I saw that Movie before i had any real understanding of the Viet Nam war . In those days focus was all on Marlon Brando , and way down Martin Sheens , Given my age and the timeline of a few months from missing out , The movie intrigued me. So I read up ALOT about it . I think there's ALOT of misinformation,Propaganda etc that has been repeated enough to be just accepted as fact in Australia. How many people know that Australian Govt Asked South Vietnam to Request Their Assistance ? . How many know that Australian Govt was Petitioning US to Carpet Bomb North Viet Nam ? How Many Know that The Malaysian , Indonesian ,British situation Was such a major Concern with Communist influences etc in this Asian Pacific region.( Domino effect ) Doubt Average American was worried about domino effect till they were told about it .
The term used by Harold Holt then PM" All the way with LBJ".
You are right about propaganda & misinformation sprouted by the media.
Unfortunately I know far too much for my liking about Vietnam ,it was all vividly shown on Oz Tv sets.To the extent of them showing a South Vietnamese police chief shooting a Vietcong suspect in cold blood.I even remember the surname of the first Oz conscript (embedded in my memory bank) who died in Vietnam.Surname Noack from Sth Australia.
Then there was the Mai Lai massacre.That sickened me no end.
Guys who turned 20 , birth dates for a certain time went into a barrel , and you were conscripted if your date was picked.I panicked ATT not knowing what dates they would choose ,my younger bro at Sydney Uni was into the anti-war protests.
Cost a lot of young Australian lives and also many after . For what ?
Communism in the 50/60/70s,the Korean War,Malaysian campaign right through to the Berlin Wall removal was always a worry for the West.
In Vietnam the locals just wanted the French earlier, the Yanks and allies later to get out.Even the Chinese tried to fight the Vietnamese on the northern borderland the Viet gave them a bloody nose.The irony Vietnam are a hell of a lot closer to the West and consider China their major threat.
