In 1965, Gene Basset, a well-known political cartoonist, was sent to Vietnam
by his newspaper publishing syndicate. His assignment: to sketch scenes of the
increasingly controversial war in order to help the newspaper-reading public
better understand the events occurring in Southeast Asia.
In much the same way that M.A.S.H. gave viewers an irreverent, wry view of
war and its devastating effects on citizens as well as soldiers, Basset s sketches
portray the everyday, often mundane, aspects of wartime with an intimate touch
that eases access to the dark subject matter....