HOMe of record: vashon and the vietnam war
The Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum exhibit “Home of Record: Vashon and the Vietnam War” will open Friday October 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM and run through February 19, 2012. The exhibit consists of four major sections.
First, you will have an opportunity to get an overview of the war; see what was happening on Vashon during the Vietnam Era, 1964 to 1975; and understand the impact of the war on the island.
Second, a Roll of Honor for all our Vietnam Era military veterans, and a Wall of Remembrance with a special opportunity for you to share your own thoughts as we pay our respects to the 12 young men from Vashon whom we lost in that far off war.
Third, you will step through the door of a sandbag and barbed wire fortified barracks (hootch), to experience the sights and sounds of the Viet Nam War circa 1967 through the photographs, letters and memories of Sgt. Christopher Gaynor. You will experience the sounds of Huey choppers, M-60 door guns, 60’s ‘Rock ‘n Roll’, see the sights Sgt. Gaynor photographed, and read the letters he sent home during his tour of duty in Vietnam.
Finally, there will be an interactive map of Vietnam where veterans can identify where they served, where Vietnamese-Americans can identify their family’s place or origin, and where visitors to Vietnam can identify their travels. The exhibit will conclude with a display of contemporary Vietnam, “Vietnam: More than a War.”
The Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum offers this thought provoking exhibit out of respect for our Vietnam Era Veterans with the hope that it will encourage a lively dialog.
Click to see a video presentation of the exhibit
