Remembering Vietnam Veterans Week
Press Release · Monday, November 5, 2018

Washington, DC

The National Archives will honor Vietnam War veterans with special programs from November 8 to 16. Highlights include a Nov. 14 program with former Senator and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Congressman Sam Johnson on support and resources for Vietnam veterans, Nov. 9-16 Vietnam-era helicopters on the front lawn of the National Archives, and a chance to see the “Remembering Vietnam” exhibition prior to its closing this January.

Visit archives.gov/vietnam for more information on education resources, to request military records, explore the Vietnam War timeline, and discover more resources.

All programs are free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, unless otherwise noted.   Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW.  Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. For those without reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Late seating will not be permitted 20 minutes after the program begins.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENING & Q and A: Blood Road
Thursday, November 8, at 7 p.m.
Reserve a seat
Blood Road (96 min., 2017) follows the journey of ultra-endurance mountain bike athlete Rebecca Rusch and her Vietnamese riding partner, Huyen Nguyen, as they pedal 1,200 miles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Their destination: the crash site and final resting place of Rebecca’s father, a U.S. Air Force pilot shot down over Laos some 40 years earlier. The women push their bodies to the limit while learning more about the historic “Blood Road” and how the Vietnam War shaped their lives. Rebecca Rusch will introduce the film and take questions afterward.  

DISPLAY OF VIETNAM-ERA HELICOPTERS
On display Friday, November 9 - Friday, November 16; 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
National Archives Museum, Constitution Avenue on 7th and 9th Streets, NW
In partnership with the North Carolina Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (who are the custodians of the aircraft), see and learn about three original Vietnam War-era aircrafts:

Bell UH-1 Iroquois
Bell OH-58 Kiowa
Bell UH-1V Medevac

The National Archives Veterans Day Celebration is presented in part by the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family and Bell Helicopter.

PANEL DISCUSSION: “Remembering Veterans: A conversation of what happens after Duty, Honor, Country”
Wednesday, November 14, 2018,  at 2 p.m.
Reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
As part of a week-long schedule of activities to celebrate and honor Vietnam War veterans, former Senator and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will deliver remarks for a program on support and resources for Vietnam veterans. As part of the program, we present a panel discussion with expert panelists including Rick Weidman, Vietnam veteran and Executive Director for Policy and Government Affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Linda Schwartz, former Air Force nurse and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning under President Obama, and Garry Augustine, Executive Director, Washington Headquarters, Disabled American Veterans.

Exhibit: “Remembering Vietnam: Twelve Critical Episodes in the Vietnam War”
On display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery through January 6, 2019; Museum hours 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
Explore 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War from its World War II origins to the Fall of Saigon. These key events and turning points trace the policies and decisions made by the architects of the conflict, and the forces that drove them. Iconic and newly discovered documents, films, images, and artifacts along with insights from veterans, civilians, and historians shed light on the complex history of United States’ involvement in Southeast Asia. For more information on the exhibit, visit www.archives.gov/vietnam. Read about the exhibit in Prologue Magazine.

“Remembering Vietnam” is presented in part by the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family, Pritzker Military Museum & Library, AARP, FedEx Corporation, and the National Archives Foundation. Additional support provided by the Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, The Eliasberg Family Foundation, Inc., and HISTORYⓇ.