http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1SMb1U9-Qo

General Westmoreland on the identity and profile of the U.S. Soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War.

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General Westmoreland on the American Soldier appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti2LJQmo1zA

Oliver Stone describes how he became a soldier in the Vietnam War. The Academy Award winning director describes dropping out of Yale and requesting a position as an infantry soldier on the front lines. “I don’t like the group I had at Yale..the elistists, the privileged kids…I wanted to see the wider world,” Stone tells author Clara Bingham.

He discusses how his experience influenced his later work, especially the Academy Award winning film Platoon. “I became more of a jungle animal.”

Check out more great stories from Vietnam and the 1970 Protest Movement in Clara Bingham’s remarkable book:  Witness to The Revolution

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Oliver Stone Being a Soldier in Vietnam appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLVH-V2d-2w

Joe Lewis recounts in chilling detail the Kent State Shooting in 1970,  when the National Guard opened fire on protesting students.  Lewis survived a gunshot wound and lived with the memories.  Four other students tragically died that day.  Lewis says he cried every day for the next 15 years.  It is an amazing story from a witness to the massacre that day in Ohio.

Lewis was interviewed by award-winning journalist and author Clara Bingham.  Check out more great stories from Kent State and the 1970 Protest Movement in Clara Bingham’s remarkable book:  Witness to The Revolution

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Kent State Shooting appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OaHuKp5nPk

Lieutenant Colonel D R Butler was a helicopter pilot with the 229th Aviation Battalion in Vietnam. In this video, Butler discusses why he wanted to become a pilot and the lessons he learned in Vietnam that helped shape his life once he returned home.

The post Vietnam War
Vietnam Vet: “You Learn To Appreciate One Word – Now” appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQKinDucjfU

On January 21, 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned hundreds of thousands of men who had evaded the Vietnam War draft by either fleeing the country or failing to register. The pardon occurred on President Carter’s first day in office and was the fulfillment of a campaign promise. Not included in the pardon were military deserters. In this audio recording, Professor Gerald Treece, a Vietnam veteran, and Professor Geoffrey Corn discuss the impact of President Carter’s pardon.

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President Jimmy Carter Pardons Vietnam War Evaders appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9nCnlqIWuE

James Fleming was an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War, and received the Medal of Honor for rescuing six of his fellow soldiers when they were stranded amongst enemy soldiers. In this video, Fleming recalls November 26, 1968, the day that earned him his Medal of Honor, saying: “These guys down there have seen one helicopter crash, one of them leave trailing smoke, other helicopter’s leaving. I’m the only one here. Get me low, way out. Throw me in there. I bet ya I can sneak in there and get them.”

Fleming was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon at the White House on May 14, 1970.

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James Fleming Recounts Heroic Patrol appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR3-tc54VPU

On November 12, 1969, Seymour Hersh, an independent investigative journalist, broke the story of the My Lai Massacre. On March 16, 1968, U.S. Army soldiers had participated in the mass killing of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in the South Vietnam hamlets of My Lai and My Khe. Hersh’s report sparked global outrage, including increasing domestic opposition to the United State’s involvement in the Vietnam War. In this video, Seymour Hersh recalls how he first learned about the story, saying: “Some guy called with a tip. Most of the stuff he told me was wrong. I mean, he said there was an officer, who… He said it was a GI went crazy and shot up a lot of people in the village. And it was an officer. He gave me a place that was the wrong place.”

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Seymour Hersh On Breaking The My Lai Story appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCWWnOTIuzw

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedication took place on November 13, 1982. The largest part of the memorial, the Memorial Wall, lists the name of every serviceperson to be confirmed KIA (killed in action) or remain classified as MIA (missing in action). As of May 2011, there are 58,272 names inscribed on the wall. In this video, its founder Jann Scruggs, talks about the importance of the memorial, saying: “When you walk along it you can see your own reflection among the names, and this actually has a psychological effect on people as they think about what life is all about, how fragile life can end.”

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Vietnam Veterans Memorial Founder On Its Importance appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkFa2lSNAGc

The My Lai Massacre took place on March 16, 1968, when members of the U.S. Army killed between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in the South Vietnam hamlets of My Lai and My Khe. Hugh Thompson Jr. was a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. On the day of the massacre, Thompson and his crew were flying over My Lai when they saw a U.S. soldier shoot a woman. Thompson landed his helicopter between villagers and soldiers, and he and his crew dismounted and threatened to shoot the U.S. soldiers if they did not stop. Thompson then went on to report the massacre to his superiors. In this video, Thompson Jr. recalls the day of the massacre. When asked how he can explain soldiers doing what they did in My Lai, he responds: “When the leadership that allows them to do it. Negative peer pressure. Prejudice. Fear. Not everybody on the ground that day took part in it. We put I think somewhere around 190 people on the ground. Only somewhere between thirteen and eighteen I’ve been told actually took part in what was going on. The others didn’t do anything to stop it, just kind of turned the other way. You know, they knew what was going on.”

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Hugh Thompson Jr. On Witnessing The My Lai Massacre appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY1ERND8nnk

Professor Bernard B. Fall, who wrote the first Western biography on the notorious Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, discusses Ho’s effective application of public relations strategies: “He is extremely response-conscious…The uncle idea is his idea.” Ho Chi Minh is referred to by the Vietnamese people as “Uncle Ho” even to this day in Vietnam. Fall, who was an expert on Indochina and even had a chance to personally interview Ho in 1962, was interviewed by Walter Cronkite in this audio recording before his death on February 21, 1967.

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Ho Chi Minh’s Mastery of Public Relations appeared first on Witnify.