Teri and Ian

[LG.]

I was completely in support of Ian's statement and not at all offended. I distinctly remember the comments and his "they didn't die in vain" was directed at the US soldiers (not the dead Vietnamese whom he also acknowledged, as he should have). He said that the 58,000 US soldiers who died did not die in vain, they died for their country, which is very appropriate from a US vet from the Vietnam war as when our (yes, I'm American) soliders returned home from the war they were disrespected by many in the US and made to feel that the deaths of soldiers was for nothing, but that wasn't the case for Ian and the men and women who bravely gave their life for their country.

Ian was very positive about Vietnam and the changes that have happened since he was last in the country. I'm sure it was very tough for him to go back there and have to face a place with so many terrible memories. He was also noticeably more polite to the cab drivers (including calling one the #1 cabbie and thanking him for his driving) and other locals he encountered in this leg than in many other legs of the race, so if anything Ian was on his best behavior in Vietnam. He did a super job in this leg, as did Teri, and they should be proud of it.

[Modesty]

I guess I was right not to try to put any words in Ian's mouth, because that's not all what I heard him say and I'm happy to be proven wrong about it. Though I still don't think it was in his place to comment on whether the Vietnameses died in vain or not, but I suppose it was just his opinion from what he saw there.

[LG.]

I guess it resonated more with me as an American, Modesty, because it was such a huge issue here in the 1970s (and still rages today) as to whether the blood of all our (US) soldiers lost in Vietnam was in vain. My perception was that Ian was trying to answer that very prevalent question of US history dispositively. I can see how it wouldn't mean quite the same thing to people who didn't gorw up in the US, but Vietnam vets here had the horrible experience of having to try to justify the war when they were drafted and legally required to fight in it, yet they were being blamed for decisions they had no control over. It's still a huge issues in US politics as baby-boomer age politicians need to address where they were in the late 1960s, early 1970s. Hiding out in Canada (or England, Bill Clinton) or were they serving their country even though it wasn't a "popular" war in the US at the time. There are many unresolved conflicts in the US which still fester about Vietnam, but most everyone acknowledges that US soldiers got a very bum deal when they returned home. It was my perception that Ian was talking about Americans and American soldiers from a US perspective, so it is unfortunate the viewers coming from another perspective would view it as something different. We're all a product of our upbringing I guess to some extent.

[Modesty]

LG, thanks for the insights!

[LG.]

no problem Modesty. Glad I can give you one American's perspective anyway.

[John]

War's not an easy subject to debate...But I hope we can agree that Ian has a rather unique perspective on the subject, he's in the middle of probably one of the most stressful situations he's ever been in, and he may not have meant what he said exactly as he said it, but rather was remembering the sacrifices that his fellow soldiers made.

Either way...Must have been hard for him to go back, and I was happy to see that he was impressed with how things had changed and that he treated everyone with more respect than he's done all season.

[Modesty]

I agree John, and I was too very happy to see him suddenly being nice and curteous to everyone - I'm thinking that this what we saw yesterdauy is possibly the way he normally is. At least I'd like to think so for Teri's sake .

[Tuluminous]

"I was really annoyed hearing him say that hundreds of thousands Vietnameses "didn't die in vain".

Modesty, I think that Ian's is more of a Warrior's Code kind of tribute, not that he was boasting that there were that many more of the enemy killed.

[amna]

Well, it was obviously an emotional time for Ian; For him to actually go back there. Teri said herself that Ian doesn't like talking about the time he spent there.I think he did wipe away some tears when he was in the cab.
As for his behaviour on this leg of the race, we have never seen him so subdued, so relaxed & so at ease. He was enjoying every minute of it It was so sweet. I can't even believe that i'm saying this about him!He didn't even bark at Teri & I was so happy when they came in 1st.. He didn't even jump on straight to the mat. He actually held her hand It was a lovely moment & they deserved to come 1st! Hooo rah!

[BravoFan]

Ian earned a lot of credit from me after this episode.

I think those that have expressed offense of his comment misunderstood what he was trying to say. LG summed it up very nicely about 6 posts up so I won't even try to elaborate on her fantastic analysis.

Ian (along with countless others) is someone who put his life on the line and sacrificed significantly so that others (including me) can continue to live free. After this episode I see him in a completely different light.