Thirty years ago, the song "19" by PAUL HARDCASTLE was released.
Inspired by the documentary "Vietnam Requiem" that said, that the average age of the combat soldiers in Vietnam was 19. This has been disputed since but what is proved is, that the average age of deaths is 23 - and 38% of them were only 19 or 20 years old.
I tried to collect as many official mixes as possible and I will now give you the chance to listen to them as well.
I have no idea if the download will be available for long because there are always some mofos that delete uploads or posts.
So - be quick.
Here we go:
Ben Liebrand Dance Mix 6:20
Deconstruction Mix 6:55
Destruction Mix 7:14
95 Edit Version 4:34
Extended Version 5:15
French Version 5:10
German 12" Mix 5:59
German Version 4:08
Hot Tracks Digital Mix 6:29
Instrumental Version 4:34
Japanese Extended Version 5:11
Mastermix 7:32
Multi-Language Remix 4:29
12" Remix 6:56
Remix 2008 9:12
Single Version 3:38
Slow Version 4:40
Spanish Version 5:22
Special Cut Mix 5:56
The Final Chapter (Boys To War) 4:05
The Final Story 8:19
95 The Full Story 7:30
Lyrics:
In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war, but it wasn't.
It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting.
In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...
In Vietnam he was 19.
In inininininin Vietnam he was 19.
(TV announcer's voice)
The shooting and fighting of the past two weeks continued today 25 miles west of Saigon
I really wasn't sure what was going on (Vet's Voice)
Nininini Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19
In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served a twelve month tour of duty but
was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday
Ninininininininininin 19 nininininninin 19
(TV announcer's voice)
In Saigon a U.S.Military spokesman said today
More than 700 enemy troops were killed last week
In that sensitive border area
Through out all of south Vietnam the enemy lost a total of 2689 soldiers.
Nininini Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19
(Vet's voice)
You're 18 years old and you're wearing somebody's brains around your Shirt
because they got their heads blown off right next to you
and that's not supposed to affect you. I can never understand.
What would scare me? Is that we were to send a Group of 18 years olds 12000 miles away
and subject them to in a year of that obsanity and have them not affected.
That's would frighten me.
Hundreds of Thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam were arrested since discharge
Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age.
There are no accurate figures of how many of these men have been incarcerated.
But, a Veterans Administration study concludes that the greater of Vets
exposure to combat could more likely affect his chances of being arrested or
convicted. This is one legacy of the Vietnam War
(Singing Girls)
All those who remember the war
They won't forget what they've seen..
Destruction of men in their prime
whose average was 19
Dedededededede-Destruction
Dedededededede-Destruction
War, War
Dededede-Destruction, wa-wa-War, wa-War, War
Dedededededede-Destruction
War, War
After World War II the Men came home together on troop ships, but the Vietnam
Vet often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat
Perhaps the most dramatic difference between World War II and Vietnam was
coming home.. .none of them received a heroes welcome
None of them received a heroes welcome, none of them, none of them
Nenene Nenene None of them, none of them, none of them (etc...)
None of them received a heroes welcome
None of them received a heroes welcome
According to a Veteran's Administration study
Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what Psychiatrists call
Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder
Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt
Some succumb to suicidal thoughts
Eight to Ten years after coming home almost eight-hundred-thousand men are still fighting the Vietnam War
(Singing Girls)
Dedededededede-Destruction
Nininininininininin Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19
Nininininininininin Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19
19,19,19,19
(Soldiers Voice)
When we came back it was different...
Everybody wants to know
"God, what happened to those guys over there
There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
We did what we had to do
There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
People wanted us to be ashamed of what it made us
Dad had no idea what he went to fight and he is now
All we want to do is come home
All we want to do is come home
What did we do it for
All we want to do is come home
Was it worth it?
"WAS IT WORTH IT??????"
THE MAKING OF... This is a collection of veteran-statements
Narrator: This is the story of men who are victims of war. They fought the longest war in American history. They all saw heavy combat in Vietnam. Although they were all decorated for heroism, none of them received a hero's welcome.
Veteran #1: You see a lotta destruction. You see a lot of villages being burned, and you know people are being killed, and... you shoot into bushes and you hear screams and you know that people have been hit, but... to see someone get hit with a high-velocity steel-jacket round - designed by people, to kill other people. There is no more obscene way to die.
Narrator: Hundreds of thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam have been arrested since discharge. Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age. There are no accurate figures on how many of these men have been incarcerated, but a Veterans' Administration study concludes that the greater a vet's exposure to combat, the more likely his chance of being arrested or convicted. This is one legacy of the Vietnam War.
Veteran #1: They had VC that were twelve feet tall. They captured the 25th Infantry with a bag fulla rocks. Everybody went after Ho Chih Minh with broken bayonets. These were the baddest dudes I ever saw in my life.
Soldier: I looked at this guy and asked him what to do. He'd been hit, right below his eye. The side of his face was blown away. He wasn't fallin', was just... standin'... and he kinda half-turned, and fell. (And he kinda half-turned, and fell.) And then we came back and we were different, and everybody wants to know "God, what happened to those guys over there"...
Veteran #2: There's gotta be somethin' wrong somewhere.
Veteran #1: ...We did what we had to do...
Veteran #1: And people wanted us to be ashamed - of what it made us.
Veteran #2: They have no idea what it meant for five, ten years now. All we want to do is come home.
Veteran #1: What did we do it for?
Veteran #1: Was it worth it?
Narrator: This is the story of men who are victims of war. They fought the longest war in American history. They all saw heavy combat in Vietnam. Although they were all decorated for heroism, none of them received a hero's welcome.
Narrator: Unlike Vietnam, World War 2 saw America unite behind her fighting men. The two wars were just as different on the front lines as they were back home.
Narrator: Hundreds of thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam have been arrested since discharge. Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age. There are no accurate figures on how many of these men have been incarcerated, but a Veterans' Administration study concludes that the greater a vet's exposure to combat, the more likely his chance of being arrested or convicted. This is one legacy of the Vietnam War.
Narrator: After WW2, the men came home together, in troop ships, often less than 48 hours after jungle combat. ((( yes, that's exactly how it's sampled. The re-recorded version is a re-reading of the original sample, or it says what the original Narrator meant. ))) Perhaps the most dramatic difference between WW2 and Vietnam was coming home. (None of them received a hero's welcome. None of them. N-n-n-n-n-one-of-them-rec-none of them received a hero's welcome... n-n-n-none of them...)
Veteran #1: And then we came back and we were different, and everybody wants to know "God, what happened to those guys over there"...
Narrator: In 1965, Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war, but it wasn't. It was different in many ways. In World War Two, the average age of the combat soldier was 26. In Vietnam, he was 19. In-in-in-in-in Vietnam, he was 19. n-n-n-ninteen.
Newscaster: The heaviest fighting of the past two weeks continued today, 25 miles northwest of Saigon.
Narrator: In Vietnam, the combat soldier typically served a 12-month tour of duty, but was exposed to hostile fire almost every day.
Newscaster: In Saigon, a US military spokesman said today more than 700 enemy troops were killed last week in that sensitive border area. Throughout all of South Vietnam, the enemy lost a total of 2689 soldiers.
Female background singer: All those who remember the war, they won't forget what they've seen. Destruction, of men in their prime, whose average age was 19.
Narrator: According to a Veteran's Administration study, half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffer from what psychiatrists call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt. Some succumb to suicidal thoughts.
Narrator: This is one legacy of the Vietnam war. They fought the longest war in American history. None of them received a hero's welcome.
Narrator: Almost 800,000 men are still fighting the Vietnam War.
"WAS IT WORTH IT??????"
