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''Sir! No Sir!'' is a 2005 documentary by Displaced Films about the
anti-war movement
An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to p ...
within the ranks of the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. The film was produced, directed, and written by
David Zeiger. The film had a theatrical run in 80 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada in 2006, and was broadcast worldwide on:
Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to:
* Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States).
* Sundance Channel (Canada)
* Sundance Channel (Netherlands)
* Sundance Channel (Europe) Sundance Channel can refer to:
* Sundance TV, formerly kno ...
,
Discovery Channel,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
,
ARTE France
Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture.
It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...
,
ABC Australia, SBC Spain, ZDF Germany, YLE Finland,
RT, and several others.
Synopsis
''Sir No Sir!'' tells for the first time on film the story of the 1960s
GI movement against the war in Vietnam. The film explores the profound impact that the movement had on the war, and investigates the way in which the GI Movement has been erased from public memory.
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
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile.
The review in the ''
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' notes,
A Navy nurse was arrested after she flew a plane over military bases in San Francisco that dropped antiwar leaflets, two black soldiers were given eight to 10 years for attempting to organize a discussion group that asked whether black soldiers should be participating in the war, and hundreds of other soldiers were jailed for any number of reasons. Decades later, the veterans Zeiger talks to still seem completely astonished, shell-shocked as it were, by both the confusing scope of the war itself and by their ability to resist it.
Footage
The film brings to life the history of the GI Movement and the stories of those who were part of it through interviews with veterans plus hitherto unseen archival material. Archival materials include news reports from local and national television broadcasts, images from newspapers and magazines, and
Super-8 and
16mm film
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
footage of events in the GI Movement shot by GIs and civilian activists. Recently shot interviews with individuals involved in the struggle include soldiers imprisoned for refusing to fight, to train other soldiers, or to ship out to the frontlines; Vietnam veterans who became antiwar activists or joined the 500,000+ soldiers whom
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...
listed as deserters during the war; the leader of the Presidio 27 Mutiny, also known as the
Presidio mutiny; and soldiers who went on strike while in Vietnam, plus other interviews, including with
Hollywood activist
Jane Fonda. Exclusive footage from documentary coverage of the movement includes highlights from the
FTA Show
The ''FTA Show'' (or ''FTA Tour'' or ''Free The Army tour''), a play on the common troop expression "Fuck The Army" (which in turn was a play on the army slogan "Fun, Travel and Adventure"), was a 1971 anti-Vietnam War road show for GIs designed ...
,
Jane Fonda and
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...
's antiwar stage
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
that traveled to military bases around the world, ''
F.T.A.
''F.T.A.'' is a 1972 United States, American documentary film starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland and directed by Francine Parker, which follows a 1971 Opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War, anti-Vietnam War road show for G.I ...
'' the feature-length film about that tour; Vietnam veterans hurling their medals onto the Capitol steps; the refusal by troops to engage in combat at
Firebase Pace; and an audio recording made by the journalist Richard Boyle, who was also the author of ''The Flower of the Dragon'' and the
Oliver Stone film ''
Salvador''.
Historical overview
1965-1967: "A Few Malcontents"
As the Johnson administration turns what was initially a small "police action" into an all-out war and the peace movement begins, isolated individuals and small groups in the military refuse to participate and are severely punished: Lt. Henry Howe is sentenced to two years hard labor for attending an antiwar demonstration; the
Fort Hood Three are sentenced to three years hard labor for refusing duty in Vietnam;
, a military doctor, refuses to train Special Forces troops and is court-martialed
as
Donald W. Duncan
Master Sergeant Donald Walter Duncan (March 18, 1930 – March 25, 2009) was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who served during the Vietnam War, helping to establish the guerrilla infiltration force Project DELTA there. Following his return ...
, a celebrated member of the
Green Berets
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army.
The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...
, resigns after a year in Vietnam; and Corporal William Harvey and Private George Daniels are sentenced to up to 10 years in 1967 for meeting with other marines on Camp Pendleton to discuss whether Blacks should fight in Vietnam.
1968-1969: "We Thought The Revolution Was Starting."
The war escalates as the peace movement becomes an international mass movement, and soldiers begin forming organizations and taking collective action: The Ft. Hood 43, Black soldiers who refused riot-control duty at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, are sentenced for up to 18 months each; the largest military prison in Vietnam, Long Binh Jail (affectionately called LBJ by the troops), is taken over by Black soldiers who hold it for two months. The Presidio 27 – prisoners in the stockade on the Presidio Army Base in San Francisco – are charged with mutiny, a capital offense, when they refuse to work after a mentally ill prisoner is killed;
underground newspapers
The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group.
In specific rec ...
published by antiwar GIs appear at almost every military base in the country; the American Serviceman's Union is formed; antiwar coffeehouses are established outside of military bases.
In Vietnam, small combat - refusals occur and are quickly suppressed, but on Christmas Eve, 1969, 50 GIs participate in an illegal antiwar demonstration in Saigon.
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is an American tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation founded in 1967 to oppose the United States policy and participation in the Vietnam War. VVAW says it is a national veterans' organization ...
(VVAW) is formed.
1970-1973: "Sir, My Men Refuse To Fight!"
Opposition to the war turns militant and the
counter-culture
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...
rises to its peak: 92,000 soldiers were declared deserters, with tens of thousand fleeing to Canada, France and Sweden; thousands of soldiers organize and participate in
Armed Forces Day
Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day.
Africa
Egypt
In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...
demonstrations at 19 military bases on May 15, 1971; drug use is rampant and
underground radio networks flourish in Vietnam as Black and white soldiers increasingly identify with the antiwar and Black liberation movements;
combat refusals and
fragging of officers in Vietnam are epidemic. Thousands are jailed for refusing to fight or simply defying military authority, and nearly every U.S. military prison in the world is hit by riots.
Jane Fonda's antiwar
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
, The
FTA Show
The ''FTA Show'' (or ''FTA Tour'' or ''Free The Army tour''), a play on the common troop expression "Fuck The Army" (which in turn was a play on the army slogan "Fun, Travel and Adventure"), was a 1971 anti-Vietnam War road show for GIs designed ...
, tours military bases and is cheered by tens of thousands of soldiers; the Pentagon concludes that over half the ground troops openly oppose the war and shifts its combat strategy from a ground war to an air war; the Navy and Air Force are both riddled with mutinies and acts of sabotage. VVAW holds the
Winter Soldier Investigation, exposing American war crimes through the testimony of veterans, and stages the most dramatic demonstration of the Vietnam era as hundreds of veterans hurl their medals onto the Capitol steps.
Coffee Houses.
Zeiger highlights the history of the coffee houses that sprang up near army bases where many of the activist meetings took place, including the
Oleo Strut
An oleo strut is a pneumatic air–oil hydraulic shock absorber used on the landing gear of most large aircraft and many smaller ones. This design cushions the impacts of landing and damps out vertical oscillations.
It is undesirable for an airp ...
, where Zeiger worked as a teenager.
"The GIs turned the Oleo Strut into one of Texas's anti-war headquarters, publishing an underground anti-war newspaper, organizing boycotts, setting up a legal office, and leading peace marches."
Epilogue: The Myth Of The Spitting Hippie.
As the U.S. military and its allies flee Vietnam in disarray in the spring of 1975, the government, the media, and Hollywood begin a 20-year process of erasing the GI Movement from the collective memory of the nation and the world.
Ronald Reagan's "Resurgent America" campaign re-writes the history of Vietnam and erases the GI Movement; by 1990, over 100 theatrical films have been produced about the Vietnam War, none of which portray the GI Antiwar Movement or any opposition to the war by soldiers; the myth that antiwar activists routinely spat on returning soldiers is spread as part of the buildup to the 1990
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
.
Featured individuals and groups
*Greg Payton, an African-American, imprisoned at Long Binh Jail for refusing to fight, who was part of the uprising there
*Dave Cline, wounded three times in Vietnam and antiwar activist at Ft. Hood, the site of some of the staunchest resistance to the war and racism
*Keith Mather, jailed in the
Presidio of San Francisco for publicly refusing orders to go to Vietnam and a leader of the
Presidio mutiny
*Dr. Howard Levy, jailed three years for refusing to train
Special Forces troops
*Navy nurse
Susan Schnall, jailed for dropping leaflets from an airplane onto the Presidio army base
*
Terry Whitmore, a highly decorated combat veteran who deserted to Sweden
*Members of "WORMS" (We Openly Resist Military Stupidity)
*Air Force linguists stationed in Asia who went on strike during the 1972 Christmas bombings of Hanoi and Haiphong.
Awards
*
Los Angeles Film Festival
The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...
Audience Award, Best Documentary
*
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Seeds of War Award
*
Hamptons Film Festival Jury Award, Golden Starfish for Best Documentary
*Vermont International Film Festival Jury Award, Best Film in War and Peace
*
Independent Spirit Awards Best Documentary Nominee Award
*Video Librarian's Best Documentaries of the Year List
*American Library Association's VRT Notable Videos for Adults List
*
Independent Feature Project
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independen ...
Nomination for a Gotham Award
Reception
The film garnered critical acclaim and has an 89% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
. ''
Ebert & Roeper'' gave the film "Two Thumbs Up", and
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
proclaimed: "This is an important chapter in the Vietnam library of films." For ''
L.A. Weekly,'' Chuck Wilson wrote: "David Zeiger's superb documentary about the Vietnam War era's GI protest movement is jammed with incident and anecdote and moves with nearly as much breathless momentum as the movement itself." Jonathan Rosenbaum of the ''
Chicago Reader'' wrote: "I expected to emerge depressed by how long these stories have gone untold, but the speakers' courage and humanity are a shot in the arm."
See also
*
Concerned Officers Movement
*
Court-martial of Howard Levy
The court-martial of Howard Levy occurred in 1967. Howard Levy (born April 10, 1937) was a United States Army doctor who became an early resister to the Vietnam War. In 1967, he was court-martialed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for refusing an ...
*
Donald W. Duncan
Master Sergeant Donald Walter Duncan (March 18, 1930 – March 25, 2009) was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who served during the Vietnam War, helping to establish the guerrilla infiltration force Project DELTA there. Following his return ...
*
Fort Hood Three
*
FTA Show
The ''FTA Show'' (or ''FTA Tour'' or ''Free The Army tour''), a play on the common troop expression "Fuck The Army" (which in turn was a play on the army slogan "Fun, Travel and Adventure"), was a 1971 anti-Vietnam War road show for GIs designed ...
- 1971 anti-Vietnam War road show for GIs
* ''
F.T.A.
''F.T.A.'' is a 1972 United States, American documentary film starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland and directed by Francine Parker, which follows a 1971 Opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War, anti-Vietnam War road show for G.I ...
'' - documentary film about the FTA Show
*
GI's Against Fascism
*
G.I. coffeehouses
*
GI Underground Press
*
Movement for a Democratic Military
The Movement for a Democratic Military (MDM) was an antiwar and GI rights organization during the Vietnam War. Initially formed in late 1969 as a merger of sailors from San Diego and marines from the Camp Pendleton Marine Base in Oceanside, CA, i ...
*
Opposition to the Vietnam War
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War (before) or anti-Vietnam War movement (present) began with demonstrations in 1965 against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social mov ...
*
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War (before) or anti-Vietnam War movement (present) began with demonstrations in 1965 against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social move ...
*
Presidio mutiny
*
Stop Our Ship (SOS) anti-Vietnam War movement in and around the U.S. Navy
*
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is an American tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation founded in 1967 to oppose the United States policy and participation in the Vietnam War. VVAW says it is a national veterans' organization ...
*
Waging Peace in Vietnam
*
Winter Soldier Investigation
External links
*
*
*
*
No Sir!''review at Beyond Chron
BBCDisplaced Films
- ''Time'' magazine, 1969
A Matter of Conscience - GI Resistance During the Vietnam War
Waging Peace in Vietnam - US Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War
Waging Peace in Vietnam Interviews with GI resisters
References
{{Reflist, 2
2005 films
Documentary films about the Vietnam War
Documentary films about veterans
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War
2005 documentary films
American documentary films
Anti-war films about the Vietnam War
Films about activists
Resistance Inside the Army
2000s English-language films
2000s American films