Brothers in War

The Vietnam War was the only recent major U.S. military conflict that was not subject to censorship in filming battlefront campaigns (indeed, the almost-nightly TV news broadcasts from the frontlines helped propel anti-war opinion), creating a voluminous library of footage that has proven useful in enabling subsequent generations to understand what happened in Vietnam and how it affected the military personnel who served there. Narrated by Charlie Sheen and directed by Liz Reph, Brothers in War—which originally aired on the National Geographic Channel—focuses on a single year and regiment: 1967, when Charlie Company went through vigorous boot camp training before shipping out to the Viet Cong stronghold in the Mekong Delta. Reph skillfully mixes digitally restored archival clips with home movies taken by the troops (much of this video has not been seen publicly or has been unavailable for many years), and she includes audio recordings sent home by the soldiers that offer eloquent first-person accounts of their lives overseas. The experience in the Mekong Delta turned out to be bloody and tragic: of Charlie Company's 160 men, 26 were killed and 105 wounded. The documentary also features footage of survivors arriving home in 1968, and revisits them during reunions in later decades. DVD extras include deleted scenes. A moving tribute to military courage, heroism, and camaraderie, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)