Videos

Did you know that Federal Express was inspired by the Vietnam War? In this rare interview on his wartime experiences, former Marine and FedEx CEO Frederick Smith describes what led him to create the innovative company after his return from combat. Running time: 4½ min.

Few who have seen Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph could forget the sight of 10-year-old Kim Phuc, running naked and wounded from a napalm attack. Ut helped to save Kim’s life, and the two became lifelong friends. They talk here about the day the napalm bombs dropped. Running time: 5 min.

Marvin Gaye spoke from the heart when he created “What’s Happening Brother”—a song about the challenges of coming home from Vietnam, recorded for the album What’s Going On (1971). Gaye based the lyrics on his brother Frankie’s experiences, described here in Frankie’s own words, and by noted film director, Sam Pollard. Running time: 3 min.

This ad, "The War or His Future" (:38), is one of 9 antiwar ads shown here. They were created in 1971 by the Committee to Help Unsell the War, started by a college student. More than 300 writers, artists, directors, and producers from nearly 50 advertising agencies donated their time to create print ads and TV and radio spots.

Scroll to see 8 other Unsell the War ads.

Copies courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"Charlie Sutton" (1:09)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"John Kerry" (1:08)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"This War is 10 Years Old" (:40)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"Bigger Piece of the Pie" (1:08)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records.

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"Robert Muller" (:38)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"This War is Killing Us" (:26)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"Mother Bombs" (1:08)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.

"I'm War, Help Me Kill" (:39)

Copy courtesy of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Clergy & Laity Concerned Records

For more on the Unsell the War campaign, click here for Mitchell Hall's article, "Unsell the War: Vietnam and Antiwar Advertising," published in The Historian (Sept. 1995). Click here for a pdf of the article. Courtesy of the author, journal, and publisher.