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We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
Harold G. Moore | 2002 | Biography, History & Politics
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"The flip side of the “The Sorrow of War,” this book is a brilliant and telling account of one brutal battle in Vietnam from the American perspective. Moore was the commander of soldiers who were airdropped into the jungle, only to be promptly surrounded and massively outnumbered by North Vietnamese troops. The reporter Joseph Galloway had rare access to the troops, witnessing this desperate battle for survival. I love it for the story of heroic journalism. It is why I so admire books like “Once Upon a Distant War,” by William Prochnau, which is the Vietnam war seen through the eyes of legendary correspondents like Neil Sheehan, David Halberstam, Peter Arnett, and others of that generation, providing stark evidence of their courage and fearless contributions to history and truth."

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Kevin Phillipson (9955 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies

May 24, 2018 (Updated May 24, 2018)  
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Samuel l jackson (3 more)
Tom hiddleston
Brie larson
Kong
As a prequel to godzilla its rather good movie setting it during the vietnam war also good choice the right casting from samuel l jackson to tom hiddleston for me john c reilley steals the movie for me i loved the films version of king kong prefer him to the peter jackson version. Thumbs up
  
The Last Full Measure  (2020)
The Last Full Measure (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
The main reason I saw this film was because of Sebastian Stan. Of course, the story is interesting. Stan's character is gathering evidence for a Medal of Honor for an Airman named Pitts during Operation Abilene during Vietnam.
It was interesting for the film to show portrayals of multiple cases of PTSD. It was obviously sad, and I had a headache from the tears that wouldn't stop running down my face. It definitely tugs at the heartstrings. It was also pretty depressing. But, of course, it does have a happily ever after.
I found the whole quest for a medal interesting. Since I saw 1917 last weekend, with the main character openly talking about trading his bit of ribbon from the Somme for some wine because it didn't mean anything. Also, I happen to have a bro that was glad when he didn't get a Purple Heart, and wants nothing to do with medals. I suppose the medal was sought for the parents, and because the vets from the Vietnam War were treated poorly. Though, you could argue that vets from every war haven't been treated particularly well.
I think this film was Peter Fonda's last, which shows how long ago it was filmed. I'm not sure why the release was delayed for around 2 years. I guess overall, if you're interested in war films, specifically Vietnam, you would like it. I don't think it would be for everyone.
  
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Nicholas Sparks recommended Forrest Gump (1994) in Movies (curated)

 
Forrest Gump (1994)
Forrest Gump (1994)
1994 | Comedy, Drama, Romance

"Forrest Gump. What I appreciated about that — I believe it ended up winning the best picture and an Academy Award for Tom Hanks, both of which were well deserved — but I just loved the interplay of putting him back into actual historical footage of meeting the presidents, and at the time it was so much fun to see that play out on screen. It captured entire eras and major issues, everything from racism in the south to the horror of the Vietnam War — the protests of the Vietnam War — to AIDS toward the end. And, of course, the theme, which is right up my alley, which is, “Hey, it’s about a guy who loves a girl forever.” [laughs] That’s a little bit like The Notebook in this regard. And yet, it was done in a way that I never would have considered doing. I believe it was Robert Zemeckis who directed that. It’s phenomenal."

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Rising Storm 2: Vietnam Deluxe Edition
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam Deluxe Edition
Shooter
The trend in war based shooters of late is to literally take a blast from the past. Battlefield 1 looked at WW1 and Call of Duty returned to its WWII roots for the most recent game in the series. As such when Rising Storm 2: Vietnam was announced, it seemed like a good progression and one that holds a lot of potential for gamers. The previous game in the series focused on the Pacific Rim conflicts and focused on the conflict with Japan.

This time out the focus is Vietnam and players can opt to fight for either the Vietnamese or U.S. forces and they will also be able to select a class and loadout unique to each side before entering the fray.

The matches I took part in showed off the large and detailed maps which provided plenty of options to flank and enemy or attack from cover. Fields, towns, temples, and more were all an option and I had intense battles in a multi-level building, trenches, fields, and in a town. The weapons were varied but I opted mainly for an M-16 or AK-47 depending on which side I was assigned to. I did have a great opportunity early in the match to ride on a Helicopter and took my position manning one of the machine guns, which allowed us to strafe enemy targets as we traveled.

Our focus was a mix of taking and securing an objective and of course eliminating as many enemies as I could. Using a mix of grenades and rifle shots I was able to dispatch a few enemies but you could tell that there were some seasoned players online who used to the map to their advantage and were masters at striking without being seen.

I also experienced some people who were more than happy to call in a Napalm strike without any concern to the number of friendly troops in the target area. Naturally as you progress you will rank up and have more options for your character and loadouts.

The graphics of the game were solid but did seem a bit dated compared to other shooters. But this does a great job of giving a rough and battle-worn look to the game and not trying to make a blasted and remote area looked like an over-polished presentation.

If you are a fan of team-based online shooters and want some great action in the Vietnam setting; then Rising Storm 2: Vietnam just might be the game for you.

http://sknr.net/2018/05/01/rising-storm-2-vietnam/
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Da 5 Bloods (2020) in Movies

Jun 15, 2021 (Updated Jun 15, 2021)  
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
The War Within
Da 5 Bloods- is a excellent war drama, the acting, the drama, spike lee did a excellent job with this film.

The plot: Four African American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Delroy Lindo is excellent in this.

I highly recordmend watching this. It is on netflix so go watch it.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Red Lotus in Books

May 28, 2020  
The Red Lotus
The Red Lotus
Chris Bohjalian | 2020 | Thriller
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
"Let’s face it, in all of human history, the most effective delivery vehicle for mass death ever to exist on earth has been—wait for it—the rat."


This is a timely novel and rather scary, as it dips into medical research--particularly rats--and the plague. There's something slightly uncomfortable about reading about the spread of mass disease during a pandemic. It was, however, fascinating, too. Bohjalian tells his story from a variety of points of view--Alexis; Austin and his acquaintance Douglas; investigators in Vietnam who work Austin's case; a private investigator named Ken whom Alexis hires and more. Somehow it all works, with the careful unfolding of facts. We learn about Austin's real reason for being in Vietnam and it all builds up to a dangerous crescendo.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. Bohjalian has a way of embodying his characters, and I particularly loved Ken, the crusty yet kind P.I. The story was quite interesting; oddly well-timed; and the ending especially horrifying. Definitely worth a read. 4 stars.
  
A Great Place to Have a War by Joshua Kurlantzick is a book about the history of Laos. The synopsis caught by eye since I lived and worked in Laos for a year as an English teacher. The book is about the conflict which occurred in Laos roughly during the same period of the Vietnam War. This is an interesting and impressive book, yet depressing. Details the rise of the CIA as a war machine during the Vietnam War, which was fought to a great extent in Laos. It looks at some of people involved in building the war to epic proportions, and then withdrawing, leaving the country to collapse into yet more suffering.

This is a fascinating look at the shadow war in Laos, staged by the CIA, during the Vietnam War. It's an extremely interesting history of the how that war came to be, some of the main people involved in that war, and the rise of the CIA as an organization conducting paramilitary operations, not just spy missions. It also relates the political intrigues of the time, and the fate of Hmong who fought for Laos, and with and for America.

I learned a lot about the history of the conflict itself, and the characters on both sides of the war. This war which has been hidden in the shadows, and the author has given the people involved a chance to have their deeds, or misdeeds aired in the light of day. As with most of the little wars that occurred during the Cold War period, there is a lot of political manoeuvring which occurs in the background.
  
More American Graffiti (1979)
More American Graffiti (1979)
1979 | Comedy, Drama
Way too serious!
If you liked the original George Lucas classic, you may not like its very serious sequel.

Instead of cruising having a good time with your friends before you are off to college, the main characters deal with issues like the Vietnam war, protests and the peace movement.

The music is still great and there is a very funny cameo scene; however, it is not enough to save this film which just gets the tone completely wrong.

  
JFK (1991)
JFK (1991)
1991 | Drama, History, Thriller
Kevin costner (0 more)
I haven't seen this movie in almost 30 years not since it first came out till tonight it was good then and still is this is you're kinda If you're into conspiracy theories and this one is the biggest of all time who really shot jfk in dallas texas. You've got great cast big names great script plus direction from Oliver Stone. So if u believe that jfk was assassinated over Vietnam by the cia or not the movie still is criping 30 years later
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