The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Season 1 Episode 7 The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)

The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick season 1 episode 7, titled "The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)," explores the turbulent period following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, when anti-war protests and civil unrest raged across the United States. Against this backdrop, the Nixon administration pursued what it called a policy of "Vietnamization" - the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops and increased reliance on South Vietnamese forces to fight the war. Meanwhile, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong launched a series of offensives, including the Tet Offensive, which shook the U.S. military and American public's confidence in the war effort.

The episode delves into the experiences of soldiers on the ground, from the U.S. military's "search and destroy" missions to the enemy's guerrilla tactics, as well as the toll that the war took on civilians caught in the crossfire. It also examines the impact of the war on American society, from the breakdown of trust in government to the rise of a counterculture that challenged traditional values and sought new ways of living.

At the heart of the episode is the question of whether the veneer of civilization can hold in the face of war and violence. As one veteran recounts, "I was trained to love my enemies, and the enemy was supposed to be the communists. But when it came to the Vietnamese, I couldn't love them... I was a good soldier, but I was not a good person." The episode explores the ways in which the war tested the moral and ethical foundations of both individuals and institutions, and how the legacy of that period of history continues to affect us today.