home.y come even though the home is not as it used to be. here in liberated areas, they are bringing home their same few possessions and a few new ones, like a smile, and a new hope. but most of all they bring a desire to dig away the rubble, to plant their roots again, to begin a new life. the kind of life for which we all have fought and suffered, and for which we will continue to fight. the kind of life which is retained only at the price of constant vigilance. now, and until people everywhere can dig again in their own native soil, unafraid, entry.

-- and free. ♪ >> each week, american history tv's real america brings archival films that help provide context to today's public affair issues. ♪ >> this is the face of vietnam. [gunshots] [helicopters] war, 25 25 years of

years of continuous terror, ,amine, pestilence, and death many of the living and the dead -- the dead no longer suffer. dreamsy others, dead our , hopes, and trust of years gone by. ♪ going,e thing keeps many hope. you are a marine on patrol, headed for some village whose name you don't remember. -- this is a region under control of the viet cong. somewhere out there, and the dense jungle, they may be hiding. at any moment you may come across them. viet cong, or refugees.

if viet cong, you know what to do. if refugees, what? what do you do with these people who want out? refugees who have had enough of the enemy from within. your job, when you encounter them, the take care of these -- take care of these refugees, bring them a place where they can be safe and believe in life again. there are more than 500,000 refugees here. nearly a million and a half in all of vietnam. each week the total swells by hundreds. with each passing day, the odds go up you will encounter refugees. the marine corps expects you and your buddies to help through the civic action program.

as part of the program you will provide assistance, protection, and transportation for the refugees until they are safely relocated. marines on patrol are usually the first to encounter refugees. meet them with compassion, warmth, and respect. as a marine, show them you are there to help. the simple act of kindness has its practical aspect. each refugee is one less source of intelligence, food, or shelter to the viet cong. one more potential ally. five northern provinces of south vietnam are called the eye corp because the south the enemies operates there. there, hundreds of peasants

freely seek allied protection from the viet cong. an example of inner service cooperation is shown by the you -- use of army helicopter resulted when a call was received to lift out a large group of refugees who were caught in the middle of a fierce firefight between the marines and the viet cong forces. they have hidden during the fighting, now during a lull they run for assistance. it is your job, the job of the marines to bring these people to collection centers, where the government of the republic of vietnam provide for their immediate needs, food, medical care, shelter. it will start them off on a road to a new life. why do these refugees leave? why do they run the risk of getting killed by the vc to come out and meet you? the answer is simple, they have

seen too much. a village head man and his family, shot to death. a schoolteacher beheaded. their rice, stolen at gunpoint. a young man kidnapped. such is the viet cong liberation. such as ho chi minh's people's democracy. as the viet cong become more and more desperate and take it out on the innocent people in the villages they control, more and more villagers will sleep homes to escape the terror and the brutality. flee their homes to escape the terror and the brutality. a majority of the people are women with babies, children, and older people. they are weary, disillusioned, bitter, and lost. there was a time when their world ended at the village gate. life centered around the rice paddy and family.

there was a time when home was a self-contained universe. governed by ancient laws of harmony with men in nature. happy, serene, and peaceful. when they first viet cong tax collector appeared. when the first viet cong agitator, backed by guns, brought a new world through the village gate. the villagers tried to be neutral and not take sides. not taking sides is a luxury in vietnam. and luxury the rice farmer is denied because he is a prize in the four. -- in this war. a mother worries about her children. will the family ever be together again? these refugees are now strangers in their own land. most have never traveled as far

as five miles from their homes. is a part ofow their souls. they have spent so long in the lands killed by generations byore them -- tilled generations before them. there are some things that are even stronger and more -- in war, in vietnam, the most important is the family. if families are separated by the fortunes of war, they do not rest until they are reunited. the government knows this cohesive spirit exist, and attempts to keep the family intact. also to assist in locating lost relatives and loved ones when possible. is a powerful means of both winning the trust of the refugees, and giving them new hope. for the refugees moving family, and village groups. the viet cong claim the republic

of vietnam government does not care what happens to its people. if this is true, why then does it commit so much of its resources to providing for the needs of the refugees? is this only a political objective? no. the very reason the free world has sent troops to vietnam is to give the people security, peace, and a chance for a better future. the united states government supports the refugee programs with the agency for international development and many american volunteer agencies. there is constant planning and activity to prepare the refugees for movement to secure locations. one of the first is the taking of the senses and the bringing andther again of -- census the bringing together again a family groups. the program sponsors programs of locational training, agricultural education, and technical assistance in the fields of health, education,

public works, public safety, and the reestablishment of local civil government. the refugees are taken from the collection centers and moved by truck to secure areas, where the next phase of the refugee program continues. ♪ upon their arrival in the secure area, the refugees are placed in temporary quarters where they will live until they can construct permanent housing of their own, from materials provided by the various relief agencies. next on the agenda is the distribution of food. the role of american voluntary agencies is significant. here, the people to people program is welcomed as an answer prayers. -- answer to prayers. salt, blankets, soap.

the daily staples. dried fish. the refugees are given physical examinations and medical aid when necessary. for this man it was necessary. id, the agency for international development ordinate conservations by the american court -- community to assure maximum effectiveness. food, medical assistance, and tools of self-reliance come through voluntary relief agencies, missions, foundations, and other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations.

the goal is to rehabilitate the refugees. besides giving them initial money allowance, materials for housing construction, and a subsistence gardening blog, the republic of vietnam government tries to teach the new skills. it teaches them how to grow new crops which they can sell in the open market. it encourages refugees to open small businesses. the vietnamese government also runs schools for the refugees children, and teaches their elders knew, profitable craft and vocational training programs such as woodworking, carpentry, and light manufacturing. as a marine, you have a very practical interest in the river

visitation of -- in the rehabilitation of these refugees. someone once said the lives are like fish because the people are the sea that sustains them. as more refugees flee the viet cong, this sea slowly dries up. the viet cong fish slowly suffocates and dies. a time will come when these youngsters will understand what all the fuss was about. meanwhile, they and their parents live in a safe area, in better health. they are also learning something new, the concept of individual freedom. will resumee people a normal life in their new villages. some may decide to return to their old home. whatever they do, it will be the choice of freeman -- free men.

more important, if they ever encounter the vc again, they will be more skeptical. perhaps they will tell you where charlie is when you pass through. some will thank you openly, others with a smile. still others by the look on a freshly scrubbed face. some will show it with action as they build their villages and toil in the fields and patties. they know that you only want to help. tears shallw in reap in joy. ♪

♪ >> monday night on the communicators, the safety and security of the u.s. electric grid is the topic of a new book i ted koppel. a cyber "lights out attack, a nation under prepared." it examines the potential for cyberattacks, it looks at what can happen, how vulnerable the system is to attack and the degree to which electric companies are prepared.

the notion that you the electric company. of there was a bill passed last year in the senate after years of rancor. after they have sanitized it. theuncer: watch communicator's monday night at 8:00 p.m. on c-span2. coming up next, a panel discussion titled "worst it discussesr." some of the least forgotten presidents in history. first they