The Iowa Goldstar Military Museum is hosting its fourth annual Vietnam war living history event this weekend at Camp Dodge in Johnston.
Museum curator Mike Vogt says they will have reenactors wearing the uniforms worn during the war. “We’ll have a compound set up like a fire base. Individuals can come and visit and explore the participation of Iowans who served in Vietnam,” he says. Vogt says it’s designed to be a learning experience for everyone. “They have a chance to see the uniforms, the equipment, the accoutrements. Hopefully attract veterans that can not maybe reexperience some of the equipment they haven’t seen in 50 plus years,” Vogt says. “But also it’s great for the living history personnel because we can ask the veterans first hand, ‘Did you use this equipment, was it very good? Did you have a positive experience with the equipment that you were issued?'”
Vogt says we had 868 Iowa deaths and approximately 115,000 Iowans served in the various branches during the war. Vogt says they will have someone to talk about how the reserve forces were called up to go to Vietnam. “And we have individuals that represent the Air Force that talk about the mobilization of the Iowa Guard unit, the 185th Fighter Wing and the 174th Fighter Squadron, that deployed to South Vietnam,” he says. ” A lot of folks aren’t aware that the reserves and the National Guard and the Air Guard. participated in that conflict.”
Vogt says there will also be people there who can give the Vietnamese view of the war. “A lot of the veterans who served with the South Vietnamese Army immigrated to Iowa after the war at the invitation of Governor (Robert) Ray,” Vogt says. “And so we’re going to have a group of them come out this year and participate as well to talk about the South Vietnamese experience and partnering and working with and fighting alongside U.S. veterans,”
Vogt says they’re going to have a howitzer firing during the morning and in the afternoon, and a veteran from the U.S. Marine Corps who served with an artillery unit will talk about their missions.
The event is free and is 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.