Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite Remembers
$34.98
This is wonderful nostalgia folks. Walter is a great story teller and you get a history lesson to boot. This man had a front seat on what was happening during our lifetime and it's fun to relive with him, like being behind the lines. Great footage mixed in too. Enjoy.

Man on the Moon with Walter Cronkite - 2 DVD Set
$9.98
These videos are of high caliber. First of all, having Walter Cronkite as the host already gives it credibility. This video will appeal not only to baby boomers, but it would be of interest to ypung people who were not around in 1969.

Around America: A Tour of Our Magnificent Coastline
$17.95
Walter Cronkite shows that he was a talented writer amid his many journalistic talents. The book is a leisurally read; I'm sure he wrote it as if his readers were aboard his boat with him. The book is filled with history, as well a interesting tidbits of his experiences of his journies to the areas he describes, as well, as self-depricating humor about minor saling mishaps and near mishaps. Mostly, though, it's his tribute to the beautiful coatlines of the US that he seems fortunate enough to have seen firsthand.

The book arrived from the seller quickly, and in great condition, even better than described.

Vietnam War With Walter Cronkite
$34.98
As an infantry dog handler, I was interested to see the story on Charlie, 2/7, since I was there and was on point that day. As a dog handler, I went out on log day and worked until the next log day. Our unit, 25th Scout Dog Platoon, worked with 2/7 and 1/7. Charlie 2/7 was everyones favorite. The guys were good and knew what they were doing. Delta Co was called "no DEROS Delta" (DEROS is the day you are scheduled to leave country). Alpha was filled with newbies my first time out with them. Not a good situation. I had good friends in Bravo, but Charlie was the best to be out with. Charlie Co had fewer casualties because they knew what they were doing, not because they refused to do anything. The medic they interviewed was the best.

I had read the Stars and Stripes version of what happened (I still have the article). It was a propaganda piece from the Army standpoint, this video was the same thing from a different perspective. Stars and Stripes was basically a story saying that the troops know what they are doing and won't accept faulty orders. This video presents the troops as more a group of kids in survivor mode and mostly against what they were doing. There were a lot of guys that fit that description (me included), but it is a generality and doesn't give the sense of commaraderie and sacrifice that existed. I walked point all the time and never questioned the guys behind me once. The camera crew stayed with the CP so they did not come out to the road until all the controversy was over. The pieced together a story that fit their perspective. Interestingly, the TV crew never mentioned the dog! I suspect it was because it didn't fit their story. We did know why they wanted us on that road. Battalion had ordered an arc light (B52 drop) and neglected to extract us. 3 clicks down the road was an opening big enough for a 7 bird pickup. That was the Bn Commander's salvation; it would take a couple of days to get 3 clicks breaking brush. Walking a road would get us there in less than an hour.Problem was, nobody in that area (Tay Ninh Province) walked roads or trails, not just Charlie Co. To do so was suicide.

When I walked out on the trail that day, there were fresh slick tracks (VC footprints) and an empty pack of Vietnamese cigs. My dog got about 20 feet and froze. He wouldn't move! He was an aggresive dog who loved contact and hated gooks. I knew something big was down that road. I told my shotgun that the dog won't move and neither will I. My shotgun sent the word back, "Dogman won't move, neither will we." To this day, I think the commander wanted to get us all killed so he wouldn't have to tell the Air Force to abort and admit he forgot his troops were there. Another point not mentioned by the camera team; the first helicopter out went down the road and received heavy fire about 200 meters from where we stopped. The rest of the extraction went the other way.

As for the rest of the DVD set, it does give a sense