Blog 12 BJR

The Fog of War is a documentary film on the life of Robert McNamara, a former United States Secretary of defense, among other things. This film shows McNamara’s eleven lessons of war, along with an additional 10 lessons about life and war. I believe that the point of making this film was for a chance to show the public what it was like for McNamara, and hopefully to show the viewers a different side of him. He wants to show the world that he did what he thought was the best thing to do at the time, and he stood by his decisions, whether they were popular or unpopular. I think that another reason for this film to be made was to try and reach out to the future leaders, as well as the normal person, and show them what he thinks can help them. He reviews his 11 lessons of war, which he says relate to war in general, not a specific war. I believe that these lessons are also applicable to everyday life, and dealing with others, whether it is in conflict or not. I think that the ideas of McNamara shift once he starts talking about the Vietnam War. It was during this time that McNamara was the United States Secretary of Defense, and is a major point in his career. Before Vietnam came around, McNamara was secured and strong willed in the defense of his actions. After Vietnam, it seems as if he slowly becomes unsure about himself and his actions. In the movie In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, there is a new set of eleven lessons, but these are from the Vietnam War specifically. In these 11 lessons, the war, and its demise are broken down, and the views can see and understand why this war turned out to be such an experience that is now known as.