It’s Time We Thanked our Viet Vets

By Colleen Gundlach

Last month I had the distinct honor of interviewing four of Norfolk’s Vietnam veterans for the June issue of Norfolk Now. It was an experience that brought back memories of a time when our country was even more divided than it is now. It was a time when we as a country failed the people who were fighting and dying for us. We protested, rioted, burned flags and draft cards and showed no respect for the young men who were serving in the jungles of and skies over Vietnam.

Norfolk resident Mari Louise Torrant is one of several people who have been working to try to turn that lack of respect into honor and remembrance. As part of the Veterans History Project (VHP), she has been interviewing veterans from all wars, with a special focus on Vietnam. Working as a volunteer for VHP, she helps vets record their personal remembrances, feelings and experiences for future generations.

Congress voted in 2000 to record and archive these personal histories, and the Veterans History Project was born. The veterans’ stories can be verbal, written or recorded, and each collection is stored at the Library of Congress where they become part of the nation’s historical documentation.

In Connecticut, the VHP is based at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) where Eileen Hurst is the project manager. She started conducting veteran interviews on her own in 2003 and eventually integrated the project into the school. There are now several trained community volunteers , of which Torrant is one, conducting interviews throughout the state.

In Connecticut, the group has recorded 700 collections from veterans of all wars. Overall, the national project has interviewed 78,000 World War I and 48,000 World War II veterans, and is now concentrating on Vietnam vets. “We have a well-used and rich historical archive now,” says Hurst.

To commemorate the anniversary of 50 years since Vietnam, a period running from 2011 through 2015, each state is conducting its own remembrance. In Connecticut, Hurst and her team wanted to come up with a plan that would showcase something this state has that others don’t, and they decided on the New England Air Museum and the Air National Guard base.

Connecticut’s Vietnam 50th Celebration weekend will take place on July 11 and 12 on the grounds of the Connecticut Air National Guard in East Granby and the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks. At this event, people will be able to see, hear and understand more fully the Vietnam years. Participants will view Vietnam era aircraft such as a B52, C5, C130 and an AC47, and will even be able to take a ride to the skies in a vintage Huey helicopter. In addition, military vehicles will be on display and reenactors will be on site.

Also available at the event will be live musical entertainment, food vendors, and an opportunity to meet four authors who have written of their experiences.

A keynote speaker will be General Edward Mechenbier, who was a prisoner of war (POW) at the “Hanoi Hilton” for six years. After he was rescued, he stayed in the military, eventually rising to the rank of general. Connecticut hero Paul Becha, a Medal of Honor recipient, will also be a speaker at the commemoration.

“This event is designed to educate a new generation about the Vietnam War and the part it played in the lives of our friends, relatives and neighbors whose stories are the building blocks of American history,” according to the CCSU website.

The work of people such as Eileen Hurst and Mari Louise Torrant will help to raise awareness not only of the struggles of the era, but of the memories, hearts and lives of the people who served and protected our country in Viet Nam. It’s time we said thank you.

For more information about the 50^th Anniversary or about how you can be a part of the Veterans History Project, contact Eileen Hurst at hursteim@ccsu.edu or (860) 832-2976 or visit their website at http://www.ccsu.edu/vietnam/