I like watching history documentaries, particularly ones involving wars. Its a bit like watching a chess game, and teaches you a bit about life too.This week one of the docos I watched was the History Channel's award winning documentary on the Battle of Long Tan - during the Vietnam War.
Its an excellent documentary done with surviving eye witness and participants of the battle. What I found effective was the use of the original radio transcripts - both conveyed the sheer horror and desperation the soldiers faced during that epic fight.
What I found confusing was the lack of maps or a tactical overlay of the battle - but after watching the documentary for the third time I realized that it was not the intent of the producers to explain "a great battle" story. They were more concerned with the psychological aspects of the battle: the stress, emotions, the feelings of confusion and utter despair, the danger and in particular the feelings and thoughts of the soldiers as their friends were killed and wounded around them.
The soldiers had to return back to the battlefield the next day. And when they found the dead bodies of their comrades still in their firing positions - many with their fingers still on the trigger - the soldiers, men aged between 19 - 25 years old, cried like they had never done.
What I found particularly moving was at the conclusion of the doco - they did an interview of one of the soldiers' families who was killed. He didn't have to go - but he chose not to defer his enlistment. He was an only son - and his fiance was planning to wed.
They brought back his body to the front of his house in a horse drawn hearse. And then his mother opened all the doors and windows so that his spirit could visit each one - one final time.
I don't know why I found that particularly moving. But I cried when they recounted the story.
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