Vietnam War | IowaWatch

Evans: Don’t Let Foolishness Get Us In Another War

By Randy Evans/Stray Thoughts | September 28, 2017

A scab on the memories of lots of Americans was yanked off last week with the airing of the first segments of Ken Burns’ new documentary on the Vietnam war. The film brought to life the horrors and heartbreak of Vietnam and those events from 50 years ago that divided our nation like it has been divided few times in U.S. history. Randy Evans
STRAY THOUGHTS
Randy Evans is the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. He is a former editorial page editor and assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register. Visit the Iowa Freedom of Information Council website at: http://ifoic.org/

Each day’s installment of Burns’ history lesson — coupled with the headlines from that day’s news reports — had me reflecting on the current tensions with North Korea, on the rhetoric coming from our president and dictator Kim Jong-un, and on the potential for cataclysmic consequences from this nuclear age showdown.

Iowa Veterans Answer The Question: What Does It Mean To Support Veterans?

By Lyle Muller | August 21, 2017

The question: How can Iowans turn the phrase “support our veterans” into action? The answers: In this IowaWatch Connection podcast.

Open Arms in Iowa

Open Arms in Iowa Concludes: Different Era For Refugees In Iowa

By Clare McCarthy/Special to IowaWatch | June 23, 2016

The world is smaller, and more fearful about others, an Iowan whose family took in a Vietnamese family in the 1970s says in this conclusion of a five-part serial about that experience some 40 years ago.

Special Report: part of a series

Life Goes On For Vietnamese Iowan But A Lost Love Remains Home

By Clare McCarthy/Special to IowaWatch | June 16, 2016

Vietnamese refugee Phat (Patrick) Nguyen, revealed stories about his life in Vietnam before coming to Iowa and the family’s experience in the Malaysian refugee camp, along with stories about living in the United States. It was a story of friends, a home and hope, but he left one special person behind.

Special Report: part of a series

Transition From Vietnamese Refugees To Iowans On An Intercultural Adventure

By Clare McCarthy/Special to IowaWatch | June 9, 2016

In this installment of a special five-part series Wayne Buck says in an ABC News interview from the 1970s that he thinks the Nguyen family, Vietnamese refugees living in Iowa, soon will be financially independent. Young Jeanne Buck, meanwhile, says her family can say it saved eight lives.

Special Report: part of a series

From Refugee Camp to Iowa, Plus Prepping For A Story 40 Years Later

By Clare McCarthy/Special to IowaWatch | June 2, 2016

The Pulau Bidong camp, where the Nguyen family lived for six months, was only 1 square kilometer in area and housed approximately 18,000 Vietnamese refugees by January 1979. After the Nguyens moved to Iowa that number continued to grow.

Special Report: part of a series

Open Arms In Iowa: How A News Report Brought Back Memories Of Iowa’s Vietnamese Refugee Relief

By Clare McCarthy/Special to IowaWatch | May 26, 2016

Saigon had fallen and Vietnamese refugees needed a new home. Iowa opened its arms in the 1970s. A former IowaWatch reporter’s story rekindled memories for one Iowan whose family took in some of those refugees. This five-part series by Clare McCarthy tells that story.

News Quizzes

News Quiz: What Do You Know About The Midwest’s Living Veterans?

By Lyle Muller | November 7, 2014

What war did the largest number of Iowa’s living veterans serve in? Do you know what Midwest state has the highest number of living women veterans? Find out this and more in the IowaWatch news quiz.