Vietnam veterans push for inclusion in Ken Burns documentary By JONATHAN ATHENS, Staff Writer
Monday, August 20, 2007 10:48 PM PDT
CUAUHTEMOC BELTRAN PHOTO
Vietnam veteran Edward Castillo-Rubio is among the local Vietnam veterans urging documentary filmmaker Ken Burns to include the participation of Hispanics in Burns’ upcoming film about the Vietnam War, to be shown in seven parts on PBS.
Barely two days after returning home to Holtville from an 11-month tour of duty in Vietnam, Ed Castillo found himself standing in an unemployment line.
Just 36 hours earlier, Castillo was in a combat zone. Though he was still reeling from post-combat trauma, Castillo said all he wanted at the time was a decent job, but the only work the unemployment office offered was a field job thinning lettuce, the kind of work he was doing before shipping off to fight communism in Southeast Asia.
“Don’t you think I should be able to get a regular job other than working in the fields?” said Castillo, recalling his remark to the employment counselor.
The counselor, as Castillo tells it, gave him this choice — take the job or lose your unemployment benefits.
Castillo made a choice — though he lost his benefits, he maintained his self-respect and found a new mission.
“I made it my special duty to see to it that no other veteran looking for a job would be treated like that,” he said.
Now retired from working as an employment counselor, the 62-year-old Castillo is commander of the Vietnam Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9305 of Imperial County.
The memory of having been so disrespected and disregarded when he returned from the Vietnam War in January 1967 have been rekindled in the form of a soon to be broadcast documentary made by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns.
Castillo has joined the ranks of more than 60 organizations and individuals protesting the lack of representation of Hispanic veterans in the Burns documentary “The War,” slated to be broadcast on the Public Broadcasting System in September.
“I don’t think he’s a racist. I don’t think he’s aware of a few things. … He didn’t dig farther to realize that Latinos were an integral part of fighting for this country,” Castillo said.
A publicist for Burns and his New Hampshire-based film company could not be reached for comment. A receptionist for Burns’ film company, Florentine Films, said all representatives were “booked solid” in meetings early Monday afternoon and would not be available to comment by press time hours later that day.
Facing pressure from critics, Burns in May met with two Latino groups and allegedly said he would include interviews with some Latino veterans in his soon to be broadcast documentary, according to a news release from Defend the Honor, the lead organization in the protest.
In the July 1 edition of USA Weekend, Burns wrote of his documentary, “We interviewed more than 500 people. Veterans spoke of leaving home for the first time and arriving on the front line of battle. Of facing and somehow beating death. Many broke down in the middle of our conversation. They would tell their stories, and it was clearly for the first time — a catharsis they had denied themselves.”
The series includes 40 of those interviews, Burns wrote.
Critics do not think Burns went far enough to include the experiences of Hispanic soldiers, sailors and Marines in his exhaustive seven-part documentary.
Castillo said the contribution Hispanic-Americans made during World War II was significant even though Hispanics accounted for barely 1 percent of the general population at the time.
He pointed to the number of Hispanics who earned the highest military distinction, the Medal of Honor.
Of the 3,400 Medal of Honor recipients since 1861 when the medal was introduced, 39 are Hispanic or Latinos, according to the U.S. Army’s Web site.
Of the 464 Medal of Honor recipients in World War II, 12 were Hispanic, according to the American GI Forum, a Hispanic veterans’ advocacy group.
" To the ones that say this is about race, it isn't. If there is going to be a documentary of anything that involves people of different ethnic groups fighting together for a cause, then everybody should be included. I don't think it means nameing anyone specifically, but at least they should recognize that latinos where part of many wars as they still are and if this is a seven-part documentary, there is no excuse for not including latinos. "
19661966 wrote on Aug 25, 2007 5:50 PM:
" Going to war should not make you exempt from having to work in any job. You can only milk it so long Mr. Rubio. "
spnamvet68 wrote on Aug 25, 2007 12:01 PM:
" Is the documentary fair and balanced? "
Prov3 wrote on Aug 22, 2007 3:43 PM:
" I applaud Mr. Castillo-Rubio for standing up for what he believed in, even at the expense of losing his benefits. I find it shameful and disturbing in the way our military personnel were treated after serving in Vietnam. Even now, vets continue to face problems with benefits and healthcare. I am looking forward to seeing Mr. Burns's documentary. Personally, when I think of the men and women that have honorably served our country, I don't think in terms of brown, black or white--I only think "AMERICAN". Hats off to all of you, and to those that are currently serving. I'm proud of you and salute you! "
gymjunkie wrote on Aug 21, 2007 1:14 PM:
" Wordie- Thanks bro.
I'm also plagued with agent orange problems along with my son and am not able to live in the valley because the heat and humidity activates the jungle rot. Hang in there. "
wordie wrote on Aug 21, 2007 11:48 AM:
" Thay Dident Aske Your Race Thay Just needed Bodys Since Im The Only One That Made It Back From My Cup Unit Alive Ill Say This After Beaing Called A Baby Killer Beaing Spit On No Uninployment I Left The Vally To Los Angelis Where There Wore Opportunitys Your A Big Boy Now Quit Crying About The Past Get on With it Im Dieing From Agent Orange Exposure We Did What We Hade To Do The Right Thing Thats Wat Matters Im Just A Viet Nam Vet AMERICAN "
gymjunkie wrote on Aug 21, 2007 8:41 AM:
" One other thing when I went down and stood waiting to be picked to go out and thin or weed crops most times I was not picked. I spent a year in the sweltering jungles as a gun bunny working 7 days a week 24 hours a day but they figured a gringo couldn't keep up with the hispanics chopping cotton. "
gymjunkie wrote on Aug 21, 2007 8:25 AM:
" I didn't read anywhere in the article where Ken Burns was making this about race.
In 1970 I returned home to Brawley from Nam 2 days earlier at the age of 19. Every job (other than field labor) I applied for was turned down because I was not 21 years old. I wound up working in tire shops breaking down tires on trucks. When that proved to be to much I worked thinning and weeding lettuce, cotton and tomatoes. The fact that I spent 3 yrs in the Army didn't amount to diddly (Oh I did eventually get a job driving an open cab cotton picker and combine). I even encountered discrimination when I went down to join the VFW. They didn't recognize Nam as a legit war. I wound up back in the Army where I spent the next 7 years.
I do not wave my medals in peoples faces.
I have 2 friends from Brawley Benny Smith and Roy Duncan who did not return. Both killed within 1 month during TET. Both are white as as am I. We were all brothers race had nothing to do with it. "
hmmned wrote on Aug 21, 2007 7:24 AM:
" Vietnam veterans are studs. "
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susflores wrote on Aug 26, 2007 12:07 AM: