New Project Gathers Vietnam Vets Reflections

Talking about war memories must be difficult. My Dad, a WWII pilot and POW, never spoke of his until after the age of 80. Lucky for me that he lived so long.

This is a good time of life for many of us Baby Boomers to speak with our Vietnam Vets about their memories.  Hopefully time has taken away the sharp political edge of the anti war demonstrations and terrible welcome home many vets received.

Recently, I sat in on an interview with Richard "Ole" Olsen whose service in Vietnam was not only a source of life long friendships, but also a major influence on his life's work as an artist. 

Professor emeritus at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, "Ole" said that it is hard to talk about his experience at home because most people still make it a political issue.  He sees war as part of the human condition "right in front of your eyes. You and the enemy are as close as you can get." War is part of the civilization of the planet he said. In one painting a dead enemy soldier seemed to be saying, "Why me, it could be you. I had as much sympathy for the enemy as the enemy has for us."

Ole keeps up with his war buddies by email, and when one dies, he said "it is like loosing part of myself."

An upcoming exhibition at the Steffan Thomas Museum Vietnam Revisited: Another Focus, opening May 18, features some of Ole's work representing not only the artist's response to his Vietnam experiences as a helicopter pilot, but also the direction in which his work went post-war.

If you want to join in the conversation about Vietnam, I suggest you watch the two recordings of Vietnam Veteran interviews from the Boomer Website, one by "Ole" and the other by Mark Johnson.  Award winning radio journalist Mary Kay Mitchell conducts these interviews. Then if you are a Vet, consider recording your memory. You can send comments and suggestions to me mdarnell@athenslibrary.org and we'll just see where this conversation goes.