Wisconsin Public Television Salutes Vietnam Vets
Group Manager
Field with full-scale documentary
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/22/2010 12:00:00 AM
Green Bay's storied Lambeau Field doesn't typically see much action
once football season winds down, but the place will be packed when
Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) throws a massive welcome-home party
for war veterans in May. Working with the Wisconsin Historical Society
and Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, WPT will salute the
state's residents who served in Vietnam, and will preview its
documentary Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories on Lambeau's Tundra Vision
screen.
It may seem odd to throw a welcome-home party decades after the last
soldiers returned, but organizers say it's never too late to
acknowledge the veterans' service to the U.S.—and to address the harsh
treatment so many received after returning home from Vietnam. “It's 40
years late,” concedes WPT Director of Television James Steinbach, who
manages the statewide public television network. “But there's no
statute of limitations on doing the right thing.”
Various welcome-home events, including the Honor Ride motorcycle
parade and educational exhibits, will be held May 21 to 23, with
100,000 visitors expected to turn up in Green Bay. The centerpiece is
LZ Lambeau (“LZ” is military shorthand for Landing Zone) in the
Packers' stadium May 22; there will be fly-bys from Vietnam-era
aircraft, an address from Gov. Jim Doyle and a peek at the documentary
on the jumbo screen. The field will feature 1,244 empty, flag-adorned
chairs to honor Wisconsin's soldiers who did not return, and there
will be music and poetry from various veterans.
Read more at
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/450055-Wisconsin_Public_Television_Salutes_Vietnam_Vets.php