Nixon ended the war. Kennedy started it, LBJ escalated it and Nixon took too long to end it. They skipped over that but it was still a stunning movie and Tom Cruise deserves all the praise. Oliver Stone's maudlin soundtrack was heavy-handed but the moviemaking nearly flawless. Not surprised by Stone's omissions. They left out one of the most memorable chants of the 60s peaceniks: "Hey, hey, LBJ! How many boys did you kill today?" That would be 16,899 casualties by 1968.
The vets' experience at the VA hospital was nightmarish, the confusion of war hellish and the contradiction of a "peace movement" illuminating.
The vets' experience at the VA hospital was nightmarish, the confusion of war hellish and the contradiction of a "peace movement" illuminating.