Bat 21 After being shot out of the sky while on a reconnaissance mission and landing near hundreds of Vietcong,

Lieutenant Iceal Hambleton was in a situation that he was never prepared for. Although he was a skilled weapons countermeasures expert, he had never seen the death that war brought. Bat 21 is the story of how Lt. Hambleton was eventually rescued. Some aspects of this movie relate to topics that were discussed in class. There are slight references to racism, even though Captain Clark was an African American he was respected by other white soldiers, the members of the army, especially Hambleton, did not seem to be psychologically prepared for the emotional turmoil surrounding the events depicted, and innocent Vietnamese civilians were murdered by the Vietcong. Throughout the movie, Captain Clark is determined to make sure that Lieutenant Hambleton is successfully rescued. At one point during the movie he is talking with other fellow soldier while they are playing a game of cards and the references to race emerge. Although it is all in jest, there was a slight feeling of bitterness when Captain Clark declared in a mocking tone that us black folks aint got no depth perception so we gots to fly what we gets. They wont let us fly fast aeroplanes! The men he is speaking with seem to generally appreciate him, particularly his friend Ross. This resonates with what was said in class. The African Americans were given a military occupational service (MOS) that held a lower status and were often more dangerous, but because the African Americans enlisted at greater numbers and gained expertise in the service they were given, whites often had a gratitude for them. Another thing that relates to a topic discussed in class was the psychological toll that befell the army members of Bat 21. The change and realization that came to Lieutenant Hambleton when he killed a man and saw others be killed was quite telling. Speaker Jonathan

Shay, in lecture 12B, spoke about how members of the army said they were not prepared psychologically or physically for what they had to face. Captain Clark was also upset when his friend Ross was lost during the rescue mission. A brief glimpse into the actions of the Vietcong was also shown. They are seen transporting goods along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and patrolling the jungles. They are also seen using innocent Vietnamese civilians as hostages during a scene in the movie. Overall, watching Bat 21 put some of the topics discussed in class into perspective. The aspect of race, psychological damage, and a glance at the Vietcong are all related to topics discussed in class.