HOME MOVIES: 1966 VIETNAM WAR

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1965

Format: 16mm

Description: This 8mm home movie was shot during the Vietnam War by Peter Orsino, who worked as a U.S. Army chef in Southeast Asia in 1965-66. He did not see combat, but worked primarily in rear areas during the conflict. This particular footage appears to have been shot in and around Saigon. It shows a military meeting involving a man who might be General Carl C. Turner -- the podium (15:17) seems to indicate this is the case. (Turner was a Major general in the United States Army who served as Army Provost Marshal General from 1964 to 1968, but was later indicted for various crimes and sentenced to prison.) The patch visible at (:51) seems to be for the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. At 1:42, chow line at the base. At 2:20, a soldier with a MAC patch takes a photo of Orsino shooting with his 8mm camera. At 4:00, shots out of a taxi cab of Saigon neighborhoods, traffic and canals (5:08). At 7:11 is what appears to be a movie theater. At 9:11, Orsino is briefly visible in a market stall, looking at various wares for sale. At 10:41, the National Museum, now known as the Vietnam History Museum. At 11:00, shots of the Saigon Zoo. Orsino is visible here at the 13:30 mark. Peter Orsino was born in Cornwall NY, joined the Army in 1958 where he began his lifelong career of being a cook/chef. He went from Fort Lee VA to Fort Dix NJ, to Vietnam where he spent a year (Aug 65-Aug 66) with the 557th MPCo as a cook. From there, he spent 2 years in Germany, then on to San Francisco CA. In 1970 he decided to leave the Army, but continued as a National Guardsman in Newburgh NY for over 20 years. After cooking in several restaurants in the 1970s, he became a chef at West Point in NY until he retired in 2000. Enjoyed his retirement years with his wife, kids, VFW buddies and his 7 grandchildren until his passing in 2016.

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