I think the main purpose of this documentary is to show how Americans entered the Vietnam war with the wrong attitude. They felt it was like a game in which they had to be aggressive. Like in all other circumstances, Americans had this volition to "win the war no matter what." Nobody really understood the damage that was being done to the Vietnamese. Nobody really understood the trauma and chaos that was going on due to the vendetta among the Viet Cong from the North and the republicans from the South. In Vietnam, people lost their lives and were convicted for crimes just because they fought for peace. American GIs did nothing but treat the Vietnamese like irksome flies and bomb their fields like they were supposed to. This is a well taken documentary which in some cases can pass as propaganda (especially when they show football scenes, demonstrating American morale), but it is definitely a good piece of work, and gives us all something to think about.
Review of Hearts and Minds
