Nothing drew me to the film business. I was propelled by the fear and anxiety of Vietnam. I had been drafted into the Marines. My brother was already serving in Vietnam. I bought if you will a stay of execution - both literally and figuratively - and went on to graduate school of business from the law school that I was attending.

Forty years ago this country went down a rabbit hole in Vietnam and millions died. I fear we're going down a rabbit hole once again - and if people can stop and think and reflect on some of the ideas and issues in this movie perhaps I've done some damn good here!

But although Australia was also involved in the Vietnam conflict I can remember my dad telling us that if we were in Australia we wouldn't be drafted until we were 20.

I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest not just military service.

There are two types of courage involved with what I did. When it comes to picking up a rifle millions of people are capable of doing that as we see in Iraq or Vietnam. But when it comes to risking their careers or risking being invited to lunch by the establishment it turns out that's remarkably rare.

Some people think my father was a spy because of working for that government agency in Vietnam but he can't find his car keys much less keep a national secret.

The American Dream has run out of gas. The car has stopped. It no longer supplies the world with its images its dreams its fantasies. No more. It's over. It supplies the world with its nightmares now: the Kennedy assassination Watergate Vietnam.

When I was building the Vietnam Memorial I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war because from my point of view you don't pry into other people's business.

President Johnson did not want the Vietnam War to broaden. He wanted the North Vietnamese to leave their brothers in the South alone.

I'm a very brave person. I can go to North Vietnam I can challenge my government but I can't challenge the man I'm with if means I'm going to end up alone.