Dignity Thru Unity

Dignity Thru Unity

This exhibit, which was open from 2004 until 2008, was a recent feature exhibit of the Veterans' Memorial Hall program. The educational goal of the exhibit was to explore the personal journey of Vietnam era veterans. Although the exhibit closed in 2008, you can still take a photographic tour through it by accessing the slideshow.

The exhibit featured nine distinct sections:

1. Home front: Addressed domestic developments leading up to the Vietnam War and events at home during the war.

2. Enlisted and drafted veterans: Dedicated to the men and women who enlisted or were drafted.

3. Reconstruction of a hooch (Vietnam War era military slang for a thatched hut): Based on a photo from a Vietnam veteran.

4. Medical personnel: A look at the medical servicemen and -women who provided medical treatment overseas.

5: The draft: How the draft functioned during the Vietnam War. Here visitors were able to learn what their draft number would have been and could check to see if they would have been drafted.

6. Airplane & video: Visitors were able to sit in an actual airplane fuselage in airplane seats and watch a 15-minute video of local Vietnam veterans describing their experience of returning home.

7. Prisoners of War (POWs): Addressed the horror experienced by POWs such as David Wheat, who spent more than seven years in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton."

8. Northland Vietnam Veterans Association (NVVA): Recognized the activities of this organization and how it contributes to the community.

9. Reproduction of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.: Featured  a list of all Northland servicemembers who lost their lives during the war.