Educational Media Reviews Online

While there already exists a number of documentaries focused on the Vietnam War, finding an angle or story to tell to engage with viewers in a meaningful way can prove difficult. Through interviews with eight members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Alpha Company, archival film, and photographs, My Father’s Brother offers a compelling story about the experience of these individuals in Vietnam during a single battle on June 29, 1966 while on a routine seek and destroy mission.

Broken into a number of different segments to provide a full perspective of each participant's experience, the film opens with each person describing how they ended up in the Army on the way to Vietnam. As one could expect given the time period, some enlisted and others were drafted. After basic training, each of these veterans arrived in Vietnam and described their first impressions. One particularly amusing story of stealing liquor from the officer’s club because the locked cabinet was hinged on the outside. Stories such as this will draw the viewer in and become invested in the fate of these men. On June 29, 1966, while on patrol, a platoon was overrun in the jungle by the Vietcong. The story of what each person did during this time and how the battle eventually concluded offers great insight into the flawed decision making of military leaders during this conflict but also documents the multiple acts of heroism. Those who study the Vietnam War and the experience of soldiers when they returned home will find that discussion particularly insightful as each person discusses how they healed from this experience whether it was through mental health counseling or the ability to attend college through the G.I. Bill.

The film is well produced and the editing between interviewees is expertly done to weave an engaging narrative of events in Vietnam and after these returned home. This film easily supports any existing history collection and those supporting research into the Vietnam War but also will appeal to a wider general audience because of the personal stories about each soldier's experience on that fateful day. This film is recommended as a great addition to any collection.

Awards:
Best Documentary Award (Audience Choice), Macon Film Festival; Best Documentary Award (Juried), Beaufort International Film Festival; Best Documentary Award (Audience Choice), Beaufort International Film Festival; Best Documentary Award, Central Florida Film Festival; Best Documentary Award (Juried), Indigo Moon Film Festival; Best Documentary Award (Audience Choice), Indigo Moon Film Festival; Best Overall Documentary Award (Juried), Longleaf Film Festival; Finalist, New York Movie Awards

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