"In March 1964 Robert S. McNamara opened a speech about South Vietnam with the statement that 'the independence of a nation and the freedom of its people are being threatened by Communist aggression and terrorism.' Many words later, Mr. McNamara, the secretary of defense, concluded, in rosy terms that sound eerily similar to contemporary dispatches, that 'when the day comes that we can safely withdraw, we expect to leave an independent and stable South Vietnam, rich with resources and bright with prospects for contributing to the peace and prosperity of Southeast Asia and of the world.'" - Manhola Dargis, The New York Times

The parallels between the Vietnam War and the one we're currently fighting in Iraq have been brought up time and again in the media. But a less heard story is the similarities between the Iraq veteran anti-war movement and the little covered veteran's movement of the 1960s. In this special broadcast, we present the landmark, award-winning film Sir! No Sir! and talk with veterans about their experiences in the anti-war movement.

About the film: Sir! No Sir!

This is the story of one of the most vibrant and widespread upheavals of the 1960s–one that had profound impact on American society, yet has been virtually obliterated from the collective memory of that time.

In the 1960s an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of history. This movement didn’t take place on college campuses, but in barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in army stockades, navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam. It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel, infested the entire armed services. Yet today few people know about the GI movement against the war in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War has been the subject of hundreds of films, both fiction and non-fiction, but this story–the story of the rebellion of thousands of American soldiers against the war–has never been told in film.

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Visit Sir! No Sir! online

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