Waging Peace in Vietnam Exhibits and Events
The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) will host two exhibits related to the Vietnam war: “Waging Peace in Vietnam: US Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War” and “My Lai: A Massacre Took 504 Souls and Shook the World.”
Juneau, Alaska
Date of Press Release: November 7, 2022
The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) will host two exhibits related to the Vietnam war: “Waging Peace in Vietnam: US Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War” and “My Lai: A Massacre Took 504 Souls and Shook the World.” Both exhibits are curated by Ron Carver, a longtime photographer, social justice, and labor rights activist with roots in the American civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. UAS will be the 15th American university that has hosted the exhibits, which will be on display in the UAS Egan Library and Egan Classroom Wing from Veterans Day, November 11, through December 15. In conjunction with these, several events are planned to include a symposium, film screenings, panel discussions, poetry readings, receptions, and a student essay competition. Other universities that have hosted the exhibits include the University of Notre Dame, the University of Massachusetts, Columbia University, George Washington University, Duke, the University of Southern California, the University San Francisco and just recently the University of Washington Seattle.
Exhibits:
Waging Peace in Vietnam: US Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War
This primary exhibit seeks to inform scholars, students and the general public that as America escalated the number of troops engaged in the Vietnam War, thousands of our soldiers, sailors and pilots refused to fight, sail and fly more bombing missions. Active-duty soldiers and veterans had a profound effect on the antiwar movement, and on the war itself. (Egan Library)
My Lai: A Massacre Took 504 Souls and Shook the World
Army photographer Ronald L. Haeberle’s color photographs of the My Lai Massacre presented with his commentary and with tributes to the soldiers who exposed the horror of this mission. Haeiberle will serve as the guest just for the student essay contest.
Upcoming related events:
Hunting in Wartime: Screening & Discussion
Friday, November 11, 1 PM – 4 PM, Egan Wing (+Livestream)
Hunting in Wartime profiles Tlingit veterans from Hoonah, Alaska who saw combat during the Vietnam War. The veterans talk about surviving trauma, relating to Vietnamese communities, readjusting to civilian life, and serving a government that systematically oppresses native people. Their stories give an important human face to the combat soldier and show the lasting affects of war on individuals, families and communities. Director Samantha Farinella, Honolulu-based filmmaker and founder of One Angry Woman Productions, Wm. O. "Ozzie" Sheakley - Commander: S.E. Alaska Native Veterans; Member Juneau Tlingit and Haida Community Council will be available for discussion before and after the screening. The discussion will be live streamed. Hosted by the UAS Native and Rural Student Center & Wooch.een.
Exhibit Opening & Reception
Friday, November 11, 6PM – 8 PM, Egan Library (+Livestream)
Keynote and reception welcome by Susan Schnall, the former Navy Lieutenant who led 500 sailors and soldiers on a peace march in San Francisco in 1968. The president of the Veterans For Peace national board of directors, Susan is also a national expert on the effects of the Agent Orange chemical weapons we used in Vietnam leading to death and damaging health for hundreds of thousands of both Vietnamese and American during the war years and through succeeding generations. Guided tours will be available from Exhibit Curator, Ron Carver. Keynote will be livestreamed. Doors open at 5:30 PM.
Patriotism, PTSD, and the Legacies of War
Saturday, November 12, 1 – 3 PM, Egan Wing (+Livestream)
Join exhibition curator Ron Carver and veterans Mike Wong, John Kent, and George Bennett for a discussion of how cultural and political values shape the experience and aftermath of war as well as the trauma and moral injuries endured by participants and non-participants alike. Moderated by David Noon, UAS Professor of History. Refreshments provided.
Anti-War Poetry and Story Sharing with Veteran Poets
Thursday, December 1, 1:30 PM – 4 PM, Egan Wing (+ Livestream)
Details coming soon. Refreshments provided. Veteran Poetry Preview
Screening of Sir! No Sir! and Story Sharing
Saturday, December 3, 12:30 – 3 PM, Egan Wing (+ Livestream)
In the 1960’s an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of history. This movement didn’t take place on college campuses, but in barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in army stockades, navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam. It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel, infested the entire armed services. Yet today few people know about the GI movement against the war in Vietnam. SIR! NO SIR! brings to life the history of the GI movement through the stories of those who were part of it, and reveals the explosion of defiance that the movement gave birth to with never-before-seen archival material. The film explores the profound impact that movement had on the military and the war itself along with the story of how and why the GI Movement has been erased from the public memory. Story sharing and a conversation with Director David Zeiger will follow the screening. Refreshments provided.
Symposium, Essay Contest Awards and Closing Reception
Thursday, December 8, 1:30 – 4:30 PM, Egan Wing (+Livestream)
Winners of the student contest will be recognized by the Juneau Veterans For Peace, Chapter 100, Juneau Alaska. Prize winners are invited to share their work. Details coming soon.