Vietnam addio

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.

"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.

Recently i bought all three series of tour of duty on DVD which are fantastic seems i haven't seen the show since i was 6 years when i use to watch it with my dad, but one thing i was really disappointed about was all the music has been changed for one none of the episodes started with "paint it black" which was recognisable factor of the show and all the music during the shows had been changed like in the first episode which i have the original on VHS the end of the show finishes with bob Dylan's "all along the watchtower" and also in the first episode the animals "when i was young" wasn't played when they were in the helicopter for the first time. Just a bit disappointed that none of the original music has been put onto the episodes on the dads compared to the old series on television and also the tour of duty Cd's.

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.

Being a vet from the Viet Nam conflict era, I can't help but watch each episode over and over. This is the most realistic show on t.v.. When "COMBAT" came on in the 60s, My Dad , a WWII vet, said it was the most realistic WWII show he had ever seen. It also followed the main characters through tough battles. TOUR OF DUTY goes beyond "combat" probably because of the lack of strict censorship in the 80s compared to the 60s. I just have to say, the cast, the writing , the directing, and the filming of TOUR OF DUTY, marks the epidomy of excellence in television. Thanks goes out to "TBS" for bringing this great show back. When I get off of work at 2:00p.m., it gives me a chance to get home, get relaxed and settle in for the best hour on t.v.