Saigon stories

Fifty years on, Vietnam veterans remember the war in a landmark series

- CAREN CLARK

Vietnam: The War That Changed America

In the spring of 1968, as students around the world protested against the Vietnam War, Bill Broyles was studying at Oxford University when he saw footage of the brutal and bloody Battle of Hue on television in a crowded common room.

For the 23-year-old Texan, it proved to be a pivotal moment in his life, and soon afterwards he enlisted in the US Army, determined to serve his country in the controversial conflict.

'I grew up in a refinery town in Texas, with a bunch of working-class people.

I realised those guys fighting in Vietnam were just like my high-school friends and I didn't want to abuse my privilege and have someone take my place, explains Broyles in an exclusive interview with TV&Satellite Week.