Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 63 (click to see context) from:
* DownerEnding: America eventually realizes that it can't win the war and pulls out, leaving South Vietnam to be utterly trounced by North Vietnam. Tens of thousands of US soldiers are dead along with hundreds of thousands of dead Vietnamese soldiers and civilians with even the survivors dealing with severe physical and psychological damage afterwards, leading many to struggle with addiction and homelessness as well as being shamed by opponents for their participation. In addition, the bombing of Cambodia not only devastates that country but leads to the rise of the Khmer Rouge, resulting in one of the worst genocidal dictatorships in history. America's reputation and confidence is irrevocably shaken not only by the defeat and the loss of it's image as the greatest military might in the world but also the loss of trust in the government after the Pentagon Papers reveal the depths of deception undertaken to keep the war going and the US military engaging in horrific war crimes such as My Lai.
to:
* DownerEnding: America eventually realizes that it can't win the war and pulls out, leaving South Vietnam to be utterly trounced by North Vietnam. Tens of thousands of US soldiers are dead along with hundreds of thousands of dead Vietnamese soldiers and civilians with even the survivors dealing with severe physical and psychological damage afterwards, leading many to struggle with addiction and homelessness as well as being shamed by opponents for their participation. In addition, the bombing of Cambodia not only devastates that country but leads to the rise of the Khmer Rouge, resulting in one of the worst genocidal dictatorships in history. America's reputation and confidence is irrevocably shaken not only by the defeat and the loss of it's image as the greatest military might in the world but also the loss of trust in the government after the Pentagon Papers reveal the depths of deception undertaken to keep the war going and the US military engaging in horrific war crimes such as My Lai. Vietnam obtains unity and independence, but post-war recriminations are ongoing and often brutal, and within four years of the fall of Saigon Vietnam finds itself involved in several new wars, first against the Khmer Rouge and then against their old allies China. In the end, it's not until 1989, 14 years after the end of the Vietnam War proper, that the nation of Vietnam finally enters a sustained period of peace and reconstruction.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 59 (click to see context) from:
* DeathFromAbove: Used liberally by the US during Operation Rolling Thunder. It ultimately ends up being ineffective.
to:
* DeathFromAbove: Used liberally by the US during numerous operations, most notably Operation Rolling Thunder. It ultimately ends up Thunder, where it was mainly used against North Vietnamese infrastructure, and Operation Linebacker, where it was used against both infrastructure and also military targets,(this being during the 1972 NVA Easter Offensive). The effectiveness of this air support varies: strikes into North Vietnam only result in angrier and more determined North Vietnamese and some captured American pilots, and strikes on VC or area-infiltrating NVA are ineffective. However, the Linebacker bombardments work as the NVA is attempting a conventional assault for the first time, which is what the USAF is chiefly prepared for, and as a result the Easter Offensive becomes another costly defeat for the NVA.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Indentation/slashing
Changed line(s) 135,137 (click to see context) from:
* MarkOfShame / MedalOfDishonor: Medals were such for the veterans who participated in the InsigniaRipOffRitual at the Capitol in 1971, including Ron Ferrizzi, a former helicopter crew chief who says he certainly wasn't about to hang them on his wall for his son to revere.
** For many American soldiers, simply being a vet in the first place was a Mark Of Shame. Karl Marlantes was angrily rejected by a potential girlfriend once she found out he'd been a Marine.
* MartialPacifist: Soldiers like Tim O'Brien and Karl Marlantes, who enlisted even though they believed the war was wrong and immoral. O'Brien says he regrets enlisting more than anything he did during the war itself.
** For many American soldiers, simply being a vet in the first place was a Mark Of Shame. Karl Marlantes was angrily rejected by a potential girlfriend once she found out he'd been a Marine.
* MartialPacifist: Soldiers like Tim O'Brien and Karl Marlantes, who enlisted even though they believed the war was wrong and immoral. O'Brien says he regrets enlisting more than anything he did during the war itself.
to:
* MarkOfShame / MedalOfDishonor: Medals were such for the veterans who participated in the InsigniaRipOffRitual at the Capitol in 1971, including Ron Ferrizzi, a former helicopter crew chief who says he certainly wasn't about to hang them on his wall for his son to revere.
MartialPacifist:
**For many American soldiers, simply being a vet in the first place was a Mark Of Shame. Karl Marlantes was angrily rejected by a potential girlfriend once she found out he'd been a Marine.
* MartialPacifist:Soldiers like Tim O'Brien and Karl Marlantes, who enlisted even though they believed the war was wrong and immoral. O'Brien says he regrets enlisting more than anything he did during the war itself.
**
* MartialPacifist:
Added DiffLines:
* MedalOfDishonor:
** Medals were such for the veterans who participated in the InsigniaRipOffRitual at the Capitol in 1971, including Ron Ferrizzi, a former helicopter crew chief who says he certainly wasn't about to hang them on his wall for his son to revere.
** For many American soldiers, simply being a vet in the first place was a MarkOfShame. Karl Marlantes was angrily rejected by a potential girlfriend once she found out he'd been a Marine.
** Medals were such for the veterans who participated in the InsigniaRipOffRitual at the Capitol in 1971, including Ron Ferrizzi, a former helicopter crew chief who says he certainly wasn't about to hang them on his wall for his son to revere.
** For many American soldiers, simply being a vet in the first place was a MarkOfShame. Karl Marlantes was angrily rejected by a potential girlfriend once she found out he'd been a Marine.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Inverted when the American marines arrive at Danang: an old Vietnamese man is described as coming out of his house shouting "Vive le France!", under the mistaken assumption that the white soldiers currently marching by are returning French as opposed to newcomer Americans.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 175 (click to see context) from:
* RiverOfInsanity: And not even for the side you'd expect! Multiple North Vietnamese veterans describe the famous Ho Chi Minh trail as being one of these. It was hundreds of miles of tiny dirt roads snaking through the jungles and mountains of Laos, and many soldiers fell victim to disease, starvation, wild animals, and American bombs before they ever set foot in the south. One former NVA soldier recounts marching down the trail and passing by legions of horribly wounded soldiers being carried back the other way as well as makeshift cemeteries for the thousands of soldiers killed by American bombing on the trail.
to:
* RiverOfInsanity: And not even for the side you'd expect! Multiple North Vietnamese veterans describe the famous Ho Chi Minh trail as being one of these. It was hundreds of miles of tiny dirt roads snaking through the jungles and mountains of Laos, and many soldiers fell victim to disease, starvation, wild animals, and American bombs before they ever set foot in the south. Certain locations along the trail were hit so frequently by American bombing that they earned nicknames like "Fried Flesh Hill". One former NVA soldier recounts marching down the trail and passing by legions of horribly wounded soldiers being carried back the other way as well as makeshift cemeteries for the thousands of soldiers killed by American bombing on the trail.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* BerserkerTears: Bill Ehrhart, a former Marine corporal, remembers sobbing hysterically after seeing the iconic photo of 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the corpse of a murdered student at Kent State, which he says galvanized him to become more involved in the anti-war movement.
to:
* BerserkerTears: Bill Ehrhart, a former Marine corporal, remembers sobbing hysterically after seeing the iconic photo of 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the corpse of a murdered student at Kent State, which he says galvanized him to become more involved in the anti-war movement. Viet Cong veteran Le Cong Huan also describes witnessing this behavior from American soldiers during and after battles, which moved him greatly.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
** Much like Musgrave, Mogie Crocker was so eager to kill communists that he deliberately fouled up his work while working a desk job so he could be assigned to combat duty. Both he and his best friend would end up dying in Viet Cong ambushes.
to:
** Much like Musgrave, Mogie Crocker was so eager to kill communists that he deliberately fouled up his work while working a desk job so he could be assigned to combat duty. Both The brutality of the Vietnam War quickly shattered Mogie's faith in both the American cause and in his religion, and both he and his best friend would end up dying in Viet Cong ambushes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 17 (click to see context) from:
* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert [=McNamara=] appears with the new ARVN general, Nguyen Khanh (one in a long line of many), in early 1964 to send the message that America is behind Khanh all the way. Khanh ends a public speech with the phrase, "Vietnam muôn năm," meaning, colloquially, "Long live Vietnam." [=McNamara=] raises the general's hand after the speech and yells "Vịt nam muốn nằm!" with the wrong pronunciation and wrong tone which mean "the duck wants to lie down". Instead of being inspired, the Vietnamese audience become hysterical with laughter.
to:
* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert [=McNamara=] appears with the new ARVN general, Nguyen Khanh (one in a long line of many), in early 1964 to send the message that America is [[BlatantLies behind Khanh all the way.way]]. Khanh ends a public speech with the phrase, "Vietnam muôn năm," meaning, colloquially, "Long live Vietnam." [=McNamara=] raises the general's hand after the speech and yells "Vịt nam muốn nằm!" with the wrong pronunciation and wrong tone which mean "the duck wants to lie down". Instead of being inspired, the Vietnamese audience become hysterical with laughter.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* JustLikeUs: noted on numerous occasions throughout the series, but most clearly articulated by John Musgrave (for the U.S.) and Le Cong Huan (for the Viet Cong). Musgrave explains how he, as a young man from rural Missouri, had an epiphany to this effect upon meeting his fellow Marines during training, which included men from many different ethnicities and backgrounds. Huan, meanwhile, took notice of how the American soldiers would work together and try to recover bodies from the battlefield, which resonated deeply with him.
-->'''Le Cong Huan''': "Even though I didn't know their language, I saw them crying and holding each other. When one was killed, the others stuck together; they carried away the body and they wept. I witnessed such scenes and thought that Americans, like us Vietnamese, also have a profound sense of humanity. They cared about each other. It made me think a lot."
-->'''Le Cong Huan''': "Even though I didn't know their language, I saw them crying and holding each other. When one was killed, the others stuck together; they carried away the body and they wept. I witnessed such scenes and thought that Americans, like us Vietnamese, also have a profound sense of humanity. They cared about each other. It made me think a lot."
