I seldom watch music videos, except when my son comes home from college, and even then, I very rarely watch country videos. I caught one this past weekend that I highly recommend. I’ll go so far as to say that every one should watch it. It’s a video about war, specifically the Vietnam War. For those of us who are of s certain age, Vietnam stills brings forth a lot of mixed feelings. We grew up with that war; Eisenhower sent the first American advisors in Feb. 1955, the last American died in Apr 1975 even though the official end of the war was Jan 1972. Unofficially that was 20 years of war and nearly 60,000 dead. I was 3 when the war started and 20 when it “officially” ended. I remember watching the war on the news every night from Junior high until it ended.

Remember that this was before cable, there were only three networks, and all showed national news at the same time.and all carried clips of actual action. With the passage of time, I had forgotten what an impact those clips of ‘Nam had on me. This video I watched was of Big and Rich’s new video, “8th of November”. This video is based on the actual story of a friend of the duo, who served in Vietnam, and survived a battle on the 8thof November 1965 on November 8, 1965. The attack, in which 1,200 Viet Cong ambushed a much smaller American squadron. Forty-eight men were killed, and one soldier, Lawrence Joel, pulled 13 men to safety and nursed their wounds, despite being injured himself. In 1967, Joel became the first African-American medic to receive the Medal of Honor. Many of the scenes in the video are actual clips from that time, some of families saying goodbye to their loved ones going off to war, and clips of the horrors of that war, and photos of many of the actual troops killed that day.

The song is very well done and written beautifully. I liked this song very much, and the imagery of the video is exceptionally strong. I was surprised how much it disturbed me. I am a Navy vet, and as such, feel very strongly about those of us who served, whenever they served, and this accounts for some of the feelings the video stirred. However, the memories of those years disturbed me more. I remembered the division in this country over the war, the anti-war rallies, and the death of students in some of those rallies. On the day of the Kent State shootings, I was in high school, in English class, when they announced the shootings over the loud speaker. One girl screamed and left the room. Her cousin was at Kent State. I remember arguments with my father over the war. For those of my generation, that war forever changed us, and changed our country. The scars of that war are on everyone who lived in that era, whether they served in, or opposed it. I opposed viet nam strongly, yet 6 years after the war, I joined the Navy. While there were many personal reasons for my joining, behind it all was my own beliefs in this country, and my love for my country.

I recommend that for those of you, of my son’s generation, watch the video. Show to your parents, or your grandparents, and share your reactions. The video doesn’t examine the politics of that war, and takes no stance on war as such, it just tells one man’s story of that long sad war. Iraq is this generation’s war. Those born on the first day of this present war are now 4; there are already over three thousand dead. Over 25, 000 have been wounded. Those young men in my war were on the most part drafted. The 8 women casualties listed on the Viet Nam War Memorial were volunteers. All of those in your war are volunteers.

Regardless of your personal position on this present war, watch this video, and remember those serving in Iraq. All those who die in war die much too young.

[SMcQ]