Sir, My Men Refuse to Go

Year Published: 1969

Description: This Vietnam protest film "Sir, My Men Refuse to Go!" (1969 or 1970) presents a powerful critique of the U.S. military and its role in both foreign and domestic oppression, told largely through the voices of soldiers and veterans. It takes its title from a New York Daily News headline that ran on August 26, 1969, above an article about how sixty soldiers in a U.S. Army company near Da Nang refused direct orders from their commander. The film begins with accounts of repeated AWOL attempts by soldiers and the psychological toll of forced military service. Basic training is shown to be a dehumanizing process designed to break individuals and enforce total obedience. Soldiers describe their disillusionment with the Vietnam War, and how it serves corporate profits rather than democratic ideals. They criticize the South Vietnamese allies, faulty military equipment, and the massive cost of the war. The narrative shows how enlisted soldiers are exploited, while officers benefit from the system. It draws connections between military action abroad and the suppression of civil rights movements at home, suggesting that soldiers are being used as tools to protect the interests of the powerful. The film ends on a note of resistance, spotlighting the GI movement and the Fort Dix 38, showing how growing solidarity among soldiers and civilians challenges the authority of the military and the economic elites it serves. 0:00: a soldier recounts being AWOL four times and being taken to military psychiatrists. Despite having medical records, he was told by one psychiatrist that civilian and military life are very different and that he had no choice but to stay in the Army. After being processed through SPD (Special Processing Detachment), he managed to return home again. 0:38: basic training. Recruits must follow every order without question. 1:23: young man xplains how he dropped out of high school, struggled to find a job, and eventually saw the draft as a way out. 2:06: intense training sequences illustrate the physical and psychological pressure on recruits. They're shown packing gear, being punished with push-ups, and confronting their mistakes under pressure, like a soldier who dropped his rifle and is berated. At 3:15: gas mask training. They are warned not to remove masks even if exposed to deadly gas. One soldier reflects on his mental exhaustion 4:55: bayonet training is introduced. Aggression, not physical size, is valued as the main attribute for success in combat. 5:16: basic training is critiqued as a system that breaks down recruits to ensure blind obedience. 6:32: a soldier questions the official narrative about the U.S. presence in Vietnam. He criticizes the South Vietnamese troops as ineffective and contrasts them with the Viet Cong, who fight with conviction and clear purpose—defending their own land. In 7:55:A "money war," not a humanitarian mission. 8:15: M16 rifle is criticized for jamming in combat. 8:59: the high cost of war 9:41: the disparity between enlisted men and officers is clear. 10:30:Postwar profits will go to big corporations who exploit the infrastructure and cheap labor in Southeast Asia, while returning soldiers face a bleak future. 11:31: The military’s role in domestic control. 12:25: a soldier questions why he's being used to suppress protests by people demanding justice and equality. 13:15: Power structures maintain control by dividing people—by race, gender, or class. 14:30: Over 250,000 soldiers went AWOL in a single year. The message is clear: more GIs are refusing to comply. From 15:53: the Fort Dix 38—a group of GIs who refused further mistreatment—receive mass civilian support. 16:41: the Army's harsh sentencing backfired. Massive sentences at the Presidio trials caused a backlash. 17:27: The GI movement is aligned with national movements for justice and systemic change. The film ends with a call to free the Presidio 27 and images of underground anti-war newspapers.

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q29XV4iyVhQ

Metadata Source:YouTube