I was born in 1967 and can very happily say that I am glad that I never had to serve in the military, much less, Vietnam. Since I was never there, I can only read what has been published, and either choose to believe those stories to be accurate portrayals or simply embellished accounts. This story is tragic and is supposed to be based on a story that was published in a magazine, based on true events. I believe, in my honest opinion, that while it may have not been rampant, there was indeed raping and killing of Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam conflict. This story highlights one such occurrence and is gripping and tragic. The character portrayed by Michael J. Fox, must have had some very strong character, but was also very realistic in what he felt he could do. Personally, had it been me, and I was thrown into that situation where my squad decided to kidnap, rape, torture and kill a Vietnamese innocent, I would have simply wasted the squad. Screw the consequences, I would have done what was my moral obligation to prevent that from happening. If I had to go down for, so be it. But, I would feel justified in killing those filthy bastards. I hope that I am not the only person out there that feels this way and not the only person who strongly believes that we should have NEVER been there in the first place. It was their war, to win or lose. Instead, the US went in and became profiteers in this tragic piece of history, raping and gutting the country of Vietnam and playing both sides and seeking to make money off of the pain and suffering. To this day, we still seem to keep making those horrible mistakes in the name of God and country. Makes me ashamed to be an American.
Review of Casualties of War
