The Vietnam War is a strange spot in American history. We neither won, nor lost. Historians and citizens struggle to determine the legacy left behind by the era.
Luckily, our premier documentarian is taking on the war to break through the air of near-secrecy around its events. Ken Burns’s The Vietnam War will debut on PBS this Sunday, September 17.
Teamed with frequent collaborator, Lynn Novick, Burns will seek to elucidate the reasons the U.S. entered Vietnam and what, both good and ill, was accomplished by our invasion. The Vietnam War has been a contentious flashpoint since it first began—and even distance from the events has not made it easier for our country to remember and reckon with.
This is the most recent event to have been memorialized by Burns, who has previously focused almost exclusively on the first half of the 20th century. Whether the nearness will benefit the documentary or create issues is yet to be seen.
Related: Author Joe Haldeman on How the Vietnam War Gave Him Something to Write About
An extended look at the 10-part series, scheduled to air over 12 nights, has recently surfaced. Check out the trailer below, and let us know if you’ll be watching.
To read more about The Vietnam War, go to pbs.org.
Feature photo courtesy of PBS
