A question for my fellow Nam Vets

Skysoldier

Skysoldier

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I recently found a show on MeTV called "Tour of Duty."
I vaguely remember it being on TV years ago, but never really watched it because back then I was busy with work and raising a house full of kids.

Recently watched a few episodes and damn! .....what a bunch of crap! Full of bullshit cliches and situations that match all the bullshit stories that posers today still like to tell in bars.

No wonder most Americans have a twisted view about Vietnam, and those of us who served.

I can't watch it because it makes me so angry.

I will admit that the key actors do a good job, and the LT and Platoon Sergeant did a great job portraying the good ones I knew. But the story lines are pure bullshit......

What is your opinion? Am I right, or is it just me?
 
I watched it on TV when I was, oh, early teens maybe?

I hadn't been in the army yet, but even so? It was painfully obvious how shitty the storylines were. As dumb and predictable as "A-Team," "Dukes of Hazzard" and all the rest of the '80s "adventure TV" trend, but not nearly as entertaining.

Using "Paint it Black" as the theme song was okay, though. That tune's pretty good. You have to remember that it came out as a way to capitalize on how well Platoon and Full Metal Jacket did at the box office; "China Beach" came out at the same time, for the same reason. That might help you put it into perspective. The goal was NOT "let's make a realistic show about Vietnam," it was "let's make money."
 
you can tell how good a show it is.... because it runs on H&I TV on Saturday nights.... or in other words it isn't exactly must see TV

H&I is a digital subnet channel programmed by Weigel, the same folks that bring you MeTV

Neither WCVB or WMUR carry it as a digital sub, so it does not get seen in Boston
 
Picton said:
I watched it on TV when I was, oh, early teens maybe?

I hadn't been in the army yet, but even so? It was painfully obvious how shitty the storylines were. As dumb and predictable as "A-Team," "Dukes of Hazzard" and all the rest of the '80s "adventure TV" trend, but not nearly as entertaining.

Using "Paint it Black" as the theme song was okay, though. That tune's pretty good. You have to remember that it came out as a way to capitalize on how well Platoon and Full Metal Jacket did at the box office; "China Beach" came out at the same time, for the same reason. That might help you put it into perspective. The goal was NOT "let's make a realistic show about Vietnam," it was "let's make money."
Click to expand...
@Picton I found your TOD review on YT...🤪

"I have just found this again, not seen this since the late 80s when I was a kid. I ended up in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and played all this music from this show while out there, kept me sane."







Reply
 
Rat187 said:
@Picton I found your TOD review on YT...🤪

"I have just found this again, not seen this since the late 80s when I was a kid. I ended up in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and played all this music from this show while out there, kept me sane."

Reply
Click to expand...

Lol, no. Wasn't me. There's about three places on that list I've never been.
 
Daddy Mac said:
Watched Apocalypse Now last night. The horror. So many great performances.
Click to expand...
I worked with a Combat Marine that fought in Hue during TET-68. One day he turned to me and asked me a question about Nam until that moment, neither of I had broach the subject of Vietnam, "Bobby did you see Apocalypse now? It wasn’t like that was it?" "No Mel I said, but it felt like it".

I believe in that moment he and I understood each other perfectly.
 
Patriot said:
Especially Dana Delany! :D
Click to expand...
she was constantly appearing in a wet green t shirt braless.
DADT_2.jpg
 
Yes the tv shows were all bullshit for sure. You'd think they would have used Nam Vet advisors to keep things as real as could be on tv. I watched some of it and like you said Sky it was pretty crappy in the reality department.


.
 
Danang is where I was flown into when I got to Nam but I was only there for 3 days. Then I was put on a convoy north bound to Quang Tri. Caught another convoy northwest to LZ Stud/ later called Vandergtifc Combat Base. That same day I was choppered out to Hill 881. During the three days that I was in Danang I never got to really see any of Danang or much of the base either so I never got a feel for the place. I did see the tv series a bit though. It always felt unrealistic to me.
 
Rat187 said:
I worked with a Combat Marine that fought in Hue during TET-68. One day he turned to me and asked me a question about Nam until that moment, neither of I had broach the subject of Vietnam, "Bobby did you see Apocalypse now? It wasn’t like that was it?" "No Mel I said, but it felt like it".

I believe in that moment he and I understood each other perfectly.
Click to expand...
Dad was a Marine helicopter pilot and was there '65-'67 and flew over 200 combat missions. Apocalypse Now was his favorite Vietnam War movie because of the atmosphere and feeling. Of course he said the actual events in the movie were Hollywood nonsense but he said the mood of the movie was powerful.
 
Mountain said:
Dad was a Marine helicopter pilot and was there '65-'67 and flew over 200 combat missions. Apocalypse Now was his favorite Vietnam War movie because of the atmosphere and feeling. Of course he said the actual events in the movie were Hollywood nonsense but he said the mood of the movie was powerful.
Click to expand...
I think the first half of the movie was very realistic, but the second half was pure bullshit!
 

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