Vets Oppose Rambo

Despite its much publicized popularity, the film “Rambo...Part II”, has been blasted nationwide by many groups and individuals. A San Francisco Vietnam veterans group, calling themselves “Veterans’ Speakers Alliance,” picketed in July in front of a local theater showing the film.

This group of Vietnam vets, as well as others around the country, have been quoted as saying that Stallone’s film misrepresents the realities of the war, glorifies its horrors and exploits the sacrifices of the men who fought it.

Pointing to the increasing potential for American involvement in Central America and saying they fear misinformed high school youth might be swept up by Rambo zeal and volunteer for action, vets like Eduardo Cohn, of the San Francisco group, said: “We’re being called heroes who won the war for a noble cause. Many of us feel we are not heroes. We have to admit the war was a mistake. 60,000 lives were lost. Only if we recognize that it was a mistake can we avoid repeating it in the future. If I had known the truth about the Vietnam war...then I wouldn’t have volunteered to go.”

And where was our War Hero during the Vietnam war? Sylvester Stallone managed to wrangle a 4F status and taught physical education at a posh girls school in Switzerland, safe from the violence and slaughter he now so eagerly portrays in his film.

In Detroit, a group of friends (and some of us on the FE) reacted to their disgust over the Rambo film by creating and passing out a leaflet urging others to BOYCOTT RAMBO! Exposing the lies and violence presented by the movie, the leaflet received some interesting responses by local filmgoers.

Don’t let Rambo lie to you or others about what happened in Vietnam. Boycott Rambo!

Related in this issue

See “A Different Kind of Rambo,” FE #321, Indian Summer, 1985.