My friend and fellow author Terry Irving has edited this remarkable book about a subject of great interest to me – TV coverage of the Vietnam War. The book is by legendary war cameraman Yasutsune “Tony” Hirashiki who (with the help of longtime ABC producer Irving) tells the story of his ten years on the frontlines in Vietnam. There are big on-air names you will recognize (Ted Koppel, Sam Donaldson) – but also many others who covered what became known as the first “television” war. Some of the stories are filled with drama and heroism; others are scary as they recount the constant danger that journalists were in covering this war; and there’s also plenty of light-hearted moments. Like how Yasutsune Hirashiki got the nickname “Tony” so the ABC reporter he was working with could warn him to get out of danger quickly (“Keep your head down, Tony!”) instead of taking time in a firefight to yell out his full name! As someone who was a military journalist in the Army back in the ‘60s (I wound up being an intelligence analyst instead when I got to Vietnam, but that’s a whole other story), I found “On the Frontlines of the Television War” particularly fascinating. And I recommend it as a great read for anyone about this tumultuous time in our history.
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