From the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, this program chronicles America's growing entanglement in Vietnam. Watch as the United States becomes mired in an escalating war for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people.
This special broadcast from February 1968 chronicles Walter Cronkite's visit to the front lines of Vietnam following the Tet Offensive. The special ended with the now legendary personal commentary from Cronkite declaring that the war was unwinnable and that the best option was to negotiate an end to the war. That analysis would famously lead Lyndon Johnson, watching the broadcast, to declare "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America."
The arrival of the first American ground troops is followed by a massive buildup of US forces as the war becomes Americanized. Meet the soldiers and commanders, witness battles, the growing protests at home and aftermath of the massacre at My Lai.
This program features remarkable combat footage from the first American offensives through the incursion into Cambodia. Witness the valor and bravery of the ground troops, the daring helicopter pilots and the nurses who fought to save the wounded. This is an unforgettable portrait of the soldiers who faced death on a daily basis.
Join the men of Charlie Company on a mission in Cambodia in 1970. This is a memorable insight into the inner conflict of the soldiers' personal views set against the realities of jungle combat.
Take an inside look at the weapons and tactics of the elusive and resourceful enemy in this program mostly filmed by the Viet Cong. You will also see how American forces tried to counter their enemy with technology and with 'tunnel rats' who hunted the Viet Cong in their own hideouts.
By 1968, American commanders thought they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then came the enemies' searing Tet holiday offensive, the coordinated attack on more than one hundred cities throughout South Vietnam. This program captures the ferocity of the desperate struggle in the cities of Vietnam and the stunned reaction in America.
A look at Saigon during the war years. Observed: the city's black market, its hospitals and its docks.
This eye opening program is the story of the men and machines that dominated the air over Southeast Asia for ten years. Watch as the helicopter comes of age as a weapon and shares the sky with the screaming jet fighters. Follow a bombing mission over North Vietnam from the pre-flight briefing all the way to the target.
"America Pulls Back" during the Nixon years, as the U.S. places more military responsibility on the South Vietnamese. Also: with the invasion of Cambodia, the anti-war movement heats up.
The cease-fire of 1973 is signed, but the fighting goes on for two years until the fall of Saigon. Meanwhile, POWs are relased and the U.S. troops finally come home.
Examining the legacies of the Vietnam War, and the slow healing of the many wounds caused by America's involvement in the conflict. Included: a look at the importance of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.
Interviews with Leroy Cook (US Navy), Lynn Aikman (US Air Force) and Frank Cambria (US Army).
In 1968, Erik Durschmied shot the CBS Special Report Hill 943 in which he followed three soldiers in Alpha Company as they tried to capture Hill 943 in a bloody battle..."A uninhabited, nameless hill. Only called "Hill 943" because of its height. Soldiers were given the orders to take it. Then abandon it. Only to have to retake it again..."
Originally released in 1981, this documentary hosted by Walter Cronkite focuses on the history of the Vietnam War and the United States' involvement as told by CBS News and its correspondents. Also appearing are Ed Bradley, Charles Collingwood, Bruce Dunning, Charles Kuralt, Dan Rather, Morley Safer, Eric Sevareid, and Mike Wallace.
