PBS: Asian Americans Part 4

In episode four of PBS’s weekly series on Asian Americans, the documentary talks about Asian Americans during the Vietnam War.

In California, a lot of Filipino immigrants worked on farms. However, the farming conditions tended to be poor, and the pay was very minimal. Long hours and exhausting working conditions eventually lead them to have a desire for change.

By the late 1960s, the conditions became so bad that they went out and formed the AWOC, a union for agricultures. This lead to what was known as the grape strike; however, little did they know, this strike would lead to protests all across the United States for civil rights for marginalized groups.

In the East Coast, the African American population became inspired by these protests and wanted to fight their rights.

However, for the Asian American population, it was during this time that the Vietnam War took place. This was the 4th war the US fought in Asia in 60 years. The Vietnam War was brutal, as during boot camp, instructors told recruits that they were all going to Vietnam and half of them were not going to return.

Even during this War, Asian American people were treated horrible. One woman was stationed as a nurse for the largest American military hospital in Vietnam. Men on the base thought of her as a prostitute rather than an American nurse. She had to be constantly on guard, as she knew that she could be taken advantage of by other men.

Another Asian American soldier was rushed into the Hospital after a battle. However, while all the other soldiers were being treated, no one came to give him treatment. He finally spoke up, and they apologized, because they did not realize he was American. They assumed he was the enemy.

Once the War ended, and American withdrew from Vietnam, the effects were still being felt. Throughout Hollywood, movies about Vietnam portrayed America as the heroes of the story. America put themselves as the center.

One Vietnam refugee was traumatized by Vietnam movies because he witnessed America killing his own people.

“To watch Vietnamese People being slaughtered, massacred, or raped, in the case of other films, was really traumatic for me,” he said.

Film maker Ham Tran wanted to combat the American narrative, so he created a movie about the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese people’s perspectives called Journey from the Fall. However, it did not just include actors, but real Vietnamese people who experienced the war.

“We had an opportunity to tell people’s story. The people who was involved,” he said.