Network Television: It's Time to Tell the Story of CAP Marines

BOSTON, Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Keith Ablow has teamed up with Jack Cunningham, a Marine who served in Vietnam, to develop a television series based on the Marine Corp's Combined Action Program (CAP). CAP was a fascinating program that placed Marines inside peasant farming villages, where they lived with residents 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. 

Many CAP Marines have long hoped that their stories—including the complex relationships they forged with their South Vietnamese hosts—would be told. 

About the Combined Action Program

CAP was sometimes called "A Peace Corp with Rifles." The assignment was an amazing opportunity to live in an entirely different culture and be accepted into that culture. Incredibly strong bonds formed between villagers and Marines. But the assignment was also extremely hazardous because the North Vietnamese wanted to obliterate villages that hosted CAP Marines and because any resident of the friendly village might still be a Communist sympathizer quite willing to kill a Marine.  Generally, just 11 Marines and one Navy Corpsman lived day in and day out with thousands of villagers.

According to William Nimmo, who serves on the Board of Directors of the CAP Unit Veterans Association, "The Marines of CAP loved their villages and protected them fiercely. They were regularly in harm's way, and many gave their lives to fight for the freedom of the villagers to grow their rice in peace, without brutal taxation by the Viet Cong. A television series would be a great opportunity to tell the stories of how the Marines fought the village rice wars."

About Jack Cunningham

Mr. Cunningham has devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to describing the highs and lows of life as a CAP Marine, even creating a website that does a very good job of sharing his experiences. A television series would be a natural next step. 

"The story of the CAP Marines shows how Marines became fixtures in the lives of South Vietnamese men, women and children, about whom they cared very deeply, while they risked their lives to battle the Communist North Vietnamese," Cunningham said. 

"A television series on CAP Marines is an opportunity to tell the real story of the Vietnam War. We were there to help the oppressed and all of us CAP Marines are proud of our service," Nimmo added.

Media Inquiries:
Keith Ablow
978.462.1125
[email protected]

SOURCE Keith Ablow, MD