Alabama Public Television Presents
Beyond A War
Special | 25m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
A story of reconciliation between two men on opposite sides in the Vietnam War now working together.
This powerful documentary film explores the remarkable journey of reconciliation between Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., and Dr. Lê Công Cơ — former enemies on opposite sides of the Vietnam War who now lead universities dedicated to building a brighter future for students in both the U.S. and Vietnam.
Alabama Public Television Presents is a local public television program presented by APT
Alabama Public Television Presents
Beyond A War
Special | 25m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
This powerful documentary film explores the remarkable journey of reconciliation between Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., and Dr. Lê Công Cơ — former enemies on opposite sides of the Vietnam War who now lead universities dedicated to building a brighter future for students in both the U.S. and Vietnam.
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You know, part.
Of our time.
Is.
10 minutes.
And and, you know, sometimes.
It's so long before you know.
Good morning.
Good morning.
How are you?
I'm good.
Good morning.
How are you?
I'm good.
I've been wanting.
To seem.
Like an I'm working on some Will.i.am Timbaland problem.
He you don't listen to it all this damn town?
No.
Ugly to me.
Cambodia clothing item, new thing.
So in September.
And in April of 1968, I never envisioned sitting in a beautiful office in Danang many years later, talking about partnerships.
Within.
I think of my time computing, pop and home had no doubt that the reality that we my way back now do it all the me you aimed your heart.
I know you down you marshall your name story now people know me there today Lila and I wanted to buy it.
We do get along.
I look for the long losing alias for how to manipulate.
I'm going.
We do it well, I'm not like a fool.
I'm going to go.
Now that we took you, I think only then reluctantly do for some Lila who had get more in from New Moto2 team, get to a getting good number of yo have but you think it's fabulous how soon they'll come how the men come over when.
I can honestly sa I've only had one job in my life and that job was going into the woods with my da and putting trees and Paul keep hauling those logs to the mill.
After that, I realized what was really important in life was not not to have a job, but to have a cause that could become your lifelong commitment, that could could become a career.
Complete or diploma or founded or man, they go to die from, you know, do it, have a nickname, shout out to the guy are going to be at the moon with I'm doing with Hamdi work no which you're going to know but we made the whole damn action but still we you Mikey Matthew Lord with I from high and I'm like I'm from would I be too young to have to go to table the issue of Hall?
No, you hold a table with all cookie How did it.
We took a little contact.
I figured it out.
You doing by the time go to the hotel for me to say you want to.
And we going, Yeah, we're doing what I remember.
Well, I remember very well you know, going through training as a young lieutenant and the getting orders to go to Vietnam.
And I left the United States early April 1968, and I arrived here in their name, and immediately they placed me on a plane and flew me to Chula.
And from there they flew me by helicopter to maybe 30 to 40 miles south of the name The shoes.
Yeah, that where I that's where you.
Feel they flew me to.
But from then they.
Came due to a jungle that we were severely Harlem love out there Summer we go go to go down look up concrete and look you got ready we go to our you three times you know than one Japan.
Was the muscle you know but you start.
Tell me my family to I need to get you out of your way.
And I had made a bitter little victory lap save you from falling down.
No Vietnam, no kit detail.
You hang out in the you know.
No.
I remember.
I'll take them.
Young.
You?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Kong being.
We had the.
You didn't make it.
I'm being naive in the nigh I look Dunlap and then Walter.
And then the only wound you know.
The war is dirty, dirty and brutal and difficult.
Why must we take this painful road?
We fight because we must fight If we are to live in a world where every country can shape its own destiny every day.
Early in the morning, to keep the highway open, we would have a patrol and we would sweep the road for miles.
And the V.C.
had planted about eight or ten mines along this road on this side.
And when they started shooting, we jumped to the berm.
There were several Korean Marines killed on this side and several other American Marines wounded.
You know, and it was kind of a surreal experience because you couldn't hear and there was dust and you couldn't see Vietcong had broken contact.
And but we had, you know, quite a number of hurt and and and killed on that morning.
But it happened right here on May the fourth, 1968.
Vietnam, horrible shooting day.
How an illusion, something right Those fruitcake.
I don't know.
But with my little gator, it does look to shoot me.
But the whirling young building camp building has always been long denied.
The woman got a goddamn hum.
Yeah.
I hate my family.
I can have go come yard, boy.
We can you get done.
When I knew I heard Nugent going be to my land.
Got a long day to compare som little movie God in the Congo.
My name You think how many?
We lost 58,000 troops here.
And you think how many families were disrupted by that?
Many lost their fathers.
They lost their brothers, their sons.
The war is very expensive, not just in money, but it's very expensiv in the lives that are disrupted and changed completely, totally.
During my young life.
And I know you name it to him or he didn't follow me going.
I think a tangled awkward when pay an important look behind me come to me and we know that you know we you know if we dealt with life again own figure of hungry all the way to do food bank but only Allah goin go to my mama not now you know the Congo for mor young become co happen to call hey called you done TV woman let's call with you and how you have to live one way and you can put on a long way to promote your song that England we know that and London may you know cattlemen where you know when you write the song wrong with domain name.
I'm already one.
Now in Hong Kong through London where you can mainland.
No we good song I think for Dylan my name so Benga hi yes I'm singing Sarpong you're not good Mugabe and good Well I'm look man market thos I don't do even in Britain women Margaret I don't kno we've had the William Lee Peter Yeah we're doing I' gonna tell you and I'm thinking conveniently I can usually who's able to young gu take it home in Cambodia get mom and I get her they know what I go to every.
I think the frustration of Vietnam probably contributed to me thinking about other career fails.
And so I realize that not just a bachelor's degree was enough.
And that's when I focuse on earning the master's degree and then eventually the doctoral degree.
And it's true that with more edu for me.
William when whe it happened, do in fact you did trying to do that so he could hear the talent thought in your pay to get back to Nikki those who were there and love winning when your city thought we had little opportunity to learn how to really rumble who they are they love.
Do they look at him when you go?
So now you're getting bac among the the way to really be guided to with vigor and to learn to by that we don't mind it my according to them, none of them to you what I kne they committed the difficulty.
I know that we don't seem to fight the union.
You know they're not human.
Continue to effect you being the government right now.
Eat all I'm doing stolen got up he gone.
Have a doctor gone to our land How night woman goes How old are you?
Bring in really knowing who knew me more and more to leave All these are now the conga like no longer lead by me By you I you know, we'll go move over and I'll go and we'll go make a whole new meal.
Go to Évora.
They know it.
And then now you, you know, way they'll leave them.
Go let tongue heave Uncle, you think?
And young man, don't look God damn, I.
Today I am announcing the normalization of diplomatic relationships with Vietnam.
Oh, the bond with the memorabilia.
But what is particularly special to me?
Two things, actually.
And I have a flag from Vietnam, from the flag that that was carried by the in VA and the North Vietnamese and a captured flag.
And this pith helmet was a reflection of what we didn't see.
As often as we look.
I began to realize after Vietnam they had different.
The world truly is from the way we were led to believe it was by not being exposed to it.
It's without that understanding that appreciation rarely develops.
Appreciation generally will follow.
Understanding.
And so when I came back in 2002, I wanted to come back here to their nam and to in to have a drive down into the areas where I had been.
And so that was really a that was really an enlightening time because the Vietnam I left was not the Vietnam that I returned to there.
I didn't see resentment towards the United States after we had our first graduation ceremony on February 28, 2000, a young lady with the National television station.
And she surprised me and she put her microphone in front of me and she said, How does it feel coming back after 40 years?
And without really thinking, I said, Well, when we came the first time, we were carrying bullets, but when we came back, we're we've carried books.
Now, when you say you have my I love you, you my new you know, Peter Cook about your country the key to have to go do it I know young by the you know without you know yo with how do you look and we go from we to watch at hom when I was apprentice your whole life we do have a mean our level of you know only you look like they might look now and then with high for Yeah.
Doing this to continue with our shuttle.
How long will you been the duty to hold from walking by it to do it Uncle for you are.
But I saw him Big heart.
An understanding of the value of education and I saw in him that a love for students and young people and and so he he it was an inspiring introduction.
I think, you know I have great respect for hi and for what he is doing here.
Yeah, he really i changing the world right here.
In the name.
And we wan not only to be the be that part, but look that part.
And so I'm proud of that fact.
I'm proud to of the outreach of Troy University.
We have And you do things through partnerships.
You do think of, such as our partnership would do it time.
To to thing he like let's move you can now be quite but I'll let you go move on and.
And Troy University is we're proud to partner with Louis Time University to educate the young people of Vietnam and America.
I think the relationship, too, between the United States and Vietnam really is excellent and and actually getting better.
This is our very first commencement ceremony with Dewey Time University.
This partnership is very, very special, as is my friendship with the chairman.
We are proud of our relationship.
Life is not about portfolios or money or things.
Life truly is about relationships.
We like What can go now?
Who do I say you name?
Yo yo.
He didn't die by the law.
Local young lawyer got Larry Young.
He moved to Penn.
Now let's go to you.
Alabama Public Television Presents is a local public television program presented by APT