A Vietnam Vet. 20 Million Viewers Watched His Story Start To Finish
21,565,124
2018-07-19に共有
William Ehrhardt is a Vietnam War veteran, author, and poet. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, and his experiences during the conflict have heavily influenced his writing. After returning from the war, Ehrhardt began writing poetry as a way to process and express his emotions about the war and its impact on his life.
His work often reflects the raw emotions and harsh realities of war, exploring themes like grief, loss, and the struggle to adjust to civilian life after serving in combat. Ehrhardt's writings have been praised for their honesty, emotional depth, and ability to capture the complexities of the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
In addition to his writing, Ehrhardt has participated in various panels and discussions about the Vietnam War and its effects on veterans, helping to raise awareness about the challenges faced by those who have served in the military.
Here is his background of service - W. D. Ehrhardt served with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, from early February 1967 to late February 1968. His service number is 2279361. He holds the Purple Heart Medal, Navy Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation (2), Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Service Medal, Cross of Gallantry Meritorious Unit Citation, Civic Action Meritorious Unit Citation, Vietnamese Campaign Medal. The last three were all awarded by the now-extinct government of the Republic of Vietnam. He received the PUC and the two Vietnamese unit citations as a member of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. You can find more at his website -www.wdehrhart.com. #vietnam #marine #ehrhardt
コメント (21)
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If this interview has meaning for you or interest you you might want to look at another gentleman from the same war whose perspective is different but whose storytelling abilities are off the charts as well. https://youtu.be/SRR2eQn6pRg David Hoffman filmmaker
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“The longer we stayed in Vietnam the more Vietcong their were, because we were creating them” that is a really powerful and important quote.
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This gentleman was my history teacher in highschool. Incredible teacher! It was an honor. Difficult class, not because of the grades, but because of the realities he made students contend with. More professors and teachers should be like him.
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Fallujah vet here, what I've learned over my 60 years of being alive is that America hasn't had to defend our freedoms since the 2nd World War. We go into these countries where we know nothing about their culture, and try to force our lifestyle into them. We are the bully of the world.
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11:30 “I’m wasting your film” — No. This is amazing. Every word.
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5:40 "the longer we stayed in Vietnam the more vietcong there were' because we created them". Powerful statement.
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“I’m wasting your film” 🥺 Meanwhile he speaks more truth in 15 minutes than what’s come out of Washington for the last 6 decades.
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He really painted a picture. The mustache, the hair, the big frame glasses, his cig, his accent, his storytelling. Wow
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I have told this same story for 55 years now. And now the Afghanistan guys are telling it again. I spent months in hospitals from injures sustained Jan 31st, 1968 and no one cared. Thank you for letting me know I wasn't the only one that questioned our objective.
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"I'm wasting your film." Buddy, the only problem with this video is that it isn't long enough.
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His uninterrrupted 15 minute monologue is more interesting than most full budget documentaries.
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I had a childhood friend, and his Dad got drafted into the Army right out of high school. His Dad ended up over in Vietnam as an 11 Bravo in the MeKong Delta. He came home a 20 yr old with white hair. His boots and his helmet hung on nails in the garage, right next to a faded picture of him and a bunch of other guy's standing on top of a bunker, shirtless holding guns. Every time we asked his Dad about being in the Army, he would change the subject FAST! When we were 17, his Dad finally told us why he never talked about the Army. His Dad told us they were on a patrol and a kid crawled out of hole to throw a grenade at them, and he shot and killed that kid. To make things worse, some lady ran over to the kids' body, and tried to pick the grenade up and finish what the kid started, and he ended up killing her as well. He told us having to kill that kid really messed him up, and that no matter how hard he tried to do the right thing in life, he couldn't get that scenario out of his head. He said he spent every day since that happened, wondering if and when he died, if he was going to meet that kid in heaven or hell, so he could apologize and tell him he was sorry and that he didn't want to do that. What do you say when a grown ass man tells you that!
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I, like many others, first heard his story in the Ken Burns documentary. One thing I admire about him is he sugarcoats nothing. He is 100% real. He says he doesn't want to be thanked for his service, so instead I thank him for being brave enough to share his story with us. And I thank you, David, for sharing his sharing his story.
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he did not waste one frame of this film.
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When YouTube recommends something good
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When my grandpa came home from Vietnam, he REFUSED to speak to anyone about it until the day he died. Thank you to this man for letting us in to the experience.
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My uncle described the daily stuff he did on the river boats. I understand why he hated himself so much. It was either reinforce your presence with violence or possibly die, I never judged him for the things he did, but he sure did. When he got back, everyone hated him, and he just went back. He drank himself to death, and when we tried to help him, he said he'd rather die. My heart goes out to every single one of you who served in ANY war.
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That cigarette burned for 8 minutes 40 seconds... they don’t do that anymore
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You know someone is serious when they light a cigarette, and dont take a single drag
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i’m 50, and just realizing growing up there were dozens of dads all over with PTSD, and we never realized it. I worked with a few vietnamese ladies in their 70’s and realized they lived through this too. thank you for your story. never forget. never repeat. war is hell
