Tour of Duty on DVD

IN THE NEWS I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tour of Duty, a CBS series about a US infantry squad in Vietnam, from the is now on DVD. Tour of Duty made a determined effort in every episode to depict some important aspect of the Vietnam War. Some memorable episodes include the defense of a village where all is definitely not what it seems; a "What a strange trip it's been" return to the United States on leave; racial tensions boiling over in the platoon after Martin Luther King's assassination; and a quixotic rescue effort that symbolized the unforgiving, unfair brutality of war for the infantryman and civilians alike. It's a rough ride watching this show, since the writers were unforgivingly stark in their honesty. Don't expect the stories to follow the comfortable conventions of television, including the WWII-based series like Combat! or The Rat Patrol. Since the Vietnam War is suddenly back in the news, and by necessity this blog talks a great deal about that war as an historical point of reference, I thought I'd take the chance to recommend renting or buying the series.

Comments

[phoenix periodontist]

I was surprised with the news! Well, it's about time for the people to know.