As a student in the 60's I was confused about Vietnam and never discovered the truth about the brave job our soldiers did (even without the real backing of the country--or the government!) till later. Since then I am very grateful for all that was sacrificed in the War. It took several years before I could bring myself to visit the Wall (in DC) and then i could hardly see it thru my tears. This is, in my humble opinion, THE BEST movie about Vietnam. Hackman has long been a favorite and his performance in this movie is spectacular!!