Sir! No Sir! - The Suppressed Story of the GI Movement to End the War in Vietnam
by David Zeiger
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Actor: Louis Font; Michael Wong (IX); Joe Bangert; Dave Blalock; Howard Levy (II); Troy Garity; Susan Schnall; Terry Whitmore; Susan Schnall (II); Oliver Hirsch; Donald Sutherland; Richard Boyle; Donald Duncan (IV); Terry Iverson; John Lamboke; Darnell Stephen Summers; Keith Mather; David Blalock; Greg Payton; Tom Bernard (III)Director: David Zeiger
Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 84 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-12-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: DOCURAMA
Product features:
- Few Americans are aware that by the mid-1960s, many GIs had returned to the United States, disillusioned with America s participation in the ongoing war in Vietnam. A powerful documentary. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?DOCUMENTARIES Rating:?NR Age:?767685984239 UPC:?767685984239 Manufacturer No:?NVG-9842
DVD Reviews of Sir! No Sir! - The Suppressed Story of the GI Movement to End the War in Vietnam
DVD Review: powerful stuff--and it's very well presented
Summary: 5 Stars
Sir! No Sir! takes a realistic and very candid look at the groups of Vietnam veterans and other soldiers who were so morally opposed to the Vietnam conflict that they refused to serve in the Unites States military or they went "AWOL." These men (and some women) had the courage to stand up for what they believed in even though they were extremely scared to do so--but because they believed they were right to oppose the war they fought it with protests anyway. In addition, the story of the increasing resistance to the Vietnam War is presented in a rather chronological way; and the footage we get from evening news broadcasts and the shows by Jane Fonda and others is all very neatly included in this film. The cinematography is very well done and it is well used to portray not just the peaceful sit-ins but also the horrors of war. For example, we get excellent, clear footage of what bombing Vietnam actually looked like from a plane flying rather low over the ground; and the footage of men going to and from their court-martial trials is equally well done.
The film begins by showing us how in the early 1960s the American government began to send troops to Vietnam. As many of us know, American involvement in the Vietnamese conflict only grew with time; Nixon's "secret plan" to end the war was, at best, a plan that obviously didn't work--by 1971 Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia, which increased the scope of the war. We continue to see so many men stand up for their beliefs as they hold panel discussions. They even stage a riot when a man is brutally shot down as he tried to escape the San Francisco Presidio Stockade. Their stories can be disturbing indeed because, of course, war is not exactly a happy event.
These war protesters decide to eventually take things further by refusing to serve, staging sit-ins, using their own underground press to stay connected, taking out a full page ad in The New York Times with over 1,400 signatures (printed) publicly opposing the war, and just trying to preserve their own dignity and even the dignity of the enemy (referred to as "Charlie") soldiers when they realize that the opposition forces are human beings like themselves with girlfriends, mothers, families and more. We see the protesting and the violent chaos that ensued at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968; and so much more.
Of course, we all know that the Vietnam conflict finally ended so I'll leave out some material; that way you'll see some unexpected things in this film. I will say, however, that I have read quite a bit that there were apparently no attempts to spit on returning troops when they got off the planes from overseas.
The DVD comes with many extras; and that's terrific. Some of the extras include "Carl Dix: From Protest To Federal Prison To Revolution;" "Jeff Sharlet And Vietnam GI;" "Randy Rowland: Life In The Presidio Stockade;" "Keith Mather's Escape;" "The 9 For Peace" and "Joe Urgo: Behind The Winter Soldier Investigation."
Sir! No Sir! is geared toward a crowd that believes that the Vietnam conflict was wrong; if you honestly disagree I wouldn't recommend this DVD. However, this remains a powerful testament to the countless men who refused to fight on moral and ethical grounds. They had courage and they risked a lot for their beliefs; and that's truly exceptional.
DVD Review: What the books, MSM and the Government wants us to forget..
Summary: 5 Stars
I was too young to be drafted during the Vietnam War, but I vaguely remembered the tail end of the War, and the end of Nixon's term as U.S. President. What I didn't know back then, and didn't until almost 35 years later, is how divisive this War was to the whole U.S., including the Military. Another fact that I noticed is the fact that many in the service were soldiers drafted while people like Clinton and Cheney avoided going over there.
If anyone doubts the accuracy of this film, look up in the Library or the Internet information on Colonel Robert Heinl, who later founded the Heritage Foundation. Heinl is no flaming liberal, and if he states how fractured and divided the Military was back in the late 1960's-early 1970's, then there was a major crisis going on with the Armed Forces which the Vietnam War made much worse.
Sir! No Sir! could be seen as looking from the ground level, the people that were there, the soldiers, many that thought the War was wrong, and that the politicians and the Military brass lied from the neck up. It seems like the current mess in Iraq right now. The more things change, the more that they stay the same.
DVD Review: Truly Inspiring
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those movies you wish everyone in the whole world could see. It is a shame that peoples' knowledge of the Vietnam War and the social turmoil surrounding it often leave out the inspiring work of these amazing veterans. Certainly the actions of these brave and moral people is one of the first things that should come to mind when thinking of that time. Governments may always commit atrocities, but this movie is a testament to the fact that conscious people don't have to perpetuate them.DVD Review: Very very important story
Summary: 5 Stars
An important reminder that the story of the Vietnam war is, above all, the story f the yung men who were sent to fight in it.
As others have said, we need to remember and thank the vets who spoke out against the war. But more then that, we need to remember and thank ALL of the Vietnam vets. Those who went and then chose to protest, as well as those who tried their best to do an impossible and morally difficult job. They all showed immense bravery, one and all, and performed a service to this country at the expense of their own lives, limbs and sometimes sanity.
This move is terribly important today, however, as it puts the lie to myths and distortions of the true history of the vietnam protest. And it is those myths and lies that have allowed our government to lead us into another such conflict.
DVD Review: We need to thank the resisters for their service.
Summary: 5 Stars
This film revives the history of war resistance by veterans of the U.S. assualt on Vietnam. There are excellent books on this movement Home to War : A History of the Vietnam Veterans' Movement, a movement that the war complex has tried to erase from our consciousness. If more people were to see this film, they would begin to question their obedience to militarist narratives about the need to kill others for our "security" and "democracy" and "duty." Our troops are not being ordered around to serve our country, they are serving corporate elites in the boardrooms of Exxon, Dow Chemical and Lockheed Martin.
Why We Fight
Organizations like "Books for Soldiers" enable concerned citizens to send media items to U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and other outposts of the empire. As a scene in "Sir, No Sir" reveals, there are many critically-thinking people in the military, and they need assistance in combating all the propaganda they're inundated with. War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death
I saw this film on Link TV, and have purchased several copies to share with others, and donated some to a second-hand store.
See also:
The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives
The Ground Truth
What We Say Goes: Conversations on U.S. Power in a Changing World
An Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War, and Build a Better World
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community (BK Currents)
The Human Potential for Peace: An Anthropological Challenge to Assumptions about War and Violence
Description of Sir! No Sir! - The Suppressed Story of the GI Movement to End the War in Vietnam
Easily the most timely and resonant film about the soldiers on the front lines of antiwar resistance, the award-winning breakout theatrical hit SIR! NO SIR! Tells an almost entirely forgotten story of the military men and women who helped force the U.S. government to end the Vietnam War. Contrary to the popular image of long-haired hippies spitting on returning soldiers, SIR! NO SIR! vividly demonstrates that GIs were the heart and soul of the anti-war movement. Poignantly narrated by a diverse cast of veteran GI resisters who recall the ferocious days of peace marches and stiff jail sentences, SIR! NO SIR! pulls no punches in its raw depiction of the power of people, especially those in uniform. Directed by David Zeiger, SIR! NO SIR! is "powerful stuff, offering us not only a new look at the past, but to the unavoidably relevant insights into the present" (New York Daily News).Pundits often make parallels between America's involvement in Iraq and the nightmare that was Vietnam; director-writer-producer David Zeiger's Sir! No Sir! does it too. But while the comparisons are generally apt (both conflicts are known as "quagmires," became hugely unpopular with the public, and inflicted serious political damage on the presidents who presided over them), this documentary makes a vital distinction: namely, that some of the most vocal and active opponents of the Vietnam War were the very soldiers who fought in it. These are haunted men who went to Southeast Asia because it was their duty, perhaps even because they saw it as the right thing to do, only to become sorely disillusioned when they witnessed the horrible injuries, the villages bombed for little or no reason, the civilians tortured and killed, and various other horrors that took place "in country." Some, like the so-called Nine for Peace, formed GI protest groups while still on active duty in Vietnam; some went AWOL (there were reportedly 500,000 incidents of desertion); a great many, including soldiers who refused to be deployed to 'Nam at all, were court-martialed and imprisoned in military stockades like San Francisco's Presidio, while still others returned home, joined movements like Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and published virulent underground newspapers. All of this is delivered via personal anecdotes, photos, and occasional file footage. The material is undoubtedly compelling, but Sir! No Sir! pretty much makes its point in the first half hour, rendering the final hour somewhat tedious. And that's not even including the nearly two hours of accompanying bonus material. Most of the latter consists of extended interviews based on what we've already seen in the main program; there's also a look at the Winter Soldier inquiry (the subject of a separate documentary), as well as a joint appearance by "Hanoi Jane" Fonda, Vietnam's most infamous celebrity protester, and Cindy Sheehan, who became an anti-war activist after her son was killed in Iraq in 2004. --Sam Graham
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