GBH Openvault

Vietnam: A Television History; Operation Long Reach, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Part of The Vietnam Collection.

11/05/1965

UN-1D helicopter lands. Soldiers jump out and run across grass. VS, soldiers come across a dead Vietcong. Sergeant searches through the clothing of the dead man. MSs, CUs, two medics comfort seriously wounded American soldier. (Excellent) CU, face of aidman showing anguish. Soldiers carry wounded on litters to UN-1D helicopter. UN-1D takes off. Dead American soldiers are carried off on makeshift litters. Other soldiers are on the alert. Lt Colonel James H. Nix, Commander 2d Bn, 8th Cavalry, 1st Bde, going through brush checking the dead soldiers. Dead American in jungle. Two soldiers arrive, place the dead soldier on litter and carry the body off. Soldiers rush toward jungle (sniper fire). Pan, jungle area. Gunner at door of airborne helicopter. Pilot and copilot at controls of CH-47. Shot from CH-47 as it picks up downed UN-1D helicopter and carries it over jungle to grassy field. UN-1Ds take off. Sun is setting in bg. CH-47 is directed to landing. VS, soldiers of the 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Bde, load a 105mm How into the CH-47. Soldier examines a captured Vietcong

Series

Vietnam: A Television History

Title

Operation Long Reach, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Series Description

This 13 part series covers the history of Vietnam from France's colonial control, through the 1945 revolution, to the 1975 U.S. evacuation from Saigon and the years beyond. The series' objective approach permits viewers to form their own conclusions about the war. 101--Roots of a War--Despite cordial relations between American intelligence officers and Communist leader Ho Chi Minh in the turbulent closing months of World War II, French and British hostility to the Vietnamese revolution laid the groundwork for a new war. 102--The First Vietnam War (1946-1954)--The French generals expected to defeat Ho's rag-tag Vietminh guerrillas easily, but after eight years of fighting and $2.5 billion in U.S. aid, the French lost a crucial battle at Dienbienphu--and with it, their Asian empire. 103--America's Mandarin (1954-1963)--To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, America replaced France in South Vietnam--supporting autocratic President Ngo Dinyh Diem until his own generals turned against him in a coup that brought political chaos to Saigon. 104--LBJ Goes to War (1964-1965)--With Ho Chi Minh determined to reunite Vietnam, Lyndon Baines Johnson determined to prevent it, and South Vietnam on the verge of collapse, the stage was set for massive escalation of the undeclared Vietnam War. 105--America Takes Charge (1965-1967)--In two years, the Johnson Administration's troop build-up dispatched 1.5 million Americans to Vietnam to fight a war they found baffling, tedious, exciting, deadly and unforgettable. 106--America's Enemy (1954-1967)--The Vietnam War as seen from different perspectives: by Vietcong guerrillas and sympathizers; by North Vietnamese leaders; by rank and file; and by American held prisoner in Hanoi. 107--Tet (1968)--The massive enemy offensive at the Lunar New Year decimated the Vietcong and failed to topple the Saigon government, but led to the beginning of America's military withdrawal. 108--Vietnamizing the War (1968-1973)--President Nixon's program of troop pull-outs, stepped-up bombing and huge arms shipments to Saigon changed the war, and left GI's wondering which of them would be the last to die in Vietnam. 109--Cambodia and Laos--Despite technical neutrality, both of Vietnam's smaller neighbors were drawn into the war, suffered massive bombing, and in the case of Cambodia, endured a post-war holocaust of nightmare proportions. 110--Peace is at Hand (1968-1973)--While American and Vietnamese continued to clash in battle, diplomats in Paris argued about making peace, after more than four years reaching an accord that proved to be a preface to further bloodshed. 111--Homefront USA--Americans at home divide over a distant war, clashing in the streets as demonstrations lead to bloodshed, bitterness and increasing doubts about the outcome. 112--The End of the Tunnel (1973-1975)--Through troubled years of controversy and violence, U.S. casualties mounted, victory remained elusive and American opinion moved from general approval to general dissatisfaction with the Vietnam war. 113--Legacies--Vietnam is in the Soviet orbit, poorer than ever, at war on two fronts; America's legacy includes more than one half million Asian refugees, one half million Vietnam veterans and some questions that won't go away. Series release date: 9/1983

Duration

00:09:15

Asset Type

Stock footage

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Snipers

Operation Long Reach, 1965

Vietnam (Asia) nation

Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Military missions

Soldiers

National liberation movements

Nationalism and communism

Military helicopter

Battle casualties

Helicopter pilots

Locations

Vietnam

Genres

Documentary

Topics

War and Conflict

Creators

Ellison, Richard (Series Producer)

Publication Information

NARA

Rights Summary

Public Domain Rights Holder: NARA

Citation

Chicago: “Vietnam: A Television History; Operation Long Reach, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile),” 11/05/1965, GBH Archives, accessed November 23, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4F340B6803BD48B3BAD1D61353708721.

MLA: “Vietnam: A Television History; Operation Long Reach, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).” 11/05/1965. GBH Archives. Web. November 23, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4F340B6803BD48B3BAD1D61353708721>.

APA: Vietnam: A Television History; Operation Long Reach, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4F340B6803BD48B3BAD1D61353708721