African Americans
African Americans were highly underrepresented and often stereotyped in Vietnam War films. The number of African Americans drafter and recruited in combat troops were higher than white people, but their representation in the films was disproportionate. However, their portrayal in Vietnam War films has comparatively improved as they emerged into 1970s. This is probably due to the Civil Rights movement and the move towards desegregation that took place in the 60s and continued into the 70s.
For example, the film Boy in Company C is a late 1970s Vietnam War film, narrated from the perspective of a white soldier; it houses only one main African American character ‘Tyrone Washington’ played by Stan Shaw. Although not as extreme, stereotyping still exists in the film, he often faces discrimination unlike his white counterparts. One positive element is that he is shown to be a courageous leader who stood up to discrimination and fought bravely.
WOMEN
Women had either had little to no representation or were vastly misrepresented in the Vietnam War films.
They were mostly shown as civilians encapsulating the qualities that were considered feminine at that time. Even if they were portrayed as members of the military, it was either as a failed soldier who was successful in embodying femininity or a successful soldier who failed in performing heteronormative acts of femininity; very rarely did both the elements (fight & femininity) co-exist.
The feminist and civil rights movements, the sexual revolution and the challenge against mainstream ideologies around that time, probably led filmmakers into giving women a slightly bigger narrative in the films. However, most filmmakers did not do a very good job and ended placing women in socially belittling roles. For example, they were often shown as sexual objects to please men, as double agents (The Green Berets) or as a soldier’s sweetheart waiting for him to come home (The Deer Hunter).
Irene Tsu in The Green Berets