Media Type

Moving Image

Physical Location

Stacks D26.5D

Number of Media

1

Language(s)

English

Format

DVD

Time - Hr:Min:Sec

05:02:00

Digitized in HD?

No

Format

DVD

Time - Hr:Min:Sec

01:53:00

Digitized in HD?

No

General Note

Utah Vietnam War Stories Part One: Escalation

They came from every corner of Utah. From farms and ranches, college campuses, and corner gas stations. From small crossroad towns, quiet suburbs, and the heart of big cities.

Thousands of young men and women from every walk of life in Utah served during the Vietnam conflict. Almost 400 of them would never return.

For two generations their stories have seldom been heard. Some veterans fell silent in the face of an indifferent and even hostile reception when they came home. Other vets simply held their silence, choosing not to revisit the personal cost of war.

Now, nearly 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War, their voices are being heard in KUED's gripping three-part series.

Escalation, the first episode, traces the role of Utah men and women in the first years of American military involvement in Vietnam when romantic images of war gave way to the harsh reality of tough jungle combat. See veterans remember moments, places, buddies, and service that can never be forgotten.

Run time: 94 minutes

Utah Vietanm War Stories Part Two: Turning Point (2 copies)

Turning Point, the second in a three-part series, is a compelling oral history of the pivotal months in Vietnam during and after the Tet Offensive of 1968. Utah's veterans reveal penetrating stories of the psychological effects of combat. Helicopter crew chiefs, door gunners, and pilots vividly describe the challenges of flying forces in and out of hot landing zones. Utah's medics and nurses speak of working tirelessly to save lives, and the day-to-day struggle to survive becomes the only mission for one Utah prisoner of war. In Turning Point, Utahns remember the veterans who served in a complex time of anti-war sentiment, when the world seemed to spin faster and life was held together by a slender thread.

Run time: 113 minutes

Utah Vietnam War Stories Part Three: Drawdown

KUED's award-winning documentary series, Utah Vietnam War Stories, draws to a powerful conclusion with its final chapter, Drawdown.

As the new decade of the 1970s dawns, U.S. ground forces are being reduced as the war increasingly moves toward "Vietnamization." But for the men still on the ground - and the airmen fighting an escalated bombing war - the conflict in Southeast Asia is a daily, deadly reality.

Drawdown brings into sharp focus the final years of the war - from the last ground troops to arrive in the jungle, to the last POW to return from captivity. KUED chronicles the bittersweet stories of those who tried to share a smile as they served in the USO; the memories of those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a distant land under their nation's flag; and the conflict that awaited many as they returned home.

Run time: 95 minutes

Narrated and Hosted by Rick Randle
Producer/Director - Elizabeth Searies and Sally Shaum
Writer - Ken Verdola
Historical and Photographic Consultant - Geoffrey Panos
Production Assistants - Natalie Avery and Colby Tueller
Videographers - John Castellano, Al Cutler, Patrick Brennan, and Gary Turnier
Editors - Bill Lauer, Elizabeth Searies, and Sally Shaum
Audio - William Montoya, William Gordon, and Kevin Sweet

Funded by the Katherine W. Dumke and Ezekiel R. Dumke, Jr. Foundation, the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, and the contributing members of KUED.