Twin Cities PBS

Stillwater 360

Exterior of Stillwater Public Library with snow on the ground.

The Stillwater 360 event proved to be another powerful evening of community story-telling and connection.

Don Greely a Vietnam veteran from Stillwater shared about his experience that it was both the best and the worst time in his life. As a 17-year old going off to fight, he had expectations about what war would be like, based on movies that he saw, his dad’s experience serving during WWII in the Army and his uncle’s service as a Marine in WWII. But things were not the same for Vietnam War vets.

Photos of a panel of speakers with archival Vietnam War images behind them on a screen.

Vietnam veteran Don Greeley shares his experiences during the war.

Don's wife, Emily, also attended and shared at the event: “Because of the war, we lost so many souls worldwide. He carries that responsibility to this day.”

Read Don’s Story Wall story

That moment was like a kaleidoscope. One twist and it looks so different.

Linda McBrayer describes the sense of anger that she felt for the father that she never had the chance to meet. She was just three months old when her dad died in Vietnam. She felt that war came first. Her family second. She wasn’t able to let go of that anger until she met her dad’s battle buddies years later.

She learned that he had her baby picture close to him at all times and would brag every chance that he could. “That moment was like a kaleidoscope. One twist and it looks so different.”

Read Linda’s Story Wall story about discovering her dad’s journal.

Lesley shared with Linda about her father- “Maybe your dad could have been a Tim O’Brien. He was a beautiful writer.”

Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen offered eye-opening perspective from a Vietnamese refugee and atist perspective. She said that we need to remember that Vietnam is a country and not a war and to know that to Vietnamese people, the war is called The American War. She said after presenting a spoken word about her mom’s journey as a refugee:

“We need to love each other to move forward. We need to realize how connected we are.”

Black and white yearbook photo of a young woman.

Lesley Hauser during her Macalester College days in the 60's.

Lesley Hauser's The Mac 1968 Yearbook.

Lesley Hauser was going through her college yearbook and clippings to find images for her upcoming 50th class reunion at Macalester College in St. Paul. This process made her aware of the major cultural shift that she experienced before and after the year 1968. She shared a powerful quote from the “Folly of War:” "1968 was a knife that severed the past from the future." She also describes the moment that her husband received a draft notice and how their life was forever changed.

People talking inside of a library and photo of exterior of the library at night.

Some familiar faces were in the audience, like Vietnam veteran Jeff Nordahl who shared a copy of his book with Don after the event. Others got up to speak and share as well. Stories like these truly help to capture a 360 view of the impact of the war.

Thank you for attending and thank you to MELSA and the wonderful staff at Stillwater Public Library for their assistance and for offering such a beautiful space to gather.

ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR 360 LIBRARY SERIES

Twin Cities PBS and Minnesota Remembers Vietnam invite you to a community conversation that explores the Vietnam War and its legacy from several points of view. Drawing upon speakers with very different experiences, the conversations expand on the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Vietnam War documentary and on the Minnesota Remembers Vietnam body of work. Related videos and books will be highlighted. LEARN MORE