Educational Media Reviews Online

This film honors five residents of the Effingham, Illinois area who were involved in American efforts during the Vietnam War. Zona B. Davis had an enormous impact on the lives of American fighting men through the hundreds of morale-boosting weekly letters she sent them from the Midwest. Arthur Bates (Khe Sahn), Don McKinney (Cu Chi), and Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis were area combat veterans, while Betty Bailey served as a nurse at the 67th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon. The film was produced with a great deal of input from local radio stations, the Greater Effingham Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Arts Council. Though it is well-made, and includes some excellent interviews interspersed with video clips and stills from the 1960’s and 70’s, the film’s high purchase cost prohibits an enthusiastic recommendation. Though experts comment on the circumstances of the battles of Cu Chi, Khe Sahn and the 1968 Tet Offensive, there is insufficient time devoted in the film to place these five individual stories into overall context of the conduct of the War from the American viewpoint.

The film’s audio, video and editing are excellent. Titles, text captions look to be at too high a contrast to their backgrounds, providing a slightly annoying visual buzz for the viewer when they are on screen.

This film will complement the most comprehensive of video collections on the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Chief teaching points may be the transformation of American youth of the time into the soldiers or nurses they had to become to fulfill their sense of duty and patriotism, likewise, the transformations of themselves through their exposure to the horrors of armed conflict.