Comparing the documentary Hearts and Minds by Peter Davis with the book, Dispatches by Michael Herr.

To far too many people, Vietnam and the conflict there remains a mystery. To some, it was the only war America has ever lost. To others, a senseless venture into a land we did not know, politics we did not understand, and an enemy far better able to fight in jungle terrain than American soldiers. Vietnam is history- and not very pleasant or comforting history. Hearts and Minds- the title comes from a Lyndon Johnson …

…who fought and died or were wounded- on both sides- were political pawns. The movie also reveals the antagonism of white (and even black) American soldiers against the brown-skinned Orientals who they considered to be inferior in almost every way. Good for sex, but for little else. Herr sums up Vietnam in two words: "Hell Sucks." This "counter-revolution (as a talking head in the movie called it) still remains a divisive period in our history.