Taking up where the recently rereleased "Winter Soldier" left off, "Sir! No Sir!" documents the Vietnam War through the eyes and experiences of the soldiers and veterans who opposed it. In this absorbing piece of social history, filmmaker David Zeiger interviews dozens of former soldiers -- from a decorated Green Beret to draftees -- who, upon witnessing the war firsthand or simply hearing returning vets' accounts, decided to go AWOL, march and speak out, risking court-martial or exile in the process.
Like "Winter Soldier," "Sir! No Sir!" will surely reopen old wounds, as the Vietnam War -- like the Civil War 100 years before -- refuses to die. But hawks and doves alike should be grateful to Zeiger for preserving a fascinating piece of American cultural history that the vets recount here, especially the coffeehouses, newspapers, radio stations and other underground forums through which the burgeoning antiwar GI Movement found its voice.
The film includes remarkable archival footage of episodes that are no less pivotal for having been erased from history. With its provocative postscript about the genesis of the story of a returning Vietnam vet being spit on by a peace activist, "Sir! No Sir!" provides valuable perspective on the power of myth and the fragility of collective memory.