Remembering the human side of the Vietnam War

A new exhibit in Tacoma sheds light on the overlooked personal histories of Vietnam Veterans.

By J.A. Aleman

Many events in human history are shrouded in mystery and history itself seems to feel like it starts when our own life begins. It’s very difficult to place ourselves during a time when we weren’t around and for many veterans, sharing their stories is the first step toward healing. 

We look at history as a subject we can learn from, but also as a subject we can use to place blame on someone. It’s easy to forget those who were alive before us, however their memories are better than ours. 

A new exhibit at the Tacoma Washington State History Museum opened on April 26 titled “The Things They Brought Home: Memories of Washington’s Vietnam Veterans.” The exhibit was curated by retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army Erik Flint and military historian Dr. Megan Nishikawa for the 50-year anniversary of the end of the war. While there, not only did I meet them, but Vietnam Veterans and some of their family members. 

I understood the Vietnam War to be a fight against communism, but at some point, America became the bad guy while people in the U.S. protested the conflict. The war was lost, resulting in it being remembered as a topic that many people don’t really openly talk about. 

It’s a strange thing because there seems to be almost a shameful feeling when it’s brought up, if at all. I began to see this from films like “First Blood” (1982) starring Sylvester Stallone and “Forest Gump” (1994) starring Tom Hanks. When I was a kid, both movies, though fiction, gave me a glimpse of American society and the feeling about this war. 

“I know we’re hard to find, because there are so many that are not willing to claim that we served in Vietnam,” said Vietnam Veteran Sarah L. Blum, author of “Warrior Nurse: PTSD and Healing.” “When I came back it was pretty difficult as it had been for a lot of other vets. It took me a long time to get the help that I needed to get myself straightened out.” 

Growing up, I didn’t really feel connected to this history because my family history is not originally from the U.S. There is a chance the feeling also comes from there being no actual photographic depictions of Latinos during the war. 

“Latinos have been left out in a big way,” said Tomas F. Summers Sandoval, Associate Professor of History and Latino Studies at Pomona College, as a guest on Time Warner Cable Local Edition. “At the time of the war, the U.S. Military was not counting Latino’s or Hispanics separately from other soldiers, so they folded into the white population.” 

The war affected many individual lives in Vietnam, but also in the United States, leaving nearly 60 thousand American troops dead. As many as 2 million Vietnamese civilians and 1.3 million soldiers also perished during the war. These are people who fought in the war who are sent by their leaders. They didn’t have in mind the agenda that politicians did, they were just there to serve their country. 

Now that I’m grown, America is home and even though I was not yet alive during the time of the war, it is very much a part of my history because what happened then, still affects American society today. 

The military transitioned in 1973, two years before the war ended, to an all-volunteer system rather than the draft because it was seen as unfair amongst Americans. President Richard Nixon pledged to get rid of the draft during his campaign in 1968.  

American political scientist Ian Bremmer, on his YouTube channel GZERO said, “the Vietnam War is a cautionary tale of unclear objective, political interference and the limits of American conventional power in guerilla warfare. It brought fractured faith in leadership and ignited widespread protest, trauma and cultural upheaval.”  

Historian Howard Zinn, in his book “A People’s History of the United States” wrote, “when the United States fought in Vietnam, it was organized modern technology versus organized human beings and human beings won.” 

The act of war itself should never be celebrated, but as a society we can’t just brush aside those that fought in them when they are willing to speak about their experiences. Soldiers weren’t officially given orders to stay silent but were met with much animosity. 

Veteran Steve Funk as a guest on The Vietnam Experience said, “walking through the airport, all these protestors and girls saying they wish I was dead, pretending to spit on me and flipping me off.”  

“The people when they came back, denied them any kind of homecoming. A lot of these veterans repressed their feelings for many years,” said Joanne Adams, wife of now deceased Vietnam Veteran Frank S. Adams. “20 years ago, we went to 235 reunions where they’re families learned about what their husbands, and fathers had done there, and those reunions were therapeutic for everyone.” 

Adams added the government was not forthcoming in the reasons for going into the war in the first place and that it was shameful. She hopes the exhibit heals the souls of soldiers who may visit. Her husband’s 2 purple hearts and shrapnel are on display in the exhibit along with a wooden trunk he used during the war. 

The exhibit narrows the gaze of the horrific conflict and gives the war a more personal lens. This is what will help those of us that weren’t around at the time to understand what was really going on. 

“It’s a really unique exhibit,” said Flint. “What were these things, single or multiple objects that veterans brought back with them? Things only the veterans would understand its importance. We’re not here highlighting whether we won, or we lost. It’s just about the people.” 

No war is black and white in the sense of boots being on the ground, nor would it be red, white and blue. Flint added, “in the late 1960s, you would have guys who left small town America who were still very patriotic, who go through probably an awful experience and come home, and society has changed.” 

Those individuals experience trauma, doubt, fear and many more things anyone who has never served could understand. If the reasons for the war are wrong, then look to the leaders responsible, as they’re the reason troops were involved in the first place. 

Dr Nishikawa said, “with Vietnam, with all the negativity, that really kept people from talking, so you do have that sort of mystery aspect of what really happened. But there comes a point where these anniversaries start to happen that folks realize it’s time to talk. I expect a lot more veterans will begin to speak about what they did.” 

After the speaker’s presentation about the exhibit, there was a time for people to ask veterans questions about some of their experiences. Everyone in the room was glad to have heard their stories and I will admit, it was an emotional moment. 

The main hope for the exhibit is that more and more veterans and their families will come forward to share their stories, so as a society we can demonstrate we care about our shared history. The exhibit is open until Nov. 16, 2025 to visitors of all ages.