‘Vietnam War’ stirs memories for many in area
Philip Nguyen, 26, wasn’t alive during the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975.
But the U.S.-born owner of Viet-Nomz restaurant on University Boulevard said he still feels connected to his parents’ homeland and culture.
Like many Americans, Nguyen watched the PBS documentary “The Vietnam War” by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.
“I didn’t get a sense of what it was before,” Nguyen said. “My parents couldn’t bring a lot of pictures over. When you hear the stories it’s hard to comprehend, so I thought that was really cool to see.”
The series, which took 10 years to complete, features interviews with nearly 80 people, including Americans who fought in the war, those
who opposed it, and North and South Vietnamese civilians and soldiers. It also shows historic photographs and TV broadcast excerpts, home movies and secret audio recordings from the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.
Kevin Stolz, who lives in east Orange County, recorded the show in the hope that his 12-year-old son would be interested enough to watch it. His wife, Vi Ma, said it’s important to keep memories of the war alive.
“We’re all right now trying to teach the younger generation about the history of Vietnam,” said Ma, 50, whose father served in the South Vietnamese army. “We need to keep reminding and teaching every single generation in the future. And we all believe we should keep reminding the world about it.”
Central Florida is home to a robust Vietnamese community of more than 14,000 people, with many restaurants and businesses centered in Orlando’s Mills 50 district, once known as Little Vietnam. After the war, about 1,100 Vietnamese refugees settled in Central Florida, according to Catholic Immigration and Refugee Services office of Catholic Charities.
Among them was the mother of Orlando civil engineer and food blogger Ricky Ly, 32. He said “The Vietnam War” tries to include the perspectives of all sides, including the North and South Vietnamese, and “a lot of grays, no black and whites.”
“For the south, we believe our cause was righteous and we were fighting for democracy,” said Ly, whose mother was a refugee who fled Vietnam in 1981. “But some folks say it was a brutal regime that clamped down on protesters — which it might have been as well. It’s like, which one are you?”
Vietnam veteran Stephen Klubock, 69, of Apopka said he appreciates the history “The Vietnam War” explains, but he was able to watch it only a little at a time because it reignites in him the horror of the killing and other violence he witnessed. It has opened his eyes, however. “As a political person a few generations removed from it, oh, my God, we were the invaders,” said Klubock, who was drafted and assigned to be a combat photographer. “No wonder they hated us so much. No wonder it was tough to win.”
Jim Black, 66, the librarian for the Museum of Military History near Kissimmee, agreed the series has value, but he has doubts about some of the historical facts, which he said don’t jibe with the books he’s read.
What impressed him the most were the interviews, in particular with people who explained what combat felt like and a nurse who described her work in hospital tents.
“The interviews make things more intense for the viewer,” said Black who lives in St. Cloud and didn’t serve in the war. “If I was a veteran from Vietnam with PTSD, I wouldn’t want to see this stuff.”
Daytona Beach ophthalmologist Hal Kushner, a former Army doctor who recounts in the documentary a chilling tale of survival after being captured by the Viet Cong, lauded the work of Burns and Novick.
“It’s a great effort and achievement and is very compelling … even riveting,” he said. He said he hopes the documentary sparks a greater understanding of history and of those who served — and died — in Vietnam.
“As for myself, I am very proud that I volunteered, of the way I behaved while captured, and proud of my service since my return,” Kushner said. “I am honored and proud that I could serve my country under the most difficult and harrowing circumstances, and come out of it with even more love and devotion to my exceptional America.”
The 10-part, 18-hour series, broadcast on WUCF TV-Channel 24, the local Public Broadcasting Service television station, ended Thursday night and will be rebroadcast starting Tuesday. It also can be streamed online.