'Brothers in War' premieres on National Geographic US!

Tonight sees the airing of a TV documentary inspired by one of our favourite publications, the forthcoming paperback edition of 'The Boys of 67'.

It's a book that departs from the broader history of the Vietnam War and focuses instead on the human experience of just one unit, bringing a sense of real intimacy to the narrative and showing the everyday experiences of the men who fought in an increasingly unpopular war so far from home.

The documentary, narrated by Charlie Sheen, is called 'Brothers in War' and is on the National Geographic channel at 20:00 US Eastern time tonight.

The author of 'Boys of '67', Andrew Wiest, is Professor of History at the University of Southern Mississippi and is also the founding director of the Center for the Study of War and Society.

He has served as a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Warfighting Strategy at the United States Air Force Air War College.

Besides his distinguished academic career Andrew is a widely published author, who specializes in the topics of World War I and the Vietnam War.

What you may not know, however, is that he has appeared in and consulted on several historical documentaries for the History Channel, Granada Television, PBS, the BBC, and for Lucasfilm.

'Brothers in war' is a two-hour documentary that, like 'Boys of '67', focuses solely on the experiences of Company C, a Unit of the 9th Infantry Division also known as 'Charlie Company'.

Lou Reda productions had already produced the six-hour series 'Vietnam in HD', for which, incidentally, Andrew Wiest had been a key consultant. As work was finishing on that project, Scott Reda, executive producer and managing director of Lou Reda Productions, had heard Andrew talking about his work on 'Boys of '67'.

Rather than make another general history of the Vietnam War, Reda decided a close focus on the individual men of a specific company would make for a far more compelling and human story of the conflct. Blending archival footage, emotional interviews, home movies, snapshots and audio letters to loved ones back home, 'Brothers in War' aims to reproduce some of the touching authenticity and intimacy of 'The boys of '67'.

For an excellent lowdown on the forthcoming show, please have a look at this great preview on lehighvalley.com.

Our man in the states, Christian Waters, attended the premiere of 'Brothers in War' and loved the experience.

Alongside the enviable priviledge of watching the show early, Christian was able to meet several of the veterans of Charlie Company, something which left him deeply honoured and humbled.

Christian was able to take some snaps of the veterans:

John Young, Charlie Company veteran.

Sgt. Crockett & his right hand man, company clerk, Spec. Feekin.

Author Andrew Wiest with then medic "Doc" Gary Maibach.