In this 1967 episode of the U.S. Army’s The Big Picture series (TV 714), viewers see the work of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam from 1965 to the beginning of 1967, with a look at combat missions in operations Van Buren, Austin IV, Hawthorne, John Paul Jones, and Pickett. The film opens with paratroopers of the 101st jumping out of a plane and parachuting to the ground. Several soldiers climb into a Bell UH-1 Iroquois. Viewers see the USS Iwo Jima carrier in 1965 loaded with assault helicopters; helicopters take off from the deck of the carrier (02:18), landing in Vietnam at the Vung Tau Air Field where the men of 101st and other divisions are processed. There is a good aerial shot of the 1st Brigade arriving at Cam Ranh Bay (03:34); Colonel James S. Timothy, commander of the brigade, is welcomed to Vietnam by Ambassador Maxwell Taylor and General Westmoreland. Ambassador Taylor stands with his son, Thomas, who is a member of the 1st Brigade. Troops sail along the coast to Qui Nhon (05:15). Men of the 327th and 502nd move to An Khe via helicopters. Men land at a pass near An Khe. Troops climb hills and wait for encounters with Vietcong forces. Footage shows the Screaming Eagles retrieving elements of the 1st Calvary Division, including the airlift of a small jeep. Men of the 101st ride helicopters to Phan Rang to make a permanent base. General Westmoreland inspects the new camp (08:00). Helicopters ferry in members of the 101st for part of Operation Van Buren (08:45). Troops patrol the countryside looking for Vietcong troops. Brigadier General Willard Pearson takes control of the Screaming Eagles. Men fire heavy artillery guns (appear to be M101A1 Howitzers) at North Vietnamese targets. U.S. troops scout the Tuy Hoa Valley (10:30). Iroquois land at Tuy Hoa. American actor Robert Mitchum visits the men of the 101st (12:00). Next, the film shows the 1966 Operation Austin IV. Men go to Nhon Co to search for Vietcong; footage shows soldiers firing mortars. Men radio positions from their foxholes. Wounded Americans are evacuated onto helicopters. A wounded Vietcong soldier sits bandaged after being captured. Screaming Eagles board helicopters during Operation Hawthorne (14:15). Aerial footage shows Dak To; troops build a bridge over a small river near Dak To. Soldiers prepare artillery shells at camp (15:40). The men fire howitzers on Vietcong, but the American forces take fire from Vietcong troops. Soldiers take cover in foxholes. Troops open fire on Vietcong forces as the latter tries to overrun the American position (17:10). Several soldiers toss grenades. General Pearson sits in a foxhole on the radio during the intense fighting. Aerial footage shows Kon Tum Province in June 1966 (18:44), presumably near the village of Toumorong. Soldiers inspect large caliber ammo belts. Troops sit for an outdoor church service. The soldiers march down a dirt road lined with South Vietnamese (20:00). At Dak To (20:34), South Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky awards members of the 101st. Footage shows some of the weapons taken from Vietcong. Six captured members of the Vietcong sit on the ground. The film then shows Operation John Paul Jones, in which the 101st helps secure a coastal highway between Tuy Hoa and Cam Ranh Bay. Elements of the 502nd Infantry land at Cam Ranh Bay (22:05). Men march on roads and push through bush. Aerial footage shows the coastal highway, as well as assault helicopters firing on enemy targets. Bulldozers move earth to build a new seaport. Troops patrol and protect rice fields in Tuy Hoa (23:44). Footage shows the Americans finding abandoned captured South Vietnamese men and women who suffer from malnutrition and injuries. A C-130 Hercules takes off with members of 101st for Kontum (25:20). The brigade jumps as part of Operation Pickett, landing in the countryside of Kontum province. Footage shows members riding LSTs back to headquarters. General Pearson transfers command to new Brigadier General Salve H. Matheson (26:57); Pearson leaves the 101st. The episode concludes with footage of members of the 101st marching down a road in Vietnam carrying the American flag.

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