Austin PBS's Vietnam War Initiative

A six-month initiative inspired by THE VIETNAM WAR film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

Austin PBS, KLRU-TV is dedicated to telling stories and convening conversation around this difficult time in American history. As part of our Vietnam War initiative we have produced special content, will host a screening, and encourage others to host screening events as well.

Austin PBS Specials

Decibel - Vietnam

Decibel: Vietnam Special

The Decibel team talks with filmmaker Ken Burns about the making the epic Vietnam War documentary and profiles local veterans who served.

watch now

Original air date September 18, 2017 at 8:30pm on Austin PBS

Austin Revealed

Austin Revealed: Stories from Vietnam

Central Texans share their experiences during the Vietnam War. Through firsthand accounts, hear from veterans, immigrants from South Vietnam, protesters and others as they recount their lives before, during, and after the war. Their perspectives are as much alike as they are different.

watch now: full episode | shorts

Original airdate September 19, 2017 at 9pm on Austin PBS

ATX Together

ATX Together: Lessons from Vietnam

Using the experiences and issues of the Vietnam War, teens and boomers discuss the role of citizenship and service both then and now.

watch now

Original airdate September 20, 2017 at 9pm on Austin PBS

Resources

LBJ Presidential Library

In 2016, the LBJ Presidential Library hosted a three- day summit to shed definitive light on the Vietnam War, its lessons and legacy, and to recognize the men and women who courageously served in Vietnam. View videos of speakers/panels on YouTube.

Red Cross Central and South Texas Region

The American Red Cross Central and South Texas Region serves 80 counties, home to more than 6.3 million people. American Red Cross services for veterans dates back to World War I and remains consistent with the spirit of our congressional charter. Today, the Red Cross is proud to maintain our commitment to the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

TexVet

TexVet is dedicated to providing veterans, military members and their families with equal access to information. By collecting federal, state, and local Veteran Service Organization (VSO) information, TexVet has created an online Veterans Services Provider Network (VSPN).

VACAT

The mission of the Vietnamese American Community of Austin, Texas (VACAT) is to strengthen the greater Austin community by providing advocacy, social services, and programming that is culturally appropriate to the Vietnamese community. The organization shall support and facilitate cultural preservation, innovation, and creation.

Voces Oral History Project

The Voces Oral History Project documents and creates a better awareness of the contributions of U.S. Latinos and Latinas of the WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War generations. Created in 1999 by UT journalism professor Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, the project initially focused solely on the WWII generation;the project expanded into the Korean War and the Vietnam War generations of Latinos and Latinas in 2010. Its materials have been used in documentaries, books, journal articles, journaiistic treatments and exhibits. On its site you will find hundreds of stories, thousands of photos, teaching resources, and other materials.

Share Your Story

How did you experience the events of the Vietnam era? Share your videos, photographs, or just write a short story about your experience.

Share your story on the PBS Vietnam War website.

We also invite you to share your story on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram using #VietnamStoriesPBS

About the Series

THE VIETNAM WAR is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that will air on PBS in September 2017. In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. THE VIETNAM WAR features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.

Six years in the making, the series brings the war and the chaotic epoch it encompassed viscerally to life. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward, produced by Sarah Botstein, Novick and Burns, the film series includes rarely seen, digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations and more than 100 iconic musical recordings by many of the greatest artists of the era.

The film will be accompanied by an unprecedented outreach and public engagement program, providing opportunities for communities to participate in a national conversation about what happened during the Vietnam War, what went wrong and what lessons are to be learned. In addition, there will be a robust interactive website and an educational initiative designed to engage teachers and students in multiple platforms.

Sponsors

Local funding made possible by

Bank of America
Texas Children's Hospital
Tauck

“And also by”

Bank of America; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; PBS; David H. Koch; The Blavatnik Family Foundation; Park Foundation; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; National Endowment for the Humanities; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Ford Foundation Just Films; Rockefeller Brothers Fund

And Members of The Better Angels Society

Jonathan & Jeannie Lavine, Diane & Hal Brierley, Amy & David Abrams, John & Catherine Debs, Fullerton Family Charitable Fund, The Montrone Family, Lynda & Stewart Resnick, The Golkin Family Foundation, The Lynch Foundation, The Roger & Rosemary Enrico Foundation, Richard S. & Donna L. Strong Foundation, Bonnie & Tom McCloskey, Barbara K. & Cyrus B. Sweet III, The Lavender Butterfly Fund