Vietnam Vets' Perceptions of 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Platoon?'
dm...@my-deja.com
interesting area to examine would be war, vietnam in particular. i was
wondering if anyone knew of either any web sites with information in
which vets analyze specific scenes from the movies 'Apocalypse Now' or
'Platoon' or possibly 'Full-metal Jacket', OR if anyone has any strong
emotional reactions to scenes from the movies that relate to their own
particular experiences. i'd appreciate it if you could reply to me via
e-mail at devo1...@hotmail.com! thanks. Devon
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Bill Clarke
dm...@my-deja.com wrote in message <80hvgh$aua$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>OR if anyone has any strong
>emotional reactions to scenes from the movies that relate to their >own
particular experiences. i'd appreciate it if you could reply to me
>via e-mail at devo1...@hotmail.com! thanks. Devon
>
>
Well, in “9½ Weeks” when that pouty lipped hot momma Kim Bassinger was on
her hands and knees and….er..er..nevermind.
Bill Clarke
F Troop, 17th Cav
Charles G. White
dm...@my-deja.com wrote in message
> i am doing research on the psychology of emotions and thought an
> interesting area to examine would be war, vietnam in particular. i was
> wondering if anyone knew of either any web sites with information in
> which vets analyze specific scenes from the
> movies 'Apocalypse Now . . . .
Nigel N. Brooks
Nigel Brooks
<dm...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:80hvgh$aua$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> i am doing research on the psychology of emotions and thought an
> interesting area to examine would be war, vietnam in particular. i was
> wondering if anyone knew of either any web sites with information in
> which vets analyze specific scenes from the movies 'Apocalypse Now' or
> 'Platoon' or possibly 'Full-metal Jacket', OR if anyone has any strong
> emotional reactions to scenes from the movies that relate to their own
> particular experiences. i'd appreciate it if you could reply to me via
> e-mail at devo1...@hotmail.com! thanks. Devon
>
>
David Gorick
Semper Fi,
David
Bill Clarke <cla...@livingston.net> wrote in message
news:NZ1X3.81$xm.1...@newscene.newscene.com...
>
> dm...@my-deja.com wrote in message <80hvgh$aua$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>
> >OR if anyone has any strong
> >emotional reactions to scenes from the movies that relate to their >own
> particular experiences. i'd appreciate it if you could reply to me
> >via e-mail at devo1...@hotmail.com! thanks. Devon
> >
> >
> Well, in "9½ Weeks" when that pouty lipped hot momma Kim Bassinger was on
> her hands and knees and..er..er..nevermind.
CuchiD...@webtv.net
Nigel Brooks
I liked the music on the assault helicopters.We just had little helmet
speakers though. I guess the Cav had better connections.
Live free or die ! Don't tread on me ! The cost of freedom is eternal
vigilance.
Ken Cook
> > interesting area to examine would be war, vietnam in particular. i was
> > wondering if anyone knew of either any web sites with information in
> > which vets analyze specific scenes from the
I remember the first time that I saw Apocalypse Now in the theater.
Listening to the sounds of the diesel engines in the PBR as it went
upriver gave me an old, warm, comforting feeling. I swear I could almost
feel the vibration of the diesels beneath my feet and smell the diesel
exhaust.
Ken Cook
GMGC, USN (Ret)
--
Steven W. Smith
I'm curious what your beef with A.N. is. I rather liked that one...
*much* better stuff than _Platoon_, IMHO.
Smith
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Charles G. White
entertainment purposes only, in which case, I agree. Apolalypse Now fits
in well with Xena and Star Wars, and Agent Mulder.
Steven W. Smith wrote in message
David Gorick
Charles G. White <whit...@abanet.org> wrote in message
news:s314n3...@corp.supernews.com...
jcc
Charles G. White wrote in message ...
>Steve, surely you jest also.! I thought Apocalypse Now fits right in with
>Xena and Star Wars.
Thats what my pops thought also.
Josh
Edward Combs
don't recall if he was Army or not) that went native in Laos with the Mao
Tribe. the stories about him were also hard to believe.
" Apocalypse Now" was a steal from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".
Then of course there was the Commander(I'm SURE mast of you know this guy)
that had his jeep equipped with speakers and played "Rawhide" everywhere he
went(he was a Drover for his "lil' doggies).
Then there was VN General Ky who wore nothing but the tailor-made uniform
with the aviator's scarf.
Then there was SOG and Phoenix Project. This is just a few and you think the
movie was too hard to believe?
....................
dino
dino
In article <s314ak...@corp.supernews.com>, "Charles says...
>
>Steve, surely you jest also.! I thought Apocalypse Now fits right in with
>Xena and Star Wars.
>
dino
>
>" Apocalypse Now" was a steal from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".
Kinda like vaudeville was a steal from opera? Sorry, but Conrad was my favorite
author. Kurtz: "The horror, the horror!"
Though Conrad never claimed it as such, "Heart or Darkness" was actually an
autobiography. He could never finish the novel (probably because of PTSD - the
symptoms were the same as reported by his family) so he cut it short.
dino
Steven W. Smith
<whit...@abanet.org> wrote:
> Steve, surely you also jest, unless you are evaluating them for
> entertainment purposes only, in which case, I agree. Apolalypse
> Now fits
> in well with Xena and Star Wars, and Agent Mulder.
> > In article "Charles G. White" wrote:
> > > Apocalypse Now? Surely you jest!
> >
> > I'm curious what your beef with A.N. is. I rather liked that
> one...
> > *much* better stuff than _Platoon_, IMHO.
> > Smith
Well, are you familiar with "Heart of Darkness"? I think that it kept
the story line well. In many ways, it speaks to me on a low level. Do
you recall the scene called the "Do Lon Bridge"? Yeah, that was my
outfit! Man, I was there! Let me tell you about the USO shows. It
just didn't get any more accurate.
I don't know. I was one of those who got off of the boat. I was a
loner in a place where loners didn't usually last very long. There's
just no way that I deserve to be alive today.
You see, you and I weren't in the same country in many respects. I
wonder if we fought the same war? I wonder if we were on the same side?
I've typed this sentence seven or eight times and I still can't get it
right. I wish that I'd been sent to a line unit on my second tour;
that's what I asked for. I wish that I'd been sent to your unit. I
wish it now and I wished it then. But that's not what happened.
Few there are on this NG who have a clue what I saw in Vietnam. I
truly envy you gentlemen; I'm not being cynical a bit here. I'd trade
my experience for yours in a heartbeat. But I can say that I saw the
belly of the whale; I actually heard AFVN playing Frank Sinatra for
hours on an endless loop. I heard it end abruptly, too.
What the fuck was I talking about? Oh, yeah... "Apocalypse Now"; well,
it's flawed, but I think that it comes closer to the truth than any
other movie has or ever will. Actually, I kind of love its flaws,
also; hell, I've never been a Brando fan.
Check out "Saigon, Year of the Cat" and tell me what you think. Also,
what about Tim O'Brian's *The Things They Carried* for books? Have you
read it?
Ted Gittinger
HOLLIS6475 wrote in message
<19991115224054...@ng-ci1.aol.com>...
>I found "Apocalypse Now" to be especially realistic, when I drank way to
much
>brew, squinted through my #10 welding lens, while I had my walkman playing
Bob
>dylan at ma volumne.......... It was a awesome experience......... I like
it
>when Barbara Hannan did the skinny dipping screen with Phyllus Diller as
the
>Romaian deer hunter, Igor.
>
>H.
>
>Oh yeah, the car chase screen was cool too.
'y God, Hollis, you have put Siskel and Ebert to shame.
Nominated for the Post of the Quarter.
Warm regards,
ted
>
>
>
>
>reply to Point...@AOL.COM (this address is closed for a while the spammer
>have got it)
>
>
>
Charles G. White
> Cetainly one wouldn't take it literally, but as a satire - it worked well.
Satire was the word I was hunting for, but could not come up with it.
Thanks!
Steven W. Smith
LBJ, did you?
I'm not knocking it. There's some things that I wouldn't wish on
anyone and that's one of them.
HOLLIS6475
brew, squinted through my #10 welding lens, while I had my walkman playing Bob
dylan at ma volumne.......... It was a awesome experience......... I like it
when Barbara Hannan did the skinny dipping screen with Phyllus Diller as the
Romaian deer hunter, Igor.
H.
Oh yeah, the car chase screen was cool too.
Herb F.
movie and decided to go to downtown NYC where they were showing the
first run in one of those new theatres with eight speakers and dolby
sound. I think they charged $5 which was a lot of money at the time.
If you remember, and saw it in a top-rate theatre, at the very start you
hear the chopper behind your right ear. Then the sound goes down the
left side of the theatre, across the front and you see them passing by.
kind of unfocused, then they continue along the right side of the
theatre heading back over your shoulder. That was damn scary. You find
yourself looking over your shoulder. That was a lot of years ago, but I
still remember that sensation.
Steven W. Smith
really don't much resemble 2.75" devices don't bother me so much in a
movie as the absurd situation of "Platoon" does.
Herb F.
stolen from the old "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip. I had a buddy
named "Ivan" who loved Ky. He had served with his son (I think maybe as
an advisor with the ARVN) and Ky came down and gave all of the members
of the unit big-assed personal .357s in stainless (probably paid for by
the American taxpayer).
Ted Gittinger
Herb F. wrote in message
<28302-38...@storefull-121.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
Ed mentions premier Ky. Don't forget his wife, the famous "Dragon Lady"
stolen from the old "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip.
Herb, I thought that was Madame Nhu, the wife of Ngo Dinh Nhu, Diem's
brother. Ky's wife was a former airline stew with surgically treated
eyelids, or so ran the scuttlebutt.
Herb F.
know...all those Asian women look alike...in the dark :-)
Don Thompson
just cause pussy is pink don't mean you got some from madame Nhu
--
Don Thompson
Zoomie
KILL the ghost to reply
Pull the chocks, lets get this kite in the air.
Herb F. <Be...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:12930-38...@storefull-126.bryant.webtv.net...
Ted Gittinger
Herb F. wrote in message
Madame Nhu - You are right Ted. I had my head up my ass again. You
know...all those Asian women look alike...in the dark :-)
Herb, I must take your word for it.
Warm regards,
ted the virtuous
CuchiD...@webtv.net
http://film.tierranet.com/films/a.now/sounds.html
dino
I have an 8mm film I took of Vung Tau and I have a shot of a large mansion on a
hill. The guys (I think Air Force) who gave me a mini-tour of the area in a
Jeep said that was where Madame Nhu lived. Does that sound right?
dino
Steven W. Smith
wrote:
> Cetainly one wouldn't take it literally, but as a satire - it
> worked well.
I think that the term "caricature" is more fitting. Of course, the
Vietnam War experience can't be reduced to a movie; it would have to be
a year long. A.N. was good in some aspects and poor in others.
There're a few diamonds in it, too. I thought that the Robert Duval
caracter (Kilgore) was priceless. The air assault was pretty good,
too; never mind the minor technical point that you simply can't attack
a battery of dug-in anti-aircraft guns in a frontal assault with
UH-1s... well, I suppose that you *could*, but all you'd accomplish
would be to give the gunners some easy target practice.
Something about that always bothered me. Since they picked up the boat
in a slingload, why didn't they simply fly it a few miles upriver and
bypass the ville altogether?
Just prior to leaving for Vietnam, I saw "The Green Berets". In the
closing scene, John Wayne is standing on the cliff with the sun setting
over the ocean behind him. I was thinking about that one morning while
watching a coastal sunrise.
I *hate* movie trivia... that said, here's some. What was Charlie
Sheen's line in A.N.? (It was his first movie appearance, you know.)
Ronald V. Overton
Thanks, Smith, at least someone stepped up to the plate.
Folks, a lot of what was portrayed in AN was based upon similar type
events. Granted this was a miniscule part of the war, but a part
never-the-less.
For those that are sincerely interested in the 'dark' side of the war, you
will want to study the Provisional Reconnaisance Units (PRU's). They
answered directly to the overall war command, which made them extra-national.
We had a SSgt who extended for a transfer to them. They did the seriously
special ops.
SgtO, CoA, lstReconBn, lstMarDiv 3/68-11/69
--
random ron from wacousta
'when the going gets weird, dq...@ncf.carleton.ca
the weird turn pro" hst over...@aol.com
Ronald V. Overton
Ken Cook (kc...@lynae.sgi.com) writes:
> "Charles G. White" wrote:
>>
>> Apocalypse Now? Surely you jest!
>>
>> > i am doing research on the psychology of emotions and thought an
>> > interesting area to examine would be war, vietnam in particular. i was
>> > wondering if anyone knew of either any web sites with information in
>> > which vets analyze specific scenes from the
>> > movies 'Apocalypse Now . . . .
You will want to investigate the Provisional Reconnaisance Units or PRU's.
They were under direct command of the overall war command which made them
extra-national.
Ted Gittinger
Ronald V. Overton wrote in message <8110kr$4...@freenet-news.carleton.ca>...
>Folks, a lot of what was portrayed in AN was based upon similar type
>events. Granted this was a miniscule part of the war, but a part
>never-the-less.
>
>For those that are sincerely interested in the 'dark' side of the war, you
>will want to study the Provisional Reconnaisance Units (PRU's). They
>answered directly to the overall war command, which made them
extra-national.
>
>We had a SSgt who extended for a transfer to them. They did the seriously
>special ops.
>
>SgtO, CoA, lstReconBn, lstMarDiv 3/68-11/69
Some things the PRUs were involved in have been pretty well documented, such
as going after the VC infrastructure in various up front and personal sorts
of ways. But what is the connection between that and "Apocalypse Now?"
Everyone agrees that AN was a takeoff on *Heart of Darkness.* In fact,
except for a few scenes I found myself asking again and again as I watched
it, what the hell has this got to do with Vietnam? My Vietnam, anyway.
I guess the first sequence, in which there is an air combat assault
practically into the middle of a fortified village, set off my BS alarm and
I never recovered. That sure wasn't the way I remember doing things.
On the other hand, Robert Duvall gave a completely credible imitation of a
guy I knew in the Central Highlands, when he delivered that famous line
about loving the smell of napalm in the morning. I swear that was the CO,
1/9 Cav Regiment, the recon unit of the 1st Cav. In an outfit full of
insane professionals, he stood out.
The mission of the 1/9 was to muck around in bad country until they got into
deep shit, then get on the radio and say, "Here they are, boys."
And the Cavalry would come to the rescue.
Warm regards,
ted gittinger
1/21 Arty 1st Air CAv Div 1966-67
dino
hell out of me. As has been pointed out in the past, there were flaws, but it
most resembled my experience in Vietnam.
Of course a movie can only touch on the highlights, but those are what we
remember the most.
Most of my experiece in Vietnam was just boring, hard work. Air assaulting,
walking, air assaulting, walking - for months. Trying to get enough sleep which
was impossible, talking to buddies, digging in each night, looking forward to
mail, receiving pay with MPC and throwing it up in the air and watching it float
down to the ground and wondering what we were going to do with the money. Then
one day it all happens - November, 16, 1966 was my first serious encounter. I
swear if I could fly over that area, I could still point out the exact spot.
That's when I became a soldier and there was no turning back. Make movies,
write books, tell stories, but there is nothing like being there and no one can
explain it. I see people wearing cammies and wishing they were soldiers. I
hear them talk about how much they would like to see action. These are the ones
to watch out for. The ones that cannot pull their load in a crises. They want
- no, they have to be in charge, but in a firefight - the enemy may be in
charge. In this instance, it was a stand off. They couldn't take us and we
couldn't take them. And that is the way it went for an afternoon, a night, and
most of the next day.
dino
Paul Edwards
Ted Gittinger <te...@jump.net> wrote in message
news:8122av$had$1...@news.jump.net...>
<snipped>
what the hell has this got to do with Vietnam? My Vietnam, anyway.
>
> I guess the first sequence, in which there is an air combat assault
> practically into the middle of a fortified village, set off my BS alarm
and
> I never recovered. That sure wasn't the way I remember doing things.
>
> On the other hand, Robert Duvall gave a completely credible imitation of a
> guy I knew in the Central Highlands, when he delivered that famous line
> about loving the smell of napalm in the morning. I swear that was the CO,
> 1/9 Cav Regiment, the recon unit of the 1st Cav. In an outfit full of
> insane professionals, he stood out.
>
> The mission of the 1/9 was to muck around in bad country until they got
into
> deep shit, then get on the radio and say, "Here they are, boys."
>
> And the Cavalry would come to the rescue.
>
> Warm regards,
>
> ted gittinger
> 1/21 Arty 1st Air CAv Div 1966-67
Our Company Commander at the RockPile had this bunker that was being
continually worked on. It was something to see. Every morning rain or
shine he would get on top of his bunker and yell for all the company to hear
"What another lovely f**king day in Viet Nam" Every morning we heard that.
Then we were expected to shave if we had water or not, razor blades or not.
Our uniforms and boots were rotting off our bodies, our hair may have been
down to our ass, but we shaved as best as we could.
Semper Fi
The Doc
Paul Edwards
where the injured Marine was reaching out for his friend and the ones
showing the Marines digging in in the red mud atop those hills. No movie
can show the misery of a gunfight in the rain and mud after you've walked
for days, have leeches and insect bites all over you body and your feet are
about to rot off. No one can capture the misery of that.
Semper Fi
The Doc who was at 400 and 484
dino <dino_...@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:8126b8$2d...@drn.newsguy.com...
Charles G. White
> "Platoon" was the only movie that I saw regarding
> Vietnam that scared the living hell out of me.
Same here. No other movie ever affected me in that way. Don't ask me why,
but even with its flaws, it had an air of reality that I could never
explain.
dino
After reading many of your posts, I have to admit that you are an individualist.
As such, you will never be appreciated by some. Such is life.
I don't agree with everything you write, but what you write is stimulating -
like finding a rose in a briar patch.
Basically what I'm saying is that you can see beyond your nose. Its amazing how
many cannot do that. You are you and I don't think you will let anyone take
that from you.
dino
In article <17599f0b...@usw-ex0101-007.remarq.com>, Steven says...
Jim
Jim A, 5/46, 198th LIB, Americal 69-70
Charles G. White wrote in message ...
dino
>
>Our Company Commander at the RockPile had this bunker that was being
>continually worked on. It was something to see. Every morning rain or
>shine he would get on top of his bunker and yell for all the company to hear
>"What another lovely f**king day in Viet Nam" Every morning we heard that.
>Then we were expected to shave if we had water or not, razor blades or not.
>Our uniforms and boots were rotting off our bodies, our hair may have been
>down to our ass, but we shaved as best as we could.
>Semper Fi
>The Doc
Doc
I can relate to that shaving without water - no fun - especially when the
sergeant's pets didn't have to shave.
One time I went a day and a half without water while humping. No one would give
me even a drop of water. And then we had to dig in. I helped for awhile and
then collapsed. When the water finally arrived, I drank 3 gallons in an hour.
No one told me that this particular unit did not resupply regularly so I carried
the usual amount of water, which was one gallon less than what others were
carrying. I could not get the water bags that the others were carrying until a
few weeks later.
dino
CuchiD...@webtv.net
fly it a few miles upriver and bypass the ville altogether?]
Simple, because thats where the surf with the double break was.
CuchiD...@webtv.net
appearance, you know.)
Smith
Do you mean Martin ? I think Charlie was still in school back then.
HOLLIS6475
> They couldn't take us and we
>couldn't take them
Dino,
Some ignore the fact that the enemy has different thoughts about out come of a
fight than we do. Those thoughts are about the same as we have of him.
Movies are made for one big reason, to entertain........ that is where the
bucks are. If they made a real one about war.....who would set through
it......who would want to see it again........who would take his date to
it..............
I am sure, that if we could have...... we would have gone home..sortly after
the first round is fired.
Semper Fi
Hollis
Steven W. Smith
Negative that. It was Charlie Sheen's first movie bit part. I know
that's a fact because... well, I heard it someplace... Siskol & Ebert?
His line? "I'm not going! I'm not going!" (Then someone pulls him off
the chopper.)
Steven W. Smith
asks a man at the bridge who the commander is. He replies, "Shit, man,
ain't [it] you?" Somebody finally said it!
If that scene were moved to a rear area, it would have been my
outfit... no such thing as an effective command structure (they were
all busy loading aircraft parts with dope to be shipped stateside),
utterly no concept of mission (you'd have been openly laughed at if
you'd mentioned it), and, like something out of Dante, no sense of
brotherhood, of sharing of the load (what load? All we ever did was
ship dope!)
You have to have seen a dysfunctional outfit to appreciate just how bad
it can be. It's bad enough from jump because war isn't usually fun,
but when the social fabric of the military is rent, the center fails to
hold and it turns into a living hell.
I served a year in the Central Highlands. On my second tour, I was in
Vung Tau begging for a transfer to a line unit *anyplace* else. And
Vung Tau was supposed to be such a nice place.
Doug Reese
>Just prior to leaving for Vietnam, I saw "The Green Berets". In the
>closing scene, John Wayne is standing on the cliff with the sun setting
>over the ocean behind him. I was thinking about that one morning while
>watching a coastal sunrise.
Actually, Steve, I think The Duke was walking along the beach, not a
cliff, with the sun setting over the ocean behind him. Anyway, the sun
was setting over the ocean behind him, that's for sure.
Anyone else have that experience in Vietnam? The sun setting over the
ocean, that is? (Hint: For all you wannabees, this is a trick question)
Perhaps in PC's Vietnam(I just can't bring myself to actually type his
name) this occurance was common.
Doug
Steven W. Smith
<dre...@erols.com> wrote:
> Steven W. Smith <swsmith...@delmar.edu.invalid> wrote:
> >Just prior to leaving for Vietnam, I saw "The Green Berets". In
> the
> >closing scene, John Wayne is standing on the cliff with the sun
> setting
> >over the ocean behind him. I was thinking about that one morning
> while
> >watching a coastal sunrise.
> Actually, Steve, I think The Duke was walking along the beach, not
> a
> cliff, with the sun setting over the ocean behind him. [...]
Curses! I'm busted yet *again*!
Dave
Herb F.
errors of that movie is that there is no beach in Vietnam where you can
watch the sun go down (unless it decides to go down in the east).
Doug Reese
Herb - I just thought some of the guys on those "secret CIA missions"
might fall for it :)
Doug
CuchiD...@webtv.net
back and forth,and I never recognized him.
CuchiD...@webtv.net
asks a man at the bridge who the commander is. He replies, "Shit, man,
There were several good one liners. One that cracked me up was right
after that,when Willard asked "The Roach" (thumper guy) if he knew who
was in charge. "Yeah" he said, then he walked away.
Lou Redmond
Paul Edwards <pe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:qi2Z3.9346$Pp1.1...@feed.centuryinter.net...
>
> Our Company Commander at the RockPile had this bunker that was being
> continually worked on. It was something to see. Every morning rain or
> shine he would get on top of his bunker and yell for all the company to
hear
> "What another lovely f**king day in Viet Nam" Every morning we heard
that.
> Then we were expected to shave if we had water or not, razor blades or
not.
> Our uniforms and boots were rotting off our bodies, our hair may have been
> down to our ass, but we shaved as best as we could.
> Semper Fi
> The Doc
>
shave every day in the Army whether I needed it or not (outside of Nam), I
only have to shave every 3rd day. When I was 20 during my first tour, it
was more like every other week!<G> Guess the genes are actually good for
something - but not the crap I got about Indians being better at point
because we could see and hear better! - I still don't believe that I was
dumb enough to believe that one!<BSEG>
-Lou-
Lou Redmond
you describe about the tedium is fact, Dino, at least from my view point -
rent with seconds, moments and sometimes long hours of sheer terror. I
remember one time being out about 1000 meters from the platoon (and the rest
of the battalion) and coming into this really beautiful little valley with a
small waterfall out in the Iron Triangle (Beaulieu Woods). Sheer beauty!
Not more than half hour later, our platoon came up to our position about 500
meters ahead of the rest of the battalion. As soon as they got there, all
Hell broke loose and it took about an hour for the rest of the battalion to
get up to us. As I remember (which ain't too great these days!) we had hit
the point element of the 271st VC Regt. Beauty to horror in no time flat.
Thanks, Dino, a good and bad memory, but a memory all the same.
-Lou-
dino <dino_...@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:8126b8$2d...@drn.newsguy.com...
> "Platoon" was the only movie that I saw regarding Vietnam that scared the
living
> charge. In this instance, it was a stand off. They couldn't take us and
we
Paul Edwards
"Lou Redmond" <rfea...@prairieweb.com> wrote in message
news:814oq...@enews4.newsguy.com...
> Guess I have just enough Indian blood, Doc. Even today after having to
> shave every day in the Army whether I needed it or not (outside of Nam), I
> only have to shave every 3rd day. When I was 20 during my first tour, it
> was more like every other week!<G> Guess the genes are actually good for
> something - but not the crap I got about Indians being better at point
> because we could see and hear better! - I still don't believe that I was
> dumb enough to believe that one!<BSEG>
> -Lou-
Now Lou just look at where Tonto rode. He was always out front of Kemo
Sabi(sp)leading the way. I can tell you made a good point man. How?
You're still with us my friend. You probably saved a lot of white men and
black men's asses.<G>
Semper Fi
The Doc
Herb F.
any American movie.
Lou Redmond
>
> Now Lou just look at where Tonto rode. He was always out front of Kemo
> Sabi(sp)leading the way. I can tell you made a good point man. How?
> You're still with us my friend. You probably saved a lot of white men and
> black men's asses.<G>
> Semper Fi
> The Doc
>
blanket ass!<G>
Thanks, Doc, I know what you mean, but as a friend I just located after 32
years said, "We were all heroes that were scared shitless and we owe a
lifetime to the heroes that we left behind!" For me tho', anything that I
might have done for anyone else pales in comparison to anything that the
Docs did - and I think I can safely say that as someone that worked as a
medic when we didn't have one around. Thanks, Paul, to you and all the
other Docs for the last 33 years.
-Lou-
fpotus
god i kill me.
jcc.
C.V. Compton Shaw
combat duty. You can watch war movies and still not feel the same
feelings and emotions that are actually present in combat and combat
situations. Although "Platoon" and "Hamburger Hill" are my favorite
Vietnam War movies, the war movie which most accurately describes and
delineates the feelings that are present in war, in my opinion,is the
movie, "All Quiet on the Western Front."
Mr. C.V. Compton Shaw, U.S. Army; 4th Inf. Div., 2/8th Inf.; Republic of
Vietnam 1969-1970 from Dallas, Texas
dm...@my-deja.com
> >dino wrote in message
> >> "Platoon" was the only movie that I saw regarding
> >> Vietnam that scared the living hell out of me.
> >
> >Same here. No other movie ever affected me in that way. Don't ask
me why,
> >but even with its flaws, it had an air of reality that I could never
> >explain.
i know you say you can't explain the reality of it, but can you recall
any scenes in the movie that were particularly scary for you? thanks.
devon
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
dm...@my-deja.com
> > Mr. C.V. Compton Shaw, U.S. Army; 4th Inf. Div., 2/8th Inf.;
Republic of Vietnam 1969-1970 from Dallas, Texas
>
trying to get a feel for the emotion of fear felt in war and how these
fearful situations are portrayed in movies such as "Platoon". can you
help? thanks. devon
Herb F.
>Platoon - can you recall any scenes in
>the movie that were particularly scary for
>you?
That scene where the VC Platoon runs through the night ambush was kind
of scary. I cannot think of anything worse than having the enemy pass by
so closely and knowing that perhaps your life depends on a sudden cough,
or sneeze, or even a loud heartbeat. You live or die on the throw of a
die. You have no control of your fate. They see you or they don't.
One time in my whole life I had a guy pass so close to me that I could
reach out and touch him. It was about 0300 but didn't seem that dark
and to this day I find it hard to believe that he didn't see me. It is
not something you forget easily. It really proves to you the value of
camouflage.
There is a scene in "D-Day the Sixth of June" where a group of GIs and
Germans pass within feet of each other. Both are looking up at Allied
aircraft overhead and assuming that the other group is friendly. It is
on these crazy, insane things that the Almighty decides if you live or
die. I suppose that is a reason not to worry too much about it. You
don't have all that much to say about your fate. I used to tell my
kids, "Don't waste your adrenalin. You might need it later."
Robert Spadaro
In reading your post it just sort of triggered something in me.
I think the most scared I ever was ,was when I was in a bunker
in Dec 1970. It was pouring out and had been for a days , dark as
hell ,you couldn't hear anything because the rain is making such
a racket when it hits brush etc. You know that if they are climbing
the hill towards you , you're dead . But you have no choice but to
sit there and hope it won't be that night . Fear of the Unknown is the
worst fear . If someone starts firing the fear may still be there ,but
the adrenaline starts to pump and you feel you have some control
even if in reality you don't .
Kill VC
bOb
pat...@memes.com
wrote:
I still remember that scene where they were using clickers, and
someone thought a click was a friendly and stood up and it was a
German chambering a round......
And the other in that movie where someone was saying, God is our side,
and it showed both sides saying the same thing for different reasons..
Know the truth, and it shall set you free.
pat...@memes.com
<rob...@prodigy.net> wrote:
This is exactly why we went after them instead of letting them come
after us. It put the fear into them knowing we could come up on them
anytime, day or night, anywhere and that is exactly what we did.
Sitting there waiting for someone or something is too nerve racking,
better to be the hunter.
bar...@webtv.net
I'll second that, from one grunt to another.
John (B1/8, 4th ID, 5/67-5/68)
Ken Cook
>
> Steven W. Smith <swsmith...@delmar.edu.invalid> wrote:
>
> >Just prior to leaving for Vietnam, I saw "The Green Berets". In the
> >over the ocean behind him. I was thinking about that one morning while
> >watching a coastal sunrise.
>
> Actually, Steve, I think The Duke was walking along the beach, not a
> was setting over the ocean behind him, that's for sure.
>
> Anyone else have that experience in Vietnam? The sun setting over the
> ocean, that is? (Hint: For all you wannabees, this is a trick question)
>
> Perhaps in PC's Vietnam(I just can't bring myself to actually type his
> name) this occurance was common.
>
> Doug
He was walking along the beach on the west side of Phu Quoc Island!
--
Ken Cook
GMGC, US Navy (Ret)
VBede1
made me laugh.
Jeff
Bill Clarke
pat...@memes.com wrote in message <383c0709....@news.memes.com>...
>
>And the other in that movie where someone was saying, God is our side,
>and it showed both sides saying the same thing for different reasons..
Not as much fun as the Coasters and Yakkity Yak but still a very pretty
song. I like to hear it from Joan Baez although Judy Collins and B. Dylan
do a good job also.
Bill Clarke
With God On Our Side
Oh, my name it is nothing, my age it means less
The country I come from is called the Midwest
I was taught and brought up there, the laws to abide
And that the land I live in has God on its side
Oh, the history books tell it, they tell it so well
The cavalry charged and the Indians fell
The cavalry charged and the Indians died
Oh the country was young then, with God on its side
The Spanish-American war had its day
And the Civil War too was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes I was made to memorize
With guns in their hands and God on their side
Oh, the first World War, well it came and it went
And the reason for fighting I never did get
But I learned to accept it, accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead with God on your side
When the second World War came to an end
We forgave the Germans and then we were friends
Though they murdered six million, in the ovens they fried
The Germans now too have God on their side
I've learned to hate Russians all through my whole life
If another war comes, it's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them, to run and to hide
And accept it all bravely with God on our side
But now we've got weapons of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to, then fire them we must
One push of the button and a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions with God on your side
In many a dark hour I've been thinking about this
That Jesus Christ was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you, you'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side
So now as I'm leaving, I'm weary as hell
The confusion I'm feeling, ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head and fall to the floor
If God's on our side, He'll stop the next war
Steven W. Smith
I *did* rather like that poetry.