recommend reacting to Oversimplified’s Russian Revolution and Mini-Wars videos. Sam O’Nella makes great videos as well.
I agree
I third this Notion
the russian revolution was probably the single most important even of the 20th century, it shifted and defined the political landscape of the world ever since, and is defiantly something that people should learn about
@Carter Mackenzie fo sure.
@Carter Mackenzie what happened to sam? He hasn't posted in forever...
Ho Chi MInh was a nationalist and not necessarily a communist. His sole purpose was to free the Vietnamese from colonial rule. At the Versailles peace conference in 1919, President Wilson wanted to end all colonies by European powers and wanted the native people to have freedom to rule themselves. Ho Chi Minh showed up in Paris to meet with Wilson because Ho Chi Minh loved the concept of America. He never got that meeting. He tried once again after WW2 trying to get a meeting with America again to ask for their help in gaining independence from France. Charles DeGaulle said to the USA that if the US tried to intervene on Ho Chi Minh's behalf , France would become part of the Soviet Union sphere of influence. Secretary of State Dulles, turned Ho Chi Minh down saying he was a communist. Well, he became one. They defeated the France in 1954, despite billions of American aid and then the USA sent in military advisors....then this video. The Vietnamese defeated the Chinese, helped defeat Japan (on the side of America and the UK), defeated the French and then defeated the USA. That's the power of nationalism.
True
Well said ! Thanks !
My mom who was from Nha Trang, Vietnam was born in 1961.. she came to America when she was 19 thanks to her brother, a south Vietnamese soldier during the war, who was now able to live in the U.S.
She lost another soldier brother to the war and frankly I’m astonished and saddened that I have my 4 other aunts and uncles still here (there were 12 siblings in total, but a couple died in childhood)
The chemical warfare used by the US has devastated the Vietnamese to this day with many generations being born deformed and ill and abandoned due to the lasting effects and chemical change of their ancestors dna. Also the Buddhists who protested, he drew the image but didn’t mention that some protested by publicly setting themselves on fire without uttering a single whimper or cry until they died. There’s an actual photo of it on google.
My family is from Ohio, and my grandpa was drafted into the Navy and sent over. He served on an Aircraft-Carrier that was converted to carry Helicopters. Not only was the War over in Vietnam brutal and devastating, but back in the US the war caused civil unrest. All sides were guilty of violence, weather it was the National Guard or the protesters. Protesters started peaceful, and most stayed that way, although throughout the war riots broke out accross the country. Thousands left to Canada to dodge the draft. Protesters were gunned down regularly by Police and National Guard. After some atrocities were committed by US troops in Vietnam, protesters shifted towards the troops returning home. As the troops who had gone through some of the most mental war conditions in human history came home, they were booed and jeered and called baby killers. A lot of them came home missing limbs or worse. The POWs who went through years of torture in North Vietnamese and/or V.C. camps didnt come home until the last year of the war, the first of them had been there since 64' or so. And after the war the government fell into conspiracy as the "Pentagon Papers" were leaked to the public, revealing that the Government had lied about casualties and spending since Eisenhower. And then take into consideration how Vietnamese Citizens were affected in both the North and South, and are still affected today.
What the video didn't talk about, and I'd like to mention, is what happened to the veterans during and after the war. Most of the guys sent over were drafted and trying to get their year of service done. They didn't volunteer, and they didn't want to be there. In games and hollywood movies, they always forget one single detail.
Fear.
My grandfather described the experience to being in a pressure cooker without breaks, day and night. You waited, hyper aware of the sounds outside, waiting for the rockets to start flying. You knew what was coming, and once they did...
What makes it all worse, after ALL OF THAT for a year straight, was what happened when they all came home.
There was no "Welcome Home" like on other wars like WWII. There was no cheering and hand shaking, no waving crowds for those who disembarked. What there was plenty of, was HATRED.
Veterans were hated, HATED. Crowds had this stupid idea that every soldier committed every single crime they saw being broadcast on tv. Some were called "baby killers". And the government for the most part abandoned the veterans. Many came home with disabilities, and PTSD. The government apparently didn't know what to do with them, and so very few ever got the help they desperately needed.
And after all of THAT, was the shear POINTLESSNESS of it all! Nearly 60,000 dead and countless crippled, poisoned (look up 'agent orange'), and traumatized on the American side, and for WHAT?
We really did have no business being there...
None... None at all...
The Củ Chi tunnels is now a tourist attraction, and yeah the news sometimes reported that someone had found a bomb or a grenade. Because it happens occasionally people usually make fun of it (although it shoudn’t be).
Daughter of a Vietnam vet here. There was a snake they called 2 Step that ended up in the tunnels. It would bite and you could take 2 steps and die. They also hurt our own guys with Agent Orange.
Wasn't agent orange the chemical used to defoliate the jungle?
My dad was drafted to Vietnam right after he turned 18. He went over in the army and came back completely messed up. He had ptsd. He would scream at night, I couldn't touch him while he was sleeping because I did one time and he woke up choking me, he tried to drink until it all went away. He came back to have food thrown at him, he was spit on and disrespected for going to serve in a war that he said they really had no idea why they were there in the first place. He ended up with cancer which I'm pretty sure was caused from having agent orange dumped all over them. He died 9 years ago. I just pray he finally got to make some peace with what he was forced to live with his entire adult life.
I must be old. I'm seeing a lot of people who talk about their grandfathers who were in Vietnam. My husband served there. Agent Orange gave him ALS and he died at 56 years old. I lost a lot of people who I knew in that war.
My uncle fought in Vietnam and he’s 71. I’m 51 with 2 daughters in their 20s
I have 2 Uncles who came back from Vietnam, but didn't really make it back mentally. One Uncle drank himself to death, the other was the only survivor of his platoon when they were ambushed. He was injured and came home, couldn't hold down a job and it was well known if we were visiting and he fell asleep. We didn't wake him up we just yell to get him up. We never knew what nightmare he was having, or if he would come up swinging. He was an amazing guy wish I would have known him before he went to war.
My great uncle fought in the Vietnam war, it was so bad that when he came home he became an alcoholic, he died 4 years ago on my 16th birthday due to lover failure
I’m 59 and remember watching news reports of the daily death tolls. I was young and didn’t understand any of it but I remember seeing them.
During my teens, there were metal bracelets with the name of a “missing” soldier (aka, no verifiable evidence of being dead or alive). Bumper stickers were also available saying something about MIAs and POWs (Missing In Action/Prisoner Of War). The bumper sticker included two dots, one each for MIA and POW. The dots were for the bracelets. At least, that’s what I remember. I could be wrong. The idea for the bracelets was to remind people of the missing and POWs - like a solidarity bracelet. One wore the bracelet until that service person came home be it on their own two feet or in a coffin.
My cousin had one of those bracelets. I don't know how long she wore it, years I am sure.
I am an old son of a bitch too, about your age. I can remember all of the bracelets and bumper stickers too. At the time I didn't know what they meant.
After Pres. Nixon decided to bring the troops home with the war not over. All I could hear was that the US should have never gotten involved in this conflict, now it becomes way more clear what was being said.
I'm just a little older than you and was actually in the last military draft for Vietnam. They were only taking the first 100 or so birth dates drawn, my number was 305.
I remember watching the news coverage from Vietnam on tv every night about dinnertime, it was a bit gruesome sometimes. Some families were glad to recognize a relative on screen because it meant they were still alive.
@@caseyparker6375 : Wow
My hubs (BF at the time) had a high number in the draft lottery. He was notified to go for a doctor exam at a federal facility. It was pretty scarey to be sent there even tho he had a student deferment as well as the high number. Luckily he wasn't drafted. Earlier that year Jane Fonda visited our college and the National Guard was sent to our campus. We already knew what happened at Kent State. The evening news had videos of the fighting in Nam with a daily death count. The young men who were drafted, returned home to being spit on and called baby killers by protestors of the war.
My dad fought in Vietnam and always said it never should have happened.
The one thing I am surprised that wasn't mentioned was the use of a herbicide named Agent Orange. It was the other component used aside from Napalm, which was mentioned, to deal with the Jungle that the Americans were fighting in. Agent Orange has left a horrific mark in our history and its affects are still seen to this day. People who had exposure had higher risk of their children being born with deformities, premature births, stillbirth, miscarriages, and infant mortality. One that is commonly mentioned is Spina Bifida, Spine doesn't develop properly, and Anencephaly, the skull and brain do not develop properly. Most of the congenital birth defects appear to be of cerebrospinal. It is horrifying and painful to see these children and people being subjugated to a hard, and even painful existence purely due to political conflicts among higher government powers (the American Military was advised against the use of Agent Orange by scientists around the world due to its potentially long-lasting harmful affects, but the military used it anyway). Anyone can look up Agent Orange Birth Defects, but warning it is hard to look at. Please exercise caution if this is something that may be triggering to you in any way. There is also documentaries about the children of Agent Orange. I think the one I watched forever ago was The Vietnam War's Agent Orange legacy | Unreported World
, but there are others as well. Idk if that would be a good one to review, but for anyone who may be curious
They didn't refer to it by name, but did describe how effective the strategy was.
They didn't refer to it by name, but did describe how devastating the strategy was.
My house is about 20km from Cu Chi Tunnels. My grandma used to take part in digging that tunnel. It has about 4 floors down, the last floor touches groundwater. People living and working completely underground. Only about 100m is open to tourists, the rest is a national secret that even the natives do not know well. You must come here and experience the way we write that history from the ground. :))
Crazy war, LL. I roomed with Vietnamese refugees (I live in Minnesota USA) - they were hardcore anti-communist.
I love their Vietnamese cuisine.
My uncle was there. His job was to collect bodies and was given meds to keep him awake for days. He came back a schizophrenic. Grandma wouldn't let him marry because he was out of his mind.
I had a family friend who came back and was obsessed with lighting fires everywhere he went. Was shot a ton of times by fmj's and was held prisioner. I was young when he was alive but it was always obvious to me how badly the man suffered. He died in a old overgrown baseball dugout in the woods. I assume they're a ton of similar stories to his.
My grandpa got drafted into this war he was a military officer he has told me crazy stories about his time there...
I live in Ohio and my grandparents actually graduated college a semester early because of the protests. They got so bad that all colleges had to close and send their students home because the protest started to get dangerous.
Oh my goodness
The us involvement was a shitshow
Asia was shitshow in the 60s
I mean at least the objective was complete don’t let the north invade the south
@@ethanabelman2837 but the North *did evade shortly after the US left. America ended up only delaying the inevitable.
I really want to thank you for your brief, but well thought out synopsis!
It really made my day, that someone of your exquisite caliber, could be so poignant about this time in American history! It really and truly made me appreciate the time of October 1971 to June 1974, when i was assigned to the 635th Combat Support Group, stationed at Royal Thai Naval Air Field, U-Tapao, Thailand, the home of the B-52!!
Thank you, you lizardguano!!
Dictator vs Dictator
My brother spend 4 yrs in this war. He is 71 and is still having nightmares about what he did and what happened.
Not really related too much, but I feel you really have to see “Full Metal Jacket” if you haven’t already.
Platoon is another good movie.
Deerhunter .
Best movie is Platoon.....
Yes. My dad (USA) missed the Vietnam draft by less than a year (he was too young). Some of his friends were drafted and others defected. His best friend fled to rural Hawaii and started a lettuce farm.
If the history of the Vietnam conflict interests you, I highly recommend Ken Burn's 10 part documentary series called The Vietnam War. The amount of historical footage, the soundtrack, the interviews with US vets, South and North Vietnam vets, civilians, politicians, and individual stories makes it essential viewing in my opinion.
My uncle was in the front lines for this war. He was drafted and was super lucky to survive but suffered throughout his life from the horrors he experienced. The only one to know these stories is my sister, who had a strong bond with him. May he rest in peace now. I miss him.
You should watch "Good Morning Vietnam!". It's a really interesting "dramedy" taking place in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, starring Robin Williams.
If I recall correctly.
The Average Infantryman in WWII saw about 30 days of combat for every 12 months in theater.
The average Infantryman in Vietnam saw 270 days for every year because of the Helicopter.
Before the soldier had to walk and find the enemy.
In Vietnam, you could win a major battle in the morning, nap on a helicopter, and be into another by night fall.
Also after the war they found spending over 30 days in the jungle just for training causes PTSD.
Since the jungle never sleeps, its always awake and bugs and animals are always up and moving, the soldiers only pass out from extreme exhaustion for short spurts of sleep before snapping awake.
All that just to be spit on and attacked when you got back.
Finally, if you were a Career Infantryman at the time you could have been born in the Great Depression, fought in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, be hated upon your return after fighting three wars, then retire into economic collapse of the 70s.
My grandad used to fight in this wars, he told me that the US and the south vietnam soldier used the bullet just like the toy, when they saw a little bit movement from somewhere, instantly, they shot it until it became the even land. You are right, that is crazy, but i proud of it
You should react to videos by Sam O’Nella academy. He is a history youtuber who makes great videos. I suggest you watch his video called “mass hysteria through history”
Yeess, Sam O'Nella makes amazing content.
12:38 - He’s talking about the Kent Sate University shooting on May 4, 1970. The National Guard fired on a group of unarmed students who were protesting the war. 4 were killed and at least 9 injured. I grew up very near KSU and it’s a part of history that’s never been forgotten (or forgiven) here. There is a memorial monument at the school and a remembrance gathering every year on the anniversary of the shooting. Many survivors and witnesses visit on the anniversary as well.
I'm pretty sure that today, Vietnam is a world trading partner with pretty much everyone else who's playing ball on the international court.
This is most I've learned about this war, no American teacher I've come across wants to touch this topic. So it's been confusing trying to understand what escalated the war and certain events that should have been important.
Four killed at Kent State Ohio. National Guard troops opened fire on students peacefully protesting the war. I can’t remember how many students were injured during the shooting? Was and Still is a STAIN on the military here in America.
One thing that still doesn't get mentioned much, and for good reason I suppose, is the casualties due to friendly fire in the Vietnam war. 😔🙏
Funny that I was JUST looking for one of your reactions to OverSimplified lol
The US is on friendly terms with Vietnam. The war is seen as a huge mark of shame and a waste of soldiers' lives. Didn't help that Nixon one of the Presidents at the time put the blame of us losing solely on the soldiers. This left a huge sour taste on President Nixon and left a permanent stain on Nixon's reputation to this day.
Hello big time fan keep it up
U should watching [Binh Ngo Dai Chien] - a Movie history of VietNamese. The movie tell about a battle in the past between Vietnamese with Chinese.
VietNamese have ~6000 troops againt ~100.000 troops of Chinese...
Read Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" if you want more insight into the horrors of the Vietnam War. It's not a "true" story, but it's influenced from O'Brien's personal experience of the war.
I read that in school last year. Probably one of my favorite books I’ve had to read
Things have calmed down between the US and Vietnam. We have trade relations and both stand together against China (for the most part). Many veterans who were in the Vietnam War go on visits to the country. Personally, I did not have to go. My draft lottery number was not called and the war ended a couple of years after I graduated from high school.
My grandpa and a few of his brothers were Vietnam veterans.
My uncle who is a NVA soldiers die in the last day of the vietnam war 8am 30/4/1975, he join the army when he was 17 and fought for 12 years~
I'm from Ohio and its hard to believe how that happened at Kent State. If you're interested, there are some very famous photos from that event. My grandpa also was drafted to Vietnam and he hasn't ever really talked about it... I know he provided air support in the helicopters for U.S. troops and he talked about coming home and protesters spitting at him and other soldiers as he left the airport. He wanted to look for some people he knew whose names have been put on the memorial in D.C. after they died over there.
Yeah they had massive tunnel complexes that we t down several storys deep complete with Barracks has offices hospitals all underground they've been digging them for 20 years at this point I started them under the French in the 50s
My grandpa fought in the Vietnam war and from what we where told he went trough the war was brutal
There were two US Senators who created the modern good relations with Vietnam. The first one was a Vietnam POW, John McCain, who recently passed away. The other one was a hippy, anti- Vietnam war activist named John Kerry... John Kerry is now the US Envoy for Climate Change, so I hope he has the same success in tackling climate change from the American Pulpit
The song Ohio, written by Neil Young was about the anti war protest at Kent State University, in Ohio. 4 students were shot and killed by the National guard. The students weren't involved in the protests they were walking across campus. Young wrote the song responding to a photo of a girl kneeling down crying over a the dead body of a male student. It happen on May 4th, 1970. America was torn apart antiwar protest. Luke, if you have time Ken Burns made a documentary about The War, Veitnam. Covers a lot of history on both sides. It's not a video it's a 6 part documentary.
Nice mic mate
the whole vietnam war in the end was a humiliating and complete defeat for the usa. north vietnam managed the complete victory and in the 90s usa stopped embargo and basicly said "ok" xD
Dunno what history you've been looking at. The Vietcong suffered 850,000 deaths to the 58,000 of the United States, and only successfully managed to take control of Vietnam after they violated the peace treaty that was brokered between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. When the North actually gained control of Vietnam the US was gone entirely and involved in other affairs.
The US ended the embargo in the 90's because the collapse of the Soviet Union meant that Vietnam was no longer considered a hostile state. FFS do a little research.
thank you so much ,from vietnam
Ken Burns did a documentary, "The Vietnam War", it is absolutely stunning in how well it was done and the depths it covers. (But don't ask how many parts there are or how long.) At the least check out the first 10 mins ff part 1. I found it free online. Search for The Vietnam War Episode 1 dailymotion.
Anything ken burns is the best
American was more divided by the Vietnam War than Any other time except during the Civil War. The war was basically fought by 18 - 20 year old draftees, who did not want to be there ,but had no choice. I was drafted in 1970 and served in the 1st Cav in Vietnam from 1970-71. Each soldier served EXACTLY 1 year in country, except for the Marines who did 13 months. You did not train with the unit you eventually ended up with and each individual had a Differant DEROS date ( date of estimated return from overseas) and the objective was to make it to that date ALIVE and get home. Of course the American Public treated returning soldiers like shit. So there was no cohesiveness in 90% of the American Units, and moral dropped lower and lower, as casualties rose in a war we ( the soldiers) were not allowed to win, and not support from home. For me it has been 50 years, and remember every detail. JMW. 1st Cavalry Division, Vietnam 1970-71...
US Vietnam relations are good, I live part time in Vietnam, it is a beautiful country.
If you look back through our history, the U.S. has fought its fair share of wars. We are now on good terms with virtually every single one of our former enemies (North Korea being a notable exception). Say what you will about American aggressiveness, but we are not long-term enemies. Once a conflict is resolved, we are there in peace as we once were in war.
on the back of this, a good interview/film is "the fog of War" with James McNamara. its really good and he talks about the vietnam war.
Robert and he can take his apology and rot in hell
The Americans didn’t actually lose the war based on popular belief. We wouldve won if we didn’t have to retreat based on public opinion.
U.S would of won if they would of just cross the line and take North Vietnam itself. In 1969 the Royal Lao Army completely push the Communist completely back to the border and was fully ready to invade North Vietnam itself. But U.S cut off the Royal Lao Military supply to make sure the Royal Lao Army did not invade North Vietnam.
My dad is a Vietnam Veteran... He joined the Marines in 1967, he landed in Vietnam at age 18, he manned the M60 on the Medical Chopper, so he had to provide cover fire for the remaining troops on the ground when they flew in to pick up the wounded and dead. Till this day he will not speak much on his experience.
I was a helicopter door gunner in that war. I was also an activist to end the war when I came home.
The Vietnamese people were never so divided as the artificial north/south border that had been created. You can see from the bombing that most of the fighting took place in South Vietnam, and in reality with every bomb, napalm strike, civilian massacre, and gallon of Agent Orange we showed the people who their real enemy was.
9:50 I actually visited some of thos tunnels years ago with the family there were frickin schools and dining halls and everything a normal town would have but all underground. I agree, it is insane.
Those tunnels are still there. You can even visit them as a tourist
The Bruce Springsteen song Born in the USA is about the Vietnam war
Neil Young wrote this protest song about the Kent State Massacre. In the chaos of a student demonstration, several National Guard troops (just about the same age) randomly opened fire. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_(Crosby,_Stills,_Nash_%26_Young_song)
You should look up the vietnam airlift. America was sending in choppers non stop as the north was rolling thru the gates of the city. They went to the point of shoving helicopters off the decks of carriers into the ocean just to make more room. And theres a story about a south vietnamese pilot who got a chinook helicopter picked up his family and neighbors and just flew out into the ocean hoping to find an american ship and luckily he did and saved them all you can also find videos about that on youtube i highly suggest you look into those.
I've already watched it.
We Were Soldiers....an incredible movie!!!!
You need to watch a video on the Korean War
(And Simple History does amazing historical videos, check him out!)
My late husband was a Marine during the Korean War. he was at the Landing of Inchon, at Seoul, and was one of the few that survived the Chosin, though he was wounded during the retreat and received a medical discharge.
The big thing is with those casualties is that a US Machine Gun squad could kill a thousand Vietcong in a day, but the next day, there would still be 5000 more on the way. Although we out gunned them and killed far more, the war just wasn't sustainable and they wouldn't quit.
Oddly enough, nowadays Vietnam is more pro-US than pro-China. (Vietnam had a mini-war with China in 1979. The warming with the US started into the 90's.)
You need to react to Desert Storm aka Gulf War I (1991), when many nations, headed by the US, kicked Iraq's Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.
Vietnam and China were always enemies and the leader of Vietnam liked the USA before they went to war. Vietnam only wanted freedom and reunification albeit the government was socialist and the authority could be questioned...a lot.
EpicHistoryTV's series on Alexander the Great would be cool to react to!
that'd be cool but I'm pretty sure he's focused on American history
Lao history during this period is fascinating, i might do a series on it and would love your reaction to it.
If you like history you should react to the Salem Witch trials.. it wasn’t a history/country defining war bu lt its a fascinating little piece of history and was really quite amazing and VERY crazy. I know I’m one day late, just discovered your channel this morning but a reaction to Salem Witch trials is perfect for spooky season (Halloween)
To quote a popular counter-culture poster of the time, "War is not healthy for children or other living things." In previous wars there were newsreels that you'd see before the feature at the movies and the public saw a very edited view of what had happened a few weeks ago, but Viet Nam was the first time technology allowed for bringing damn-near live battlefield video of our kids burning babies on the other side of the world into your home and mine every evening on the news and damned if that ain't just exactly what they did. In hindsight, probably not the best anthropological experiment to spring on an unsuspecting society, but what'cha gonna do?
edit: BTW, you did pick up on Nam being different and scary even as wars go... if you want a visceral experience of it, try to find the 1989 movie "84C MoPic" And bring a change of pants.
8:14 You must see the famous picture - Napalm Girl. Here is the link about it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc
I'm sorry for by bad english :)))
With this War was hell and love your videos and USA your great and smart guy your young we need to learn about the past to be better!
my mom's cousin died in vietnam stepping on a landmine.
Damn, I’m so sorry
Loving these non-sports videos coming with more frequency. Sports are great, but I get a lot more out of these historical/scientific/weather videos. Definitely check out footage of the war. It’s not all graphic. I don’t think America has much to do with Vietnam anymore. Korea is where we’re still active and have troops. I’d recommend looking at the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, NASA space race/moon landings, Gulf War, or maybe look into things like how submarines and aircraft carriers work. The possibilities are endless.
The Tet Offensive is one of the weirdest military campaigns in world history. If one looks at the numbers, battles, etc the US and SVA forces completely destroyed the attacking armies. On paper, the Tet Offensive set the North Vietnamese Army back several months because it was such a failure. However, to the western world it was looked on as a loss by the Americans. In this case, the media's influence showing the events back home had a greater effect on the war than the actual fighting on the ground did.
I am a US Army brat. My dad retired as a LT Colonel. My dad was in Vietnam in 1970 when I was 13. Prior to that we were stationed at Ft Richardson Alaska, where many planes and helicopters were staged on the way to Vietnam. We had flights over our quarters daily. When my dad was in Nam, he was advising the South Vietnamese army in Saigon. I watched the news every night hoping to not see him because they only showed footage out in the field. My dad died a few years ago and now my mom tells me that he did go out at times but they didn't want us kids to know. He sent reel to reel audio tapes to us and there would be a mom only section which is when he would tell her those things. She also told me that when we were stationed in Tennessee from 1964 to 1967 that he was one of the officers who would notify next of kin of soldiers deaths in Vietnam. I wish I had known before he died so I could ask him about it. That must have been a painful duty. Towards the end of the war, we all had POW brackets to honor assumed and known prisoners. My soldier ended up MIA, never found. I donate to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund that includes an educational program along with the Memorial Wall functions. Check out the website for great info on the war and the people who gave their lives. www.vvmf.org
Respect him !!
10:07 there are still some tunnels like that in a place name Cu Chi for tourism to visit
My oldest brother was there in 1968-69, and that affected my family pretty deeply when I was growing up. It was definitely a brutal war from what my brother has told me. If the enemy did not get you, there were always the cobras, tigers, jungle rot, etc. Plus, it divided the country very badly, with one half of the people questioning the purpose of the war and other half questioning the first half's patriotism. Those wounds have still not completely healed today, I think.
I always say that you can’t understand politics without understanding history, and you can’t understand history without understanding politics. There’s a huge overlap. I know you’ve said you dislike politics, but most of what you’ve been watching and enjoying IS politics. It’s historical politics. I would guess that really what you dislike is current-day politics. Politics is a huge sphere and you don’t seem to dislike most of it.
One of the interesting things that came out of the Vietnam War was America lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. It was thought that if you were old enough to fight and die for your country, you should be able to vote for or against the politicians who sent you to war.
My cousin was in US Army 1970 alot Americans told our military
If you travel to Vietnam you can tour tunnel complexes to this day