They were crack troops skilled in the techniques of unconditional warfare, the soldiers of the Special Forces - and the focus of Hollywoods first feature film about the Vietnam War: The Green Berets.

John Wayne stars in and co-directs this red-white-and-blue depiction of Americas Vietnam effort, based on Robin Moores novel.

Wayne wrote to President Lyndon Johnson to request military assistance for the film - and got more than enough firepower to create an impressive spectacle.

Its soldiers fit the tried-and-true mold of earlier Wayne war classics like Back to Bataan and Sands of Iwo Jima.

Their heroics are timeless.