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Vietnam Era Education Center Opens In New Jersey

By Dave Cline

If you're traveling down the Garden State Parkway toward the Jersey shore, get off at Holmdel (Exit 116) and you'll find the state's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and, next to it, the Vietnam Era Education Center. After much delay, the Education Center finally opened its doors at the end of September.

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in May 1995. Built in a circular design of 366 black granite panels, it bears the names of the 1,553 state residents and the dates they lost their lives or became missing in action. In the center stands a statue of a nurse aiding a wounded soldier while another GI looks on.

From the start, the plan called for the Memorial and the Education Center to be constructed as sister projects. After the Memorial's dedication, work began on the Center to provide a legacy to future generations. Created by the firm that did the Holocaust Memorial and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, there is a timeline mural tracing Vietnam's history, including American intervention and what was happening in this country at the time.

When the Center's planning committee first presented the proposed exhibits, a number of objections were raised. Some felt that the role of women in the military was ignored. Others felt that more emphasis should be on what it was like serving in the war zone. Probably the loudest complaints were voiced regarding the displays about the anti-war movement. Letters soon appeared in local newspapers saying that the Center would dishonor the dead and should be located at Rutgers University, a nearby college that was a center of anti-war activism. Rumors were spread that one of the displays would be a picture of Jane Fonda. Some went around labeling staff members "pro-communist" and tried to discourage people from supporting fundraising efforts. Syndicated press articles appeared throughout the country telling the story as a case of "soldiers vs. protesters," a theme popularized by government-sponsored publications during the war to divide GIs from civilians, hoping to stop anti-war sentiments from growing among the ranks.

Some Vietnam veterans bought that story then and still believe it today. They feel that by opposing the war, people were not supporting them. But the reality is that the anti-war movement was the best friend the GIs had in this country. It was people who refused to be silent about the manipulation and deceit by Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Those lies cost the lives of over 58,000 Americans and 2-3 million Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian peoples. Many returning veterans became protesters themselves, joining GI and veterans' peace groups, participating in anti-war coalitions and demonstrations, and supporting peace candidates like Gene McCarthy and George McGovern.

In fact, it was the so-called "patriots" with their tired rhetoric supporting the war that allowed the government to send more and more men to their deaths. And often these "patriots" turned their backs on us when we came home because we were not saying what they wanted to hear.
To reconcile the conflicting views about the Center, the planning committee (made up largely of veterans) held open meetings. After much discussion and debate, some changes were agreed upon. Captions that some felt were derogatory to veterans were modified. Mention of drug use among American soldiers was removed. To the opening day, arguments persisted on what to say about those GIs still missing.

Does the Center's exhibition tell the truth, or is it a whitewash of what happened? I was able to see the final presentation at a preview for the veterans' community several days before the official opening. What I saw was pretty good. Photos with captions surround the circular room. A lot of information is presented. While it's not the same as living then, you begin to get a feel for what was going on.

Represented in the exhibit are Vietnam's long struggle for independence, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, anti-war protests, youth culture, the music and politics of the times. The draft, life in the military, the Tet Offensive, and the My Lai massacre are the subjects of displays. One panel called "Veterans Begin To Protest" shows photos of a VVAW demonstration and of spokesman John Kerry testifying before Congress during Operation Dewey Canyon III, and it tells the story of veterans' efforts to stop the killing. In addition to the timeline encircling the room, there is a video area with tapes of vets talking about their experiences. There's also a display of letters sent home, Department of Defense death notifications to families, and GIs' snapshots.
The Vietnam Era Education Center is a good place to begin to learn what the Vietnam War means for this country. The Center is the first project of its kind anywhere, and it will be great for high school field trips. If it encourages young people to learn more about what happened then, it will help to insure that these things don't happen again. I think it's well worth the effort.
For more information, contact the Vietnam Era Education Center at PO Box 648, Holmdel, NJ 07733 or call (800) 648-VETS.

Dave Cline is aVietnam vet and a former national coordinator of VVAW.