Reading time: 2 and a half minutes
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is celebrated in the United States every year on March 29 to honor the men and women who served in the Vietnam War.
Why is it celebrated?
The date was chosen because the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam was completed on March 29, 1973.
The Vietnam War was fought from 1955 to 1975, and in which the United States was directly involved from 1964 to 1973. The war was highly controversial in the United States, resulting in the deaths of more than 58,000 Americans and millions of Vietnamese.
National Vietnam Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor veterans of this war and thank them for their service and sacrifice. The day also raised awareness of the importance of supporting war veterans and their families.
Movies about the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a historical event that inspired many movie titles, we make a selection:
Apocalypse Now (United States, Francis Ford Coppola, 1979). A US Army commander is sent on a dangerous mission to kill a deserter colonel during the Vietnam War.
Platoon (United States, Oliver Stone, 1986). A young American soldier is sent to fight in Vietnam, where he joins an infantry unit and soon discovers the great things of war.
Full Metal Jacket (UK/USA, Stanley Kubrick, 1987). The story of a group of recruits at the United States Marine Corps training camp on Parris Island, and their subsequent deployment to Vietnam.
Hamburger Hill (United States, John Irvin, 1987). The story of the Battle of Hamburg Hill, a bloody battle in Vietnam in which American soldiers fought the Viet Cong for control of the hill.
Hello, Vietnam (United States, Barry Levinson, 1987). The US Army’s AGASO disc airing about Saigon during the Vietnam War boosts the morale of soldiers while fighting military restrictions and censorship.
The Deer Hunter (United States, Michael Cimino, 1978). Three friends from a small Pennsylvania town are sent to Vietnam, where they immediately return home after the dangers of war and traumatic reparations.
He was born on the 4th of July (United States, Oliver Stone, 1989). The story of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war activist after returning home paralyzed from the waist down.
Cries of Silence (UK, Roland Joffé, 1984). An American journalist and his Cambodian translator struggle to survive while covering the Cambodian civil war and the Khmer Rouge regime.
When We Were Soldiers (United States, Randall Wallace, 2002). The true story of Colonel Hal Moore and his band of American soldiers in the first major conflict between the United States and the Viet Cong in the Ia Drang Valley.
Rescue at Dawn (United States, Werner Herzog, 2006). The true story of United States Air Force pilot Dieter Dengler, who was captured and tortured while flying a bombing mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.
