94:, has formed a close bond with the men and earned their respect because he is unwilling to take unnecessary chances with his soldiers' lives. He is experienced in jungle warfare and central to his tactics is never allowing his company to walk along trails in the jungle where the men can be ambushed by the PAVN. Only two soldiers have been killed under Jackson's command and he is seen as the prime reason the unit has survived so well. However, after six months in command, he suffers a cardiac problem in the field and has to be replaced.
97:
The soldiers receive a new commander, Captain Al Rice, who orders them to walk down a trail wide enough to accommodate a motor vehicle. The men call it "a road." The night before, the soldiers had listened to a PAVN battalion of several hundred walk up the same road a short distance from their night
136:
and several other awards for broadcast journalism. When the
Vietnam War was over, PBS chose "The World of Charlie Company" to lead off its series on the six best documentaries broadcast by CBS News about various subjects that included Edward R. Murrow's documentaries "A Report on Senator Joseph
82:
near the
Cambodian border west of Saigon looking for enemy contact and supplies. The soldiers are worn down on every patrol by the exhausting conditions of heat, dense foliage and biting insects. The troops express diverse opinions about fighting the war. One soldier who opposes the war says he
54:
The documentary was broadcast in prime time on the CBS television network twice in July, 1970. It received the George Polk
Memorial award of the Overseas Press Club of America for "best reporting in any medium requiring exceptional courage and enterprise abroad" as well as every major award for
39:, correspondent in Vietnam for CBS from 1965-70, his American camera team and a producer in New York. They spent more than five months embedded with a military unit. The photojournalist was Keith Kay, the sound technician was James L. Clevenger and the producer in New York was Russ Bensley.
98:
defensive perimeter. The point squad, considered by
Captain Jackson to be his best, refuses to go down the road and this leads to a revolt against Captain Rice's order. The men explain why they are refusing to walk the road. Rice criticizes his platoon leaders for not supporting his order.
83:
hasn't fired his weapon, a mortar, since arriving in South
Vietnam. Others talk about killing the enemy as routine. "Killing gooks don't mean nothing," says one. The medic, a pacifist, says, "Killing for peace just don't make sense." The troops talk about their lives back in the
131:
received the George Polk
Memorial Award from the Overseas Press Club of America for "best reporting in any medium requiring exceptional courage and enterprise abroad." The recipients were John Laurence, Keith Kay, James Clevenger and Russ Bensley. It also received an Emmy, a
105:. Because they are an experienced rifle company and perhaps because of their earlier rebellion, the soldiers are given the mission of attacking the command post of the PAVN in South Vietnam known as
186:
265:
133:
28:
News in 1970 that shows what life was like in the jungles of South
Vietnam for a rifle company of American soldiers fighting regular units of the North Vietnamese
120:"It showed GIs close to mutiny, balking at orders that seemed to them unreasonable. This was something never seen on television before".
106:
68:
155:
221:
112:
A detailed account of the making of the documentary appears in the
Vietnam War memoir, "The Cat from Hue" by John Laurence.
29:
48:
147:
64:
102:
101:
Later, Charlie
Company gets orders to make a combat assault into Cambodia at the start of the 1970
91:
217:
163:
213:
259:
84:
36:
206:
63:
The documentary follows the 100+ soldiers of C (Charlie) Company, 2nd
Battalion,
72:
79:
44:
40:
78:
The unit routinely patrols the harsh, heat-filled Vietnamese jungles in
43:
worked briefly on the film as a cameraman before being sent by CBS to
187:"CRITic's NOTEBOOK; Reflecting on TV's Pensive Portrayal of Vietnam"
25:
90:
The troops' company commander, Captain Robert Jackson of
87:
that they commonly refer to as "back in the world."
205:
16:1970 CBS documentary film about the Vietnam War
236:Bliss, Edward Jr.(1991). Now the news. p. 349
8:
55:broadcast journalism in the United States.
24:is a one-hour film documentary produced by
47:on 28 March to cover the aftermath of the
266:Documentary films about the Vietnam War
177:
7:
137:McCarthy" and "Harvest of Shame."
14:
185:Salamon, Julie (23 April 2003).
156:The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam
1:
129:The World of Charlie Company
21:The World of Charlie Company
282:
212:. Public Affairs. p.
30:People's Army of Vietnam
204:Laurence, John (2001).
35:The film was made by
148:The Anderson Platoon
69:1st Cavalry Division
65:7th Cavalry Regiment
103:Cambodian Incursion
71:in 1970 during the
191:The New York Times
92:Sheffield, Alabama
273:
252:by John Laurence
250:The Cat From Hue
237:
234:
228:
227:
211:
208:The Cat from Hue
201:
195:
194:
182:
281:
280:
276:
275:
274:
272:
271:
270:
256:
255:
246:
244:Further reading
241:
240:
235:
231:
224:
203:
202:
198:
184:
183:
179:
174:
143:
134:Columbia DuPont
126:
118:
61:
17:
12:
11:
5:
279:
277:
269:
268:
258:
257:
254:
253:
245:
242:
239:
238:
229:
222:
196:
176:
175:
173:
170:
169:
168:
164:Basic Training
160:
152:
142:
139:
125:
122:
117:
114:
60:
57:
49:Cambodian coup
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
278:
267:
264:
263:
261:
251:
248:
247:
243:
233:
230:
225:
219:
215:
210:
209:
200:
197:
192:
188:
181:
178:
171:
167:(documentary)
166:
165:
161:
159:(documentary)
158:
157:
153:
151:(documentary)
150:
149:
145:
144:
140:
138:
135:
130:
123:
121:
115:
113:
110:
108:
104:
99:
95:
93:
88:
86:
85:United States
81:
76:
74:
70:
66:
58:
56:
52:
50:
46:
42:
38:
37:John Laurence
33:
31:
27:
23:
22:
249:
232:
207:
199:
190:
180:
162:
154:
146:
128:
127:
119:
111:
100:
96:
89:
77:
62:
53:
34:
20:
19:
18:
73:Vietnam War
223:1586481606
172:References
80:War zone C
45:Phnom Penh
41:Dana Stone
116:Reception
260:Category
141:See also
32:(PAVN).
59:Outline
220:
124:Awards
107:COSVN
218:ISBN
214:540
26:CBS
262::
216:.
189:.
109:.
75:.
67:,
51:.
226:.
193:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.