Word of Honor

[bigblackbravo]

Just saw the premier of the movie "Word of Honor". Any comments from vets? I'm only 14, and cant comprehend the things that have and are going on, but while watching it with my father who is a vet, we both agree it was a terrible movie. He served in the 4ID, '68-'69, in the Central Highlands and never saw any action but he has been diagnosed with somewhat of a case of PTSD. He said that along with the movie being all around bad, believed it was technically wrong as well. Any one who also watched it, please express your opinions as well.

[MORTARDUDE]

Haven't heard of this movie. Could you post some more info about it ? Thanks.

Larry

[sfc_darrel]

World Premiere
Saturday, December 6 @ 8pm ET on TNT

Encore
Sunday, December 7 @ 8pm ET on TNT

In the film, Johnson plays Ben Tyson, a brilliant corporate executive and family man who finds his world threatened when he is accused of participating in a hospital massacre that occurred 30 years earlier, when he was an Army lieutenant during the Vietnam War. A member of his old platoon, Dr. Steven Brandt (Heard), decides to seek redemption for his soul after learning that he is dying of cancer. Brandt speaks of the events with the press, putting Tyson, his wife (Lawrence) and son in the eye of a storm of relentless tabloid journalism and political maneuvering. At the suggestion of his former boss, Tyson hires a seemingly down home country lawyer (Howard), whose folksiness belies a brilliant legal mind.

JAG officer Maj. Harper (Tripplehorn) leads the investigation to determine whether charges will be brought against Tyson and his former platoon. But Tyson remains true to the pact of silence he made with his men 30 years earlier. As a result, Harper finds herself hitting a brick wall and questioning everyone's story. As his lawyer tries to defend him during a court martial, Tyson finds his loyalties divided among the family he loves, the men who were under his command and the Army seeking to hold him responsible for the massacre. Only after a surprise eyewitness to the tragic event comes forward does the truth finally come to light. This thought-provoking drama explores the moral issues of guilt, innocence and culpability in wartime.

We didn't watch it. Sounded like another attack on the military.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

The left wanted so much to show those that fought in the war were evil and corrupt. It is this myth that is in almost all films about the Vietnam War. In reality, we were just a bunch of kids in terrible situations trying to do what was right. I didn't see the movie but I have seen the story many times before.

[bigblackbravo]

Well, Don Johnson, starred in it, playing a retired infantry lieutenant. Him and 5 or 6 other platoon members, or what was left after the Battle of Hue, found an international hospital in a village. Johnson told his men to infiltrate the village to seek medical help. One of the members walked in the open and was fired on by a VC. The VC shot him right in the back of the neck. So whith that Johnson and his men moved into the hospital seeking help from the French staff. As you can imagine ther are many wounded VC on tables being tended to by the French nurses. So that triggers several events. Several members push around te staff calling them "froggy" because they wont help their wounded friend. So Johnson begs to the doctor and the doctor still resists. Then one of the members shoots the doctor and then Johnson pulls a .45 on him. The soldier continues to shoot another doctor. Now Johnson shoots the soldier. Johnson orders that a VC on a table be removed. But now the wounded soldier is dead. With Johnson's men all pointing their weapons at him, Johnson says to his RTO to call Battalion and order some MPs to place his platoon under arrest. A nurse pleeds to the platoon to stop but Johnson pushes her to a corner. Then Johnson is knock out by a member, and the Sgt. orders the platoon to "waste them all, men, women and children". The forty or fifty people in the hospital are massacred and Johnson finds his way out and regroups. Some 35 years later the medic comes forward and says Johnson gave the order to kill the people. So the army screws him into getting reenlisted, because Johnson gets money from the army for a wound he received. But Johnson does that in exchange for immunity for his platoon. Becuase after the incident he gave his word not to talk about it. Well the movie goes on and then the nurse Johnson saved comes forward and saves Johnson. He gets off with being convicted for the murder of one soldier and his platoon is untouchable, thats it.

Chandler

[39mto39g]

watched about 10 min of it and turned it, Crap, is all I can say.

What was your dads address in Vietnam.

Ron

[bigblackbravo]

Company C, 704th Maint Batt., 2nd Brigade. He served in Ban Me Thout, Kontum, and Pleiku. From about August of '68 to Sept of '69.

[MORTARDUDE]

Thanks for the info about the movie. I wiill be sure to avoid it, and urge others to do the same. I thought they were past putting crap like that on TV and the movies. I assume there is not one iota of truth in it at all.

See if your father will post some on here. It might do him good.
Take care.

Larry

bbb-

The only hospital I know of being captured during the war was one we found in the Delta.Wasn't in a ville.All underground with about 5 levels of tunnels.I understand that it was quite elaborate with surgical suites,post op areas,etc.Nothing "international" about it except that most of the equipment and supplies were French,two or three tons of which were brought out and the rest blown in place.

Massacre?Most of the tunnel entrances were in an old graveyard and the whole area was lousey with booby traps and command det. mines.Also a sm. reargard which would pop a few caps and fall back.We had several guys WIA from the bobby traps,don't recall any KIA's.By the time we cleared the entrances,everybody down there was long gone-turns out they also had an underground dock that connected with a local waterway.

[bigblackbravo]

Thanks MORTARDUDE. 39mto39g, do you ever go on the 4ID website bulletin board? My Dad spends alot of time there, his name is user name is John Rochelle.