Green Berets,The (Blu-Ray)

The "Green Berets" (1968) covers the journalist George Beckworth’s (David Janssen) conversion experience from cynic of the US military presence in South Vietnam to supporter of the military engagement there. Beckworth’s journey starts at a Special Forces camp public relations event for the media, where the Green Berets display their combat skills and exhibit Soviet-bloc weapons captured from the Viet Cong as evidence that the struggle is one pitting the United States against global communism. When Beckworth expresses his cynicism about the necessity for a US presence there, a green beret takes him to account for writing about the situation in South Vietnam without having ever been in the country. Beckworth takes up the challenge to see the situation first-hand by visiting a Special Forces outpost headed by Colonel Kirby (John Wayne). Here, he is witness to the humanitarian operations by the Special Forces for the civilian population and experiences the camaraderie between the US soldiers and their South Vietnamese counterparts as they defend the camp during a night-time attack. A final, successful raid to seize a high ranking communist official convinces Beckworth of both the need and the viability of the Green Beret’s presence in South Vietnam.