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American Masters

The Powerful Memory of Music

Serving in Vietnam and the music of the era are inextricably linked for veteran and author Tim O'Brien (b. 1946). "One of my most powerful memories of Vietnam has nothing to do with bullets and firefights," he says. It's about the moment when two platoons started singing together. This outtake is from The Boomer List, premiering Sept. 23, 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS, featuring 19 iconic baby boomers.

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