Vietnam
Stories and memories of Minnesota’s Vietnam veterans.
Episodes
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Vietnam Shorts:
The Messenger
Jerry Newton in was in the midst of his Army career when he was given his most difficult and dreadful assignment: he was the officer who notified families when their soldier sons were killed in combat. What he experienced prompted him to volunteer to go to Vietnam; he figured even serving in the war zone would not be as awful as his notification work.
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Vietnam Shorts:
The Army Photographer
Peter Molenda’s assignment in Vietnam was as a motion picture photographer, shooting not bullets but film for the Department of Defense’s photo team. His job was to document the positive actions of the US military in the country, but what he saw through his camera’s lens changed his attitude about the war.
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Vietnam Shorts:
Listen to the Music
The music charts of the 60’s and early 70’s were filled with anti-war anthems performed by rockers who used their songs to protest the Vietnam War. Some of that music made its way to the ears of the soldiers fighting on the ground in Southeast Asia.
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Vietnam Shorts:
Women Served Too
When Valerie Buchan was recruited by the Army, she considered it her duty to serve. As the head nurse in an emergency room in Vietnam, she cared for soldiers who endured life threatening injuries. After coming home, she became an early supporter of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, devoted to the contributions of military nurses.
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Vietnam Shorts:
The Protester
A year after Tom Dimond was arrested at a celebrated protest of the Vietnam War, he was drafted into the Army. Once he was in the service, the St Paul native found that he was not alone in his opposition to the conflict.
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Vietnam Shorts:
Finding a Place
Many Vietnam veterans felt alienated as they returned home, enduring insults related to their service in an unpopular war. Veteran Pat Logan even felt the disdain of older veterans who disparaged his service. That prompted him to get involved with veteran’s organizations to change them from the inside.