Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam

In conjunction with the Fall 2017 broadcast of The Vietnam War — the 18-hour documentary series by filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novik — the Minnesota PBS stations launched Minnesota Remembers Vietnam, an initiative to inspire Minnesotans to share stores, recognize bravery, express dissent, and foster understanding round the lasting impact of war. The cornerstone of this initiative is the Minnesota Remembers Vietnam Story Wall.

Programs

Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: Story Gathering Workshop
Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum
April 21, 2018, 2-4 pm (part of the exhibit opening)
What do you remember about Vietnam? Come to this open house story gathering workshop to help residents of Central Minnesota organize and prepare their stories for submission to the Minnesota Remembers Vietnam Story Wall. Staff and volunteers will assist participants in creating oral histories (written, audio, or video), scanning photographs, and photographing personal artifacts. If participants wish to take copies of their digital creations home, they should bring a memory stick. All stories are welcome — stories of military service, civilian life, families, immigrants, refugees, and activists. Light refreshments will be served.

Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: Anti-War Movement
Charles Lindbergh House and Museum
May 4, 2018, 5:30-6:30 pm
Four Kent State University students were killed and nine were injured on May 4, 1970, when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War. On the 48th anniversary of this event, view a clip from the The Vietnam War covering the Kent State protest, followed by a guided discussion on the realities and effects of the antiwar movement that occurred during the Vietnam era. Light refreshments will be served.

Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: Southeastern Asian Refugees
Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum
June 23, 2018, 10 am-Noon
As a result of the conflict in Vietnam, many Southeastern Asian people found themselves as refugees in Minnesota. Explore the refugee experience through participating in a short reading from Quiet as They Come by Angie Chau, followed by a discussion on the historical and current realities of refugees places in the United States. Light refreshments will be served.

Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: Story Gathering Workshop
Charles Lindbergh House and Museum
Aug 13, 2018, 4:30-6:30 pm
What do you remember about Vietnam? Come to this open house story gathering workshop to help residents of Central Minnesota organize and prepare their stories for submission to the Minnesota Remembers Vietnam Story Wall. Staff and volunteers can assist participants in creating oral histories (written, audio, or video), scanning photographs, and photographing personal artifacts. If participants wish to take copies of their digital creations home, they should bring a memory stick. All stories are welcome — stories of military service, civilian life, families, immigrants, refugees, and activists. Light refreshments will be served.

Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: Veterans’ Voices
Minnesota Military Museum
September 29, 2018; 10 am-Noon
Stories from Minnesota servicemen and women in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War shed light on the personal experience of war. Guests are invited to spend time in the Minnesota Voices from the Vietnam War exhibit before reading specific oral histories and having a guided discussion on what the Vietnam War meant to those who served during it. Light refreshments will be served.

Exhibits

Central Minnesota Remembers Vietnam
Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum
Exhibit Opening Reception - April 21, 2-4 pm.
Tues/Wed/Fri/Sat, 10 am-5 pm through December 31, 2018
Free will admission
In contrast to World War II, which encouraged civilians in the United States to contribute to the war effort in multiple ways, the Vietnam War did not have the same sort of civilian involvement. That doesn’t mean people on the home front weren’t affected by the war; they were — as evidenced by war protests, the wearing of POW bracelets, and the many stories people of the era now have to share. Along with changing the lives of soldiers and American civilians, the war also uprooted Southeast Asian populations, sending refugees to the United States to build new lives. The exhibit features loaned items from the public that show various aspects of the war, from the uniforms, maps, and other items of combat veterans to photos related to war protests and stories of refugees. It will also provide a glimpse of everyday life in Central Minnesota while troops were engaged overseas.

Minnesota Voices from the Vietnam War
Minnesota Military Museum
May through September: Daily, 10 am-5 pm including national holidays
October through December: Thursday - Saturday 10 am-4 pm except national holidays
Admission charged
Minnesota servicemen and women in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War share their memories and feelings. The exhibit focuses primarily on the 10-year period from the start of major US military involvement in 1965 to the fall of Saigon in 1975. It also covers US allies, early involvement at the end of WWII, and the war's aftermath.