Photo courtesy Waging Peace in Vietnam Education Fund
Chuck Searcy at the Mine Action Visitory Center in Vietnam
Chuck Searcy at the Mine Action Visitory Center in Vietnam
The experiences of countless US troops in the brutal war against the people of Vietnam turned huge numbers of soldiers and sailors against the war, and their under-appreciated resistance was a critical factor in the US finally ending the war in 1975.
Photo by Ronald L. Haeberle
My Lai massacre photo
My Lai massacre photo "Moments Later They Were Dead"
In more recent times, the toll of some three million Vietnamese and 58,209 Americans in the war has fueled efforts by Vietnam veterans and others to build bridges of reconciliation with Vietnam.
These closely intertwined strands of activism come together in the nationally-acclaimed “Waging Peace: Promoting Healing and Reconciliation,” two weeks of forums, documentaries, music, and presentations, will be brought to Marquette University April 1-17. Marquette will be the 25th and final stop for the tour.
Veterans’ longstanding feelings of alienation from the war and resistance to it will be explored, coupled with newly created bonds with the society of Vietnam.
Searcy, subject of a March 16 New York Times profile, will appear with other members of PROJECT RENEW including Nguyen Thuy Trang and Ngo Xuan Hien.
Army photographer Ron Haeberle will tell the story of his world-stirring photo of the My Lai Massacre, which had a momentous impact in turning US public opinion against the war. His photos are part of the exhibit.
Photo by Harvey Richards
Lt. Susan Schnall leads soldiers and sailors in a peace march in October 1968
Lt. Susan Schnall leads soldiers and sailors in a peace march in October 1968.
Former Navy Lieutenant Susan Schnall, president of the national Veterans for Peace, will describe her experiences as an officer who dared to defy the military brass. Schnall was court-martialed and sentenced to six months hard labor for leading hundreds of sailors and soldiers on a San Francisco peace march in 1968.
Le Ly Hayslip, a prominent refugee from Vietnam, will tell the story behind her memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, the basis for an Oliver Stone movie. She has been named as a Peacemaker in Residence at Marquette, and a visiting scholar at the Havens Wright Center at UW Madison. Director David Zeiger will present his film Sir! No Sir!. A performance by world-renowned musician Van-Anh Vanessa-Vo will present her unique style to the Marquette audience.
A schedule of “Waging Peace” events is available at marquette.edu/peacemaking/events.php. Pre-registration for the various events is appreciated.
Roger Bybee is a longtime Milwaukee writer and activist who is part of the effort bringing “Waging Peace” to Milwaukee.
