CHOSIN: A Documentary Film by Brian Iglesias

I teach US History. Here are some responses from my students after watching this:"This war cannot just be forgotten many men died for the rights and freedoms that so many people, including me, take for granted. Let this documentary of the struggles and bravery of these marines help us to be thankful and to count our blessings everyday! May those who died not be forgotten and let those that survived know that they didn't fight The Forgotten War, but saved thousands of people that lived in South Korea from having to be forced to live under communism. This documentary has truly made me proud to say that I get to live in the land where these marines fought for the rights that we have today! Thank you MARINES!!!!!""I learned from the veterans that freedom has a price. It gives me a great deal of respect for them because they were willing to pay that price with their lives if necessary. The spirit and dedication of the marine corps is truly amazing-it is no wonder they are the best fighting forces in the world.""The men that we were privileged to hear about in the video about the Chosin Reservoir especially deserve to be remembered for their dutiful but heroic service to our country. Just as their duty was to fight for their nation, our duty now is to remember and honor them for what they have been through."Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” and we should treat our veterans accordingly."I never realized the horror of what went on at the Chosin. I guess this really made me sober and think about this in a way i haven't before. I gave me a true respected for our troops and veterans. You don't really realize what people go through while you are in your own little "protected" world. What impacted me the most i would say is how these men had witnessed their buddies brutally murdered, or even a man you don't know personally. It must have been such a traumatic and dramatic experience for these brave and courageous men.""I walked away with a new outlook on life, for the better."Semper Fi!

My dad served with the First Marine Regiment, I was a preschooler when he came home. This is the only film about that battle that agrees with all the things he said about that place. It was hard to see the fights and bitter cold he talked about. They interviewed men who served with the Fifth and Seventh Regiments, they couldn't find any still alive from the First Regiment, there weren't enough of them, only 648 of about 5000. The other two regiments were only a little bit better off. This film shows some live battle footage I've never seen before, dead Chinese everywhere. It shows just how cold cold can be. Now I know where my dads swagger came from. At the end of this film the men recounted how many men were still alive in their units after each fight, my dad had said the same kind of things except the smallest numbers were 9, 7, and 3. The Marines saved about 90,000 refugees. This film shows the grave yard the Korean refugees made by going back and finding the remains of the men who saved their lives. It's huge, beautiful, and heart breaking.Normally I don't write reviews but this film stands head and shoulders above the rest, especially the PBS American Experience one by Randall Maclowry. They didn't do their homework, and they certainly didn't find men with swagger. All the men they interviewed showed no signs of frostbite, they still had all their fingers, and looked like they wondered if they had said things right. Their numbers don't add up. This film reports that each regiment of 5000 were attacked by 40000 Chinese soldiers. My dad said there were between 30000 and 40000 that his regiment fought and the other 2 regiments were hit every bit as hard.There is no glory in war, but there is valor. This film isn't for the weak, it will shake you up, and show you what Marines are made of.

I wish I had watched this with my dad who was there. He did tell me about how cold it was and surviving in a summer uniform. What a horrible time that was! He survived although so many did not.

As an amateur historian who has followed various wars and the history and stories behind those wars I can only say, "From where do such as these men come?"First hand accounts of hell. Marines and Soldiers fighting for another moment of life in conditions that would make others turn to mush and dig their own grave! References, pictures, background and video of what has to have been one of the most terrifying yet defining moment in the lives of the warriors who fought these multiple battles and became the Chosin 'Few'.If you stand in awe of such bravery and courage while knowing full well you will probably die, and, as I, simply thank God for this kind of resoluteness and steadfastness under fire, than this movie will be well worth your time. There are not enough accolades to describe such behavior. Outnumbered from day one and often 20 to 1, using the enemy bodies (and sometimes those of your own dead buddies) to build a 'hole' (because the ground could not be dug) to fight from, seeing companies reduced to 15 or 20 functional, carrying the frozen bodies of people who ate a cold dinner with you to the morgue in the morning... and going back up to fight again. I do not know if we, in America, now have the "stuff" that made up these immortal souls (and I know we've had the same kind of "do or die" in Vietnam, the Middle East, Mosul, Fallujah and Nasiriyah, and in the small but heroic battles throughout that region, no disrespect, but we are looking at unprepared, less trained, 'civilian' warriors at Chosin)Watch this with your grandchildren or children. Unbelievable story of heroism, courage under conditions that turn most to water, and "no greater love...". (as a side note - I read "Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story" by O'Donnell, a worthy companion to this DVD).