China Beach

[thedrifter]

China Beach
China Beach R&R Center

In 1965, U.S. marines established a huge military base in Danang, and the city became the first stop for newly arriving American troops during the Vietnam conflict. It also functioned as the political, military and cultural center for troops in the region, with an infrastructure of military bases, seaport, airport, warehouses, roads, communication station, roads and banks. Industry developed rapidly and gradually edged out artisanal products like handicrafts. Nearby China Beach was a popular recreation destination for weary troops on leave.

During the Vietnam War, thousands of American G.I.s spent their leave surfing the 30-kilometer golden beach near the central coastal city of Danang. Years later, millions of television viewers tuned in to the acclaimed 1980s television drama based on the famed U.S. Army R. and R. base.



Echo Co Marines at China Beach

China Beach is the name of an American award-winning and highly acclaimed dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to a beach in Vietnam. The ABC TV drama aired for three years (four TV seasons), from 1988 to 1991.

Created by William Broyles, Jr. and John Sacret Young, the series looks at the Vietnam War from a unique perspective: that of the women, military and civilian, who were present during the conflict. John Wells took over most of the series beginning with the second season — many of the show's cast members would appear later on the Wells-produced series, ER.

Set in a Vietnam locale called China Beach, at the 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R (the "Five-and-Dime" Rest & Recreation) facility, the cast of characters includes US Army doctors and nurses, officers, soldiers, Red Cross volunteers, and civilian personnel (American, French, and Vietnamese). Very often, however, the series features the experiences of the characters when returning to the U.S., either on leave or at the end of their tour of duty.

The show did not shy away from showing the gruesomeness of war, providing a very gritty view of the experience there.

The producers of the show sought out advice from former Army nurses stationed in Vietnam, notably Diane Carlson Evans.

Unusual story-telling methods were sometimes used: scenes presented in reverse chronology; insertion of animated cartoons to express a character's state of mind; alternating between interviews with former military nurses and scripted scenes; and a visit by the cast to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C..

China Beach was a critically lauded but poorly rated series. ABC stuck with the show for four seasons, but the final season was put on hiatus in fall 1990 and did not air its finale until July 22, 1991. As a result of the strange scheduling, Dana Delany was eligible for (and ultimately won) a Best Actress Emmy in the fall of 1992, a year after the series broadcast its final episode and over a year-and-a-half after many of the scenes were filmed.

Vietnam veteran Diane Carlson Evans has played a central role in bringing the service of U.S. women personnel in Vietnam to the attention of the American public. In 1984 she founded the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, an organization dedicated to building a monument to the women veterans who served in Vietnam during the war. In 1993, Evans's devotion to the project was rewarded when the Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Ellie

[Wyoming]

China Beach was never like the TV show.


Howsomever, the Vietnam Women's Memorial is an impresssive statue. BTDT!

[FistFu68]

YEA' THEY WERE OUR ANGELS OF MERCY

[davblay]

WOW.......... that picture gave me a flashback!


Angels indeed Fist, Amen that!


Dave