Why did Muhammad Ali refuse to fight in the Vietnam War?
Muhammad Ali, now deceased, world boxing legend, gave this answer in an interview, being pressured to go to fight in Vietnam, suffering from being imprisoned, which actually happened..
'′I'm not going to dodge. I am not burning any flag. I will not run to Canada. I stay right here.
Do you want to send me to jail? Okay, go ahead. I have been in jail for 400 years. I could be there for 4 or 5 more, but I'm not going to go 10,000 miles to help murder and kill other poor people. If I want to die, I will die right here, right now, fighting with you, if I want to die. You are my enemy, not any Chinese, nor Vietcong, nor Japanese. You are my opponent when I want freedom. You are my opponent when I want justice. You are my opponent when I want equality.
Do you want me to go somewhere and fight for you? You will not even defend me right here in America, neither my rights nor my religious beliefs. You won't even defend me here at home.
In September 1971 a group of recruits undergo training before being sent to Vietnam. The training consists of a perfect simulation of what the boys will face in war, and takes place first at Fort Polk and then in Tigerland, a Louisiana swamp very similar to the Vietnamese environment. Among all the recruits, the Rebel Roland Bozz stands out, allergic to the rules, who does not hide his anti-patriotic attitude at all.
Shot on a very low budget and with a handheld camera and in 16mm format. The actors did not have at their disposal make-up artists, hairdressers or any of the luxuries that actors are normally accustomed to. Filming lasted 38 days, from February to March 2000 in Florida.
On one hand I sorta get why so many fans like to dump on Ewoks, but on the other c'mon, what's not kickass about a bunch of Australian drop bears that joined the Viet Cong
'Celebrate the Great Victory of the Vietnamese people fighting against the USA'
Wang Yongyang
Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House
People's Republic of China
1965
An African-American soldier in Vietnam reads a message left by the Viet Cong which says “U.S Negro Armymen, you are committing the same ignominious crimes in South Vietnam that the KKK clique is perpetrating against your family at home.”, 1970.
Viet Cong POWs by Linh Yoshimura
Via Flickr:
Jan 1973 - Viet Cong prisoners of war are gathered together in a group prior to their release. US National Archives Photo