20th Century with Mike Wallace: America At War is a compiling of documentaries filled with archive news reports from over the years covering Vietnam through the first Gulf War. The set is divided up into three disc, each featuring a bonus feature that is presented in text form.

Disc 1:
The most complete disc out of the three. Disc one covers Vietnam in four parts; Vietnam: How We Went To War, Vietnam: A Soldiers Diary, Vietnam Dilemma: Tet and the Anti-War Movement, and Portraits of Courage: Air War in Vietnam and the Prisoner of War. Presented in a somewhat chronological order the first disc takes America before the war and slowly leads us through the order of events that took place before our committal to the war in Vietnam. We look at the politics surrounding our involvement and the key players that guided us tactically as made our approach towards war.

A Soldiers Diary is an insiders look at Vietnam through the perspective of the soldier. This is a peek at the 16 year war (depending on where you consider it’s start) and how it’s rise from patriotism began its slow decline into savage insanity. The program does a good job of putting everything into perspective from casualties to morale to breaks in the chain of command and manifesting frustrations into a break in morality.

Tet and the Anti-War movement takes us from the battlefield to the home front. In 1968, despite what figureheads were stating about our fight in Vietnam flirting with victory, surprise attacks by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese sent any thoughts that America was fighting a struggling enemy into the dust. With casualties in alarming large number American’s began to protest against the war in Vietnam more openly, holding rally’s and sometimes reacting violently.

Air War in Vietnam and the Prisoner of War. By 1970 North Vietnam held nearly 600 prisoners of war, mostly aviators shot down in the bombing campaign. Yet another inside look from the soldier perspective on another aspect of the Vietnam War, P.O.W. camps. This marks an end to the Vietnam era for Disc one. Looking back on all four episodes it really is a complete look at the war from interviews with soldiers before, during, and after the Vietnam war. You get news footage of all these events as well and a clear narrative on the times by host Mike Wallace.

Disc 2:
Disc 2 is not a look at any particular war per say but of the soldiers who rose out of various conflicts, the Elite Forces, and it all begins with Korea: The Forgotten War. Oddly enough when people consider America’s failures in war our campaign in Korea seems to often get overlooked. With the loss of 54,000 lives over three years episode 5 in America at War gives us some perspective.

America’s Elite Forces: A Checkered History is the next episode on the disc. Special Forces in the beginning were a questionable unit, even so to our own government, and over time they had to be situated by means of need for their specific skills in limited combat. This episode chronicles the rise and eventual control of these units.

Military Debacles. Just as it sounds this episode covers  the most notable military debacles in U.S. history from our conflicts in war starting in Vietnam to the first Gulf War. At first I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about the purpose of placing these failures in this set as it had already managed to find an agreeable balance between the good and the bad effects of war and how we handled being in them. When you reach the end of the final disc it all comes together quite nice.

Disc 3:
The Gulf War Revisited: The Untold Story. Like the Vietnam War, and those following, this is the story of The Gulf War and how, like all of the rest, we managed to find some successes, some failures, and an ugly dash of politics. From military cover ups in regards to casualties caused by friendly fire to the post traumatic stress caused by war.

A Few God Women. I appreciate how this set manages to squeeze this in. A few Good Women follows the inclusion of women from WWII where they took up almost all non-combat positions to their inevitable break into the military as combatants and high ranking figureheads. Truly an amazing and inspiring episode that sheds light on the fact that women have been involved in the military for longer then we could have guess. It also sheds light on the ugly reaction to women in the military and puts logic to the question of weather or not they belong.

Finally The Changing Face of Warfare. Despite the fact that the set starts off strong with one entire disc dedicated to bringing you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Vietnam and then kind of faltering off with direction, this episode brings it all together. The Changing Face of Warfare provides you with a look at the technology that was created from the ashes of our failures and the lessons in warfare that we accumulated through loss that helped us in later victories. There are many weapons in this episode that owe their existence to the Vietnam war either from inspiration by the Vietnam enemy or by our own failures which sparked improvement.

In the end I have to say that the set kept me engaged and educated me in some aspects of the wars that I had not fathomed or knew existed. As for the bonus features, these bonus features felt to me like just something to toss in there. Even the 12 page guide to the program seemed like overview. In nay case if your into history, especially war history, I would suggest this set. Enjoy.