By Jeff Murphy,
February 28, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – Adding to the University of Central Missouri’s plans to host The
Wall that Heals this summer, the university’s public television station, KMOS-TV,
joins efforts to educate local citizens about the Vietnam War through a heralded 10-part
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary series this fall preceded by grant-funded community
engagement/preview events.
“The Vietnam War, to this day continues to have profound and far-reaching effects
on many people’s lives and we at KMOS-TV are grateful that we are able to collaborate
with our UCM partners and others in the community, to bring such an important part
of America’s history to the residents of central Missouri,” said Nicole Hume, KMOS-TV
development manager.
This commitment to education includes broadcasting in September 2017 Burns’ and Novick’s
documentary, The Vietnam War, which tells the epic story of the Vietnam War through
first-hand accounts and testimony from nearly 100 witnesses. The documentary features
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.
Leading up to the airing of this series will be a series of events designed to engage
Missourians of all ages and backgrounds in conversations about the Vietnam War. A
$10,000 grant provided by WETA Television, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,
The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The
Better Angels Society is helping to make these activities possible.
These special events are in conjunction with other campus efforts to share information
about the Vietnam War, with primary focus on The Wall That Heals mobile exhibit, hosted
by UCM’s McClure Archives and University Museum June 29-July 2. This is an event
that is expected to bring thousands of people to campus, including veterans and family
members, and will help create a place for them to share their experiences. The Wall
That Heals is a program of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the founders of the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It features a mobile half-scale replica of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C., and includes a mobile Education
Center, providing more information about the Vietnam War. It also includes photos
of service members whose names are on The Wall, a timeline of the Vietnam era, and
letters and memorabilia left at The Wall in Washington, D.C.
While the Vietnam exhibit is on campus, KMOS will sponsor an event in which attendees
can preview an episode of The Vietnam War. Although dates have not yet been announced,
two other screenings are planned later in the summer at Lincoln University in Jefferson
City and at a college in Columbia, still to be confirmed. Discussions that follow
the events will be recorded by KMOS for possible broadcast in conjunction with the
documentary’s airing in September.
KMOS also is working with Amber Clifford-Napoleone, associate professor of anthropology
and director of the McClure Archives and University Museum, to record stories from
local veterans of the Vietnam War. These recordings will be preserved on campus and
shared with the Library of Congress.
“PBS is one of the national sponsors of The Wall That Heals, and the Archives and
Museum is so proud to partner with KMOS to preserve the stories of Vietnam veterans,”
Clifford-Napoleone said. “This project will allow the veteran to have their story
permanently preserved, and help local students and teachers study the Vietnam War
and its effect on individual lives.”
Clifford-Napoleone also noted, any Vietnam Era veteran, regardless of duty station,
is welcome to volunteer for an interview by calling 660-543-4649.
To learn more about The Wall That Heals, visit thewallthatheals.org. For more information
about campus activities related to this exhibit, visit the McClure Archives and Museum
website at ucmo.edu/museum or contact Clifford-Napoleone at 660-543-4877, email clifford@ucmo.edu.
More information about KMOS-TV, including details about its original, educational
and entertainment programming, can be found at kmos.org.
