Tour of Duty

Where to begin? This is one of the greatest tv series ever made.

It has everything. Brotherhood, strife, politics, morality and ethics, courage, ambiguity, everything. You have to see this movie as part of the time it was made. In 1987, there was no real visual example of what the war in Vietnam was really all about. Vietnam during the seventies and sixties was something people protested against. It was the longest war the United States had ever fought. It split a nation, between people who wanted to make a stand against communism and for conservatism, and people who couldn't see how a war more than a thousand miles away could possibly affect the USA. The seventies was also an era during which many former colonies (like Vietnam) were trying to become independent, like Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia/Southwest Africa. During the eighties, there was a largely Republican leaning movement of movies tangentially about Vietnam (First Blood, about a vietnam veteran, but set in Colorado, not Vietnam), Chuck Norris' movies, even Magnum PI with Tom Selleck (1980 onwards) and later Miami Vice. The Vietnam theme was "in", but no real movies/series set in Vietnam or dealing with the real day-to-day of ordinary soldiers had been made. And then there was Tour Of Duty. Tour of Duty set out to describe the daily grind of a platoon of the 199th Light Infantry. This series is great. Yes, it may reflect earlier series like the WWII series "Combat", but it is still unique. Unlike most series in the eighties, it isn't afraid of featuring Black and Hispanic actors in major, leading roles - Stan Foster, Miguel Nunez and Ramon Franco, mainly. In no small measure reflecting that the Vietnam War was the first war during which the US military was fully integrated/desegregated. Meanwhile, the storylines are great. Most deal with the daily strain of patrols, the interaction with the Vietnamese population, and there is even a love interest thrown in, in the form of female reporter Alex Devlin (Kim Delaney, based on the real-life reporter and war casualty Dicky Chapelle). Lots of themes are explored, from the stresses of combat, to the attitude to the war, to the situation of the people of Vietnam, the psychological damage (as through psychiatrist Betsy Brantley), etc. The second part of the series has the squad enlisted as Special Forces, under Colonel Brewster (Carl Weathers), highlighting the strains and tensions between Special Forces and regular army on the one side and the CIA (Patrick Kilpatrick as Duke Fontaine) on the other. This is a great series, see it if you can.

"Tour Of Duty" is quite frankly one of my most favorite TV series of all time, and for good reason too. Aside from being highly entertaining, the show made attempts to show what life was like for soldiers during the Vietnam war. In spite of prime time network regulations, the stories were gritty and unglamorous, and rarely were there any feel-good endings to episodes.

It's a shame that many of the talented actors who made up the "Tour Of Duty" cast (with the exception of John Dye and Kim Delaney) aren't seen as often on TV anymore. I hope that there's a slim chance of a reunion movie being made, given the strong following this show developed over the years.

Having served two tours of duty in Vietnam, I can say without hesitation that "Tour Of Duty" is the most realistic of any movies/programs that have been made about the war, excuse me, conflict, and what went on there. Zeke Anderson is the epitome of a good platoon sergeant, and Lieutenant Goldman shows wisdom in taking advice from such an experienced Non-Commissioned Officer at Zeke Anderson. A rare quality in an officer.

Tour of Duty is one of the best series I have ever seen. It has great performances from the entire cast, a wonderfull human story about an inhuman war and the story-telling is perfectly paced.

Sadly, it didn't get the ratings it deserved back in the states, though it was a big hit over here (and several other countries, I've learned). If you get the chance, watch it (like I'm doing now as it's being re-run on SBS-6). I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I am a Sergeant in the Army with 17 years of experience in the National Guard and on active duty, I am also a Desert Storm veteran (and cotton picking proud of it!). I usually get a really hearty laugh when I watch tv shows and films with a military theme because they are so unrealistic and it just isn't like that in real life. I used to love to watch Tour Of Duty, however, because it was realistic and for a change it told the story like it really was. It dealt realistically with the real issues that affected soldiers in the Vietnam war, the drug addiction, the racism, the desertions, the meddling by the politicians, the incompetence of many of the top brass. So often watching this show would make me angry because it was so frightning and so true. Above all, it showed the way the people back home were so cruel to the veterans and spit on them and called them baby killers. Terence Knox and the other cast members all did an amazing job and made this a very special show that touched a lot of people. I am sure that many Vietnam vets who watched this show cried because it brought back so many sad memories for them. We owe these special men a long-overdue debt of thanks. Tour Of Duty reminds us of their sacrifice and that is what made it such a great show.