Arkansas PBS > Engage > Pressroom > AETN invites public to share experiences from Vietnam era
Posted 22 Aug 2017
The Arkansas Educational Television Network is encouraging the collection of stories from those who experienced the events of the Vietnam War. The public is invited to share stories through social media outlets with #VietnamStoriesPBS or the 'Share Your Story' tool at aetn.org/thevietnamwar.
Anyone interested may share their stories with videos, photographs or a written account. Stories must include the name of the storyteller, who they are (veteran, student, etc.) and the location.
Additionally, AETN suggests that veterans consider submitting their stories to The Library of Congress Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center, which collects, preserves and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The project provides a field kit to collect the stories and complete submission guidelines at loc.gov/vets.
AETN is encouraging the collection of Arkansas veterans' stories in conjunction with the local initiative 'AETN Salutes Arkansas Vietnam Veterans' and the premiere of Ken Burns's 'The Vietnam War.' Additional information, including complete information on how to get involved, is available at aetn.org/thevietnamwar.
'The Vietnam War,' a 10-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, will premiere on AETN Sunday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. An immersive 360-degree narrative, the series tells the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. The first five episodes will air Sept. 17 through Thursday, Sept. 21, and the final five episodes will air Sunday, Sept. 24, through Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 each night.
'The Vietnam War' features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
Ten years in the making, the series brings the war and the chaotic epoch it encompassed viscerally to life. It includes rarely seen, digitally remastered archival footage, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.
The film will be accompanied by an outreach and public engagement program, providing opportunities for communities to participate in a national conversation about what happened during the Vietnam War, what went wrong and what lessons are to be learned. Viewers are encouraged to join the conversation: #VietnamWarPBS.
AETN's local initiative, 'AETN Salutes Arkansas Vietnam Veterans,' also includes the following:
Funding for 'The Vietnam War' is provided by Bank of America; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; PBS; David H. Koch; The Blavatnik Family Foundation; Park Foundation; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; National Endowment for the Humanities; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Ford Foundation Just Films; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; and Members of The Better Angels Society.
The Arkansas Educational Television Network is Arkansas's only statewide public media network, which enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers through the distinct channels AETN PBS, AETN Create, AETN PBS KIDS, AETN World and AETN AIRS on SAP. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at aetn.org. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro) and KETZ (El Dorado).