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THE WAR THAT CHANGED AMERICA: TRUTH REVEALED ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR


By Allison Kirschbaum

The Atlanta veterans have created a documentary film to provide clear information on what has been going on with the continued misinformation spreading about the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, also known as Vietnam: The War That Changed America. It can be remembered, and for some people who don't know, the United States' involvement in the Republic of Vietnam started back in November 1995.

Ten years later, the conflict began in the same month of 1965, which had stemmed from the Cold War – that is, when the American and Vietnamese troops had their first combat engagement at the Battle of la Drang. It was the same time when the U.S. army used their Air Assault tactic that would result in so much war.

With the help of the historians and those who served in "Truths and Myths of the Vietnam War," the Atlanta veterans did a good job in delivering the documentary, as none of them had any experience in making a film. Let's dive more into the documentary and dig piece by piece into what it has to tell us.

A Passion Project for the Veterans

David Naglieri, the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who also directed "Truths and Myths of the Vietnam War," has received tons of praise from the sons and daughters of Vietnam veterans, as he was also the one who directed, “Vietnam: The War That Changed America.” To them, Naglieri opened a point of view that "they don't hear about or read about in school."

"I really believe in presenting historical truth and presenting voices that have been suppressed, and so this for me kind of became a passion project," David shared – which stands for true compassion for the veterans and helped them clear the continued misinformation across the globe.

Why Did The Vietnam War Happen

So why did the Vietnam War happen? Some say that the Vietnam War is an inevitable tragedy, some say that American policymakers made bad but well-intentioned decisions, and finally, others say that America had imperial intentions. Although, to this day, the war is still being studied and debated, no one can really say anything about it.

There are a lot of factors as to why the Vietnam War happened, such as the Cold War taking a very large part in the war. This was a proxy war between the communists and the Democrats, a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union – but there was also a good reason why the U.S. had to be worried about the spread of communism, hence why the North and South Vietnam’s war broke out.

The Truth Behind the Vietnam War

While the series has a lot of archival footage, it's clear that it also has brought people together, some who haven't seen each other, and a lot of emotional reunions between veterans. It was a time of healing and reconciliation for the veterans who had been living through the horrors of the war.

Truly, it has brought a lot of changes in the nation. According to data, thousands and thousands of lives have been put to an end, as more than 3 million people were killed, and about 300,000 were wounded, including the Americans and the Vietnamese civilians – with only roughly 3 out of 10 Vietnam veterans living to this date who have fought bravely to the end. Both nations had to endure physical and psychological wounds.

In the documentary series Vietnam: The War That Changed America, they argued that the troops could have won the war if they had a strategic plan throughout, saving millions of lives. The U.S. troops had to fight in order to protect the civilians, but just to lead to more American casualties.

How Did The Veterans Live Their Life

While the war was costly for both the U.S. and Vietnam, the veterans also had to endure hurtful experiences when being deported back home. One veteran, Bryan Tate, implied that people would look at him, but they wouldn't even make eye contact - feeling like he was not welcome anymore back in his country. And while the Vietnamese refugees needed a country to feel welcome, they would still face prejudice and discrimination.

U.S. and Vietnam veterans may have adjusted to civilian life, but the others aren't the same. Many of the veterans in the U.S. had suffered from homelessness, drug addiction, alcoholism, and, most importantly, the lack of community and government support. Meanwhile, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia continuously had to endure bombings in the aftermath.

This documentary series, Vietnam: The War That Changed America, has indeed shown us that this war had changed a lot in America, but it also changed the lives of many people – the US-Vietnamese relations remained tense years after the Vietnam War. To this day, both countries are now important economic partners.

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