Just recently I finished watching the Vietnam War documentary series that's currently on Netflix and aired on PBS last (?) year. Ten episodes and 18 hours later, here we are, presumably more educated/knowledgeable about the Vietnam War. Ever since I watched Full Metal Jacket, I thought that I should know more about the Vietnam War, which is part of the reason why I committed to watching the aforementioned documentary series.
I thought it was well-done, so I'm in agreement with what I remember reading in the reviews of it at the time of its initial premiere. It was long and extensive, but thorough. The chronological approach was sort of an interesting one, although now I think I'd like to look more into certain aspects of the war, such as the role of journalists/correspondents (naturally), among others.
The soundtrack was pretty ace, featuring a lot of the quintessential 60s songs of the era, some of which I think I'd like to listen to more, in addition to my current music diet of a good amount of Joy Division (does that mean I'm a depressing person??). Sometime in the last few weeks, I read something about why classic rock has remained popular to this day, which was interesting although I don't completely remember what it said.
It also reinforced my opinion that I would not want to have to fight in a war; that sort of experience seems like it would be just brutal and terrible. If a new war were to break out now, and perhaps the draft to start again, I would become an anti-war protester/modern day hippie. Maybe I'd also help some people burn their draft cards (is that still a thing? If it's not, we could just print draft card props to be burnt symbolically. As an aside, I wonder what might happen if I, a woman, attempted to register to potentially be drafted, seeing as only men are required to register, as they inform you on brochures at the post office). Speaking of which, I also liked the 60s aesthetic portrayed in the documentary's parts that covered the hippies/anti-war protestors.
Related to this, I thought the American military uniforms seen in much of the historical footage used in the documentary were a particularly snazzy shade of green -- a sort of bluer green, not overly brown/yellow like some other military-esque greens are these days. Or maybe the shade just photographed/filmed really well on the film they used for cameras back then. The appearance of film photographs, in general, has a certain pleasing nostalgic quality to it.
So naturally, I had to look further into this. It turns out that a) you can buy American Vietnam-era military uniform clothes on eBay, some for rather reasonable prices (and some with blood stains...). And b) there's a specific name for the color of those uniforms (OG-107, as in "olive green") which were discontinued in 1989, apparently. And somewhat related, c) there are many military surplus websites which sell... interesting products that I honestly had never really thought about before. Like Royal Mail carrier messenger-style bags or German police jackets/coats that say "POLIZEI" across the back, among others. What fun!!
Related to this, I thought about the idea of military-inspired fashion and how a few years ago (I think, if memory serves?) the "utility jacket" was in style, and I, in fact, have one made in that style, from Forever 21. Now, a few years later, I'm actually fairly surprised at how long that coat has held up in relatively workable condition since you don't usually shop at Forever 21 for quality. For around $30 or so, what value!! I've worn that jacket into the ground, weather permitting.
A key element of these military uniform shirts/jackets are the quadruple flapped pockets, at the chest and then around the waist. What a concept! Interestingly enough, in the past, I found a nice jacket at the thrift store, which is clearly a women's jacket, as it's a saccharine bubblegum pink. It has four pockets in the arrangement/style like on the uniforms. I barely even know what to do with all those pockets! In any case, owing to the color and the pockets, I'm going to scour eBay for a shirt or jacket that I might buy to wear for myself. It could be an interesting addition to my wardrobe. I'm somewhat worried about the fit, as the uniforms were naturally made for men, so they'll be large, but to what extent specifically, I'm not sure. Hopefully not too unflatteringly so.
As far as other historical self-education goes, I also watched a shorter documentary series about Bobby Kennedy and his campaign for president, which culminated (or rather, ended) in his untimely assassination. That one made me wonder what it would have been like and how the world might've been different had he not gotten killed and went on to become president. Alas. We'll never know. There's an overlap between the Vietnam War era and Bobby Kennedy's campaign, which is sort of interesting how the two topics are connected. Some of the prominent issues in the 60s that Bobby Kennedy campaigned on are still relevant today, albeit perhaps in slightly different forms, and that struck me.
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