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Documentary revisits Vietnam’s first all-Black special operations team
JM Harper’s documentary *Soul Patrol* explores the experiences of Team 2/6 of Company F, 51st Infantry, described as the Vietnam war’s first all-Black special operations team. The film brings attention to a little-known part of military history and the lasting trauma its members faced, including the strain of serving in a racially discriminatory military and being expected to stay silent afterwards.
Based on Ed Emanuel’s 2003 memoir, the 100-minute film follows him as he reunites with former teammates and revisits a 1968 reconnaissance mission near Cu Chi, a Viet Cong stronghold. The six-to-eight-person patrol was sent behind enemy lines to map a tunnel network; after they escaped, US forces attacked the area with airstrikes and artillery and sprayed Agent Orange. The documentary combines interviews and contemporary scenes with Super 8 footage, newsreels and photographs to show how memories of the mission and survivor’s guilt continue to shape the veterans’ lives.
In short
- *Soul Patrol* recounts the story of Vietnam’s first all-Black special operations team.
- A 1968 mission near Cu Chi left survivors with lasting guilt and trauma.
- The film combines archival material with veterans’ accounts of their experiences.
Explained simply
The Vietnam war was a conflict between North Vietnam and the communist-led Viet Cong, and South Vietnam, which was backed by the United States. Cu Chi, near Saigon, was an important Viet Cong base, with an extensive network of underground tunnels used to move people and supplies.
Team 2/6 was a small US Army reconnaissance patrol made up entirely of Black soldiers. Its members were sent behind enemy lines to gather information about the tunnels. Their service took place in a military shaped by racial discrimination, at a time when Black Americans also faced discrimination at home.
Agent Orange was a chemical herbicide sprayed by US forces during the war to remove vegetation; exposure has been linked to serious health problems. Veterans of the patrol have also described lasting distress and survivor’s guilt. Their experiences connect the military history of the war with questions about race, memory and its effects on those who served.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “‘I relive that mission every single day of my life’: how Black soldiers handled the Vietnam war”.