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The Swedes and the Vietnam War

By Eric Skoog and Al Wellman (reviewers)

The Swedes and the Vietnam War
A Swedish television 2025 documentary with English subtitles

This film splices historic film clips from the Vietnam War era with music from the era and recollections from survivors of those events. The film begins by portraying Swedish appreciation for the United States participation in the Second World War. It transitions to apprehension about nuclear weapons, which becomes enhanced by the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. VVAW member Jan Barry recounts the evolution of the United States' involvement in Vietnam.

Swedes recall the music and anti-war protests of their youth, with emphasis on the activities of the Front National de Libération (FNL). Swedish diplomatic personnel, a journalist, and a policeman describe alternative perspectives of those events. United States military deserters who found refuge in Sweden recall the reasons for their desertion and the warmth of their welcome. VVAW member Per-Olaf Odman recalls growing up in Sweden, joining the United States Marine Corps, and serving at Khe Sanh before being wounded in an ambush.

As a Swedish-American who directed the use of his tanks' Swedish-designed 40mm Bofors guns in northern I Corps along the DMZ, Eric found Per-Olaf's story particularly compelling. In comparison to the comprehensive coverage of Sweden's anti-war environment, the film's coverage left us hungry for more details of the American military deserters. For those of us who thought we survived the bullets and explosions in Vietnam, and only later realized our cancers were chemical wounds of the war, this film may be a painful reminder of both the Vietnamese farmers and fishermen whose lives we watched shattered by the war and those troubling questions about what later happened to the Vietnamese who had helped us after we left them behind.

Some of the film's pacing was a bit fast for us old-timers, but it may be better suited to the generations who have grown up with social media. These well-chosen film clips bring back memories of our youth, when hormones energized us for the confrontations of combat or protest, and the comments of survivors relay the wisdom gained through those experiences. This film will become a valuable record for younger generations as more individuals who remember those events pass their three-score years and ten. Film is replacing books as the learning medium that younger generations will hopefully use to avoid repetition of past mistakes. Events in Iran, Gaza, and Venezuela illustrate the need for these lessons.

Eric Skoog commanded a platoon of M42A1 "Dusters" based out of Dong Ha after Operation Lam Son 719, but before the successful North Vietnamese incursions across the DMZ. Al Wellman hopes this film explains why Al's attempts to date Swedish girls vacationing in the Mediterranean liberty ports his ship visited in the summer of 1967 were unsuccessful..