EDGEWATER – On Sept. 27, Edgewater veterans and civilians will come together to experience a dramatic interpretation of soldiers’ experiences during the Vietnam War.
Edgewater’s Veterans Group and the Chapter One Book Club are co-sponsoring the reading of Tim O’Brien’s book, “The Things They Carried,” presented by the American Place Theatre of New York. The program, which begins at 7 p.m., is a one-man dramatic reading by actor Billy Lyons of five of the book’s short stories.
An audience gathers during the open ceremony for The Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Elgin on Sept. 18. (Mason Souza/Sun Day Photo)
“The Things They Carried” draws from O’Brien’s experiences serving in the war, combining those memories with fictional elements to create a series of short stories that give a glimpse into the war through a literary lens.
The book was chosen by Chapter One as their current read to coincide with the Big Read in the Northern Fox Valley, also featuring the book as part of its effort to promote the value of literature.
Tickets are $5 and all proceeds go toward an honorarium for the Elgin Community College Fine Arts program.
“This is something that on the one hand, it’s a veterans affair, but on the other hand, it’s an evening of theatre…it’s a chance to socialize and discuss,” Tom Lauterback, an Edgewater resident helping organize the event, said.
The program has become known for kindling lively discussions among audience members, producers, and actors. As everyone in Edgewater’s audience will have lived through the events in Vietnam, Lauterback said he expects a “spirited discussion” to take place following the performance.
“No one was indifferent to the effort there,” Lauterback, who served in the U.S. during the Vietnam War, said.
Lauterback also hopes the event can spark discussions at home between veterans and their spouses, as veterans can sometimes be hesitant to open up about their war experiences.
Another event in Elgin this past week sought to open dialogue about the Vietnam War. A half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington D.C. is currently on tour across the country and passed through Elgin from Sept. 18-22. The wall bears the names of 58,249 servicemen and women who died in Vietnam.
Known as “The Wall That Heals” for its ability to bring peace to veterans and families, the wall’s arrival was marked with an opening ceremony on Sept. 19 attended by several Elgin veterans and dignitaries.
The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is on tour in cities across the country and stopped in Elgin from Sept. 18-22. (Mason Souza/Sun Day Photo)
“This wall that is here in our midst for these few days is a place where [veterans] can lay their stories down,” Deborah Grassman, author and VA nurse practitioner, said.
Grassman, who has cared for thousands of veterans in her two decades as a hospice nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs, called for the civilian community to seek forgiveness for the ways Vietnam veterans were mistreated at home during the war and for the veterans to have the courage to forgive.
“For these 10,000 veterans have taught me that war is ugly. These combat veterans that I have cared for as they have died in my midst, they have seen the worst that humankind has to offer and they have seen the best,” she said.
Several speakers noted the change in public perception toward Vietnam soldiers in the decades following the war’s end. Retired Air Force Colonel Dwayne Buttel – who flew in 153 missions – contrasted the controversies over the monument’s construction in the 1980s and the attitudes toward Vietnam veterans today.
“We need not and should not attempt to glorify the Vietnam War or the Vietnam veteran; we simply need to tell the truth, and we need to correct and stop the misrepresentations,” Buttel said.
Buttel also offered a call to action to his fellow veterans in attendance.
“To the extent that you are able, I hope that you stay involved in our communities and share your special knowledge with the next generation,” he said.
