Photo credit: Janet Donovan
If you’re hooked on CNN’s Original Series, you’re not alone. Jeff Zucker, President of CNN Worldwide, wants to restore the cable network to its former glory and he’s doing a darn good job of it. The reasons why CNN has overtaken MSNBC and CNBC in recent polling are probably two fold: Focusing more on the news and adding a “docu-series” to the nightly line up which includes everything from Glen Campbell’s “I’ll Be Me” Farewell Tour that digs deep into his battle with Alzheimer’s disease to foodie star Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” to “The Hunt” with John Walsh. CNN also takes a look back at previous generations for those who weren’t around yet and for those want to both reminisce and examine their lives whether the Sixties or the Seventies.
Wolf Blitzer with Christina Sevilla, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
Wolf Blitzer recently hosted a special screening of The Seventies: Peace with Honor followed by a conversation with Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) at the Newseum. “As the ’60s turned to the ’70s, America had already been at war in Vietnam for almost eight years. By then, the majority of Americans wanted out, Richard Nixon was trying not to become first U.S. president to lose a war while the troops just wanted to come home alive. CNN’s original series “The Seventies” looks back on this chapter in American history in the episode, “Peace With Honor.” But how did the media see these events as they were happening? We looked through Time magazine’s vault to discover how “history’s first draft” read in the pages of that storied publication.” (CNN)
“Representative Kinzinger served in the US Air Force, both in Iraq and Afghanistan and Representative Gabbard was deployed to Iraq and served two tours of combat duty in the region,” said Blitzer by way of introduction to the ‘conversation.’ So both are war veterans from the Iraq War. As you know, this documentary series airs Thursday nights, 9 PM EST. I think you saw some of the earlier ones. The one on the Watergate scandal was really, really amazing. You’ve got to give the producers a lot of credit.”
Photo credit: Time Magazine
“I think this is series is incredibly moving in so many different ways,” said Rep. Gabbard. “I think the experience of watching this should tell us the lessons that we need to continue to learn as a country. It was an ugly period. It’s a feeling that continues. It wasn’t just a period in time, I think, that began and ended. When I have the chance to spend time with Vietnam veterans, both from Hawaii and in other parts of the country, the pain is still very palpable about the contrast and about the difference as to how they were treated and disrespected so deeply when they came home.”
“One of the more powerful scenes is the way veterans, our Vietnam War veterans, were treated, spat upon, if you will, screamed at. It was an ugly period in our history,” added Blitzer. “The country looks back and sees how we mistreated these people. I remember when I landed in Baltimore coming back from Iraq, I literally walked out onto the jet way and there’s like a hundred people that just sit there and applaud all day long. I’m sure by now their hands are bleeding and they’re just basically stubs applauding, but they will go out there all day long and give you gifts and applaud your service. Very different. I remember crying coming through that. It’s an emotional trip.”
Time Magazine’s Jay Newton-Small with CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist
“Yeah, I thought it was an amazing depiction of what we’ve never seen. We’ve read about, but to see it like that’s pretty amazing. There were a lot of points of emotional pain for me, just embarrassment. In some cases, American policy and some of the things that happened, which I’m sure we can discuss, made it hard to watch, but very important. I think the lessons of Vietnam, as Tulsi said, is something we can really grasp, and run with, and understand. Where did we do things right? Where did we do things wrong? We’re a country that’s going to have challenges for decades in the future.” Rep. Adam Kinzinger
When the discussion opened up to attendees it could have been a contentious session because both veterans of Vietnam and those who covered the war were in attendance, but it wasn’t. The audience and panelists were more interested in how to prevent wars in the future, or at least not engage where we don’t belong and generate the same or worse outcome.
“You may be in jail, but you won’t be dead.” The Trailer:
