This is a clip from a documentary film made in 1967 during the Vietnam War. While obviously a propaganda film, I can assure you that the documentary filmmakers filming these scenes recorded real scenes as they happened. The Vietnam war at this time was the first time where 16mm documentary filmmakers went along with military units during combat operations and filmed what they saw essentially without restrictions.
This scene shows an amphibious task force in action. During the Vietnam War, amphibious task forces played a crucial role supporting ground operations and conducting amphibious assaults along the coast of Vietnam.
At approximately six minutes, the narrator reads "letters" written by Marines back home to their families. Whether real letters or fake ones, to me they are touching and give a sense for how some of those who fought that war felt in 1967.
The Vietnam War in 1967 was becoming was controversial and divisive for Americans. By this point the U.S. had been involved in the war for several years and casualties were mounting. In 1967 the U.S. military had more than 400,000 troops deployed and was conducting air strikes against North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail supply line.
In the USA the Vietnam War had become increasingly unpopular and 1967 saw a significant rise in anti-war protests and demonstrations. Many young people, college students, and activists opposed the war and saw it as a senseless and immoral conflict.
Several of my close colleagues were filmmakers who got an assignment to go to Vietnam and record combat operations.The war was heavily covered by the media with graphic images and footage of combat and casualties broadcast on television and published in newspapers and magazines. This coverage contributed to public skepticism about the war and the government’s handling of it.
By 1967 thousands of American soldiers had been killed or wounded in Vietnam, and many others were suffering from physical and psychological trauma. Morale among U.S. troops was low, and some soldiers began to question the purpose and value of the war.
The narrator of this scene it is Jack Webb, an American actor, director, and producer, best known for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the TV series “Dragnet”. Webb was also a radio personality, musician and political activist who was known as a conservative Republican. Webb also supported the Vietnam War and was critical of the counterculture movement and social changes of the 1960s. Webb used his platform as a celebrity to promote conservative political causes, and he was an active member of organizations like the John Birch Society and the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. He also produced and directed several films and TV shows with conservative themes, including “The D.I.” (1957), which was a pro-military film, and “Project U.F.O.” (1978-1979), which explored the idea of government cover-ups of UFO sightings.
To see the 1967 documentary from this clip was taken go here -
[ Ссылка ]
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David Hoffman Filmmaker
