Behind the Scenes of Virginia & the Vietnam War with guest curator Emilie Raymond
As guest curator, Emilie Raymond, Ph.D., published a series of “behind the scenes” Instagram posts about the exhibit “Virginia & the Vietnam War” on display at the Virginia Museum of History and culture to highlight the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon (April 30, 2025). The exhibit will be at the VMHC until July 2025. Some of the posts are below:
Now open @virginiahistory “Virginia & the Vietnam War.” As guest curator, I will be posting all month about the amazing people and artifacts featured in this exhibit in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.
In choosing a theme for “Virginia and the Vietnam War” @virginiahistory I drew inspiration from Tim O’Brien’s classic Vietnam War novel “The Things They Carried.” I first read O’Brien’s book in grad school, & it has always stuck with me. The theme also turned out to be an effective way to organize an exhibit by allowing me to focus on small physical items and emotional burdens carried during wartime.
These are just a sampling of the many insightful and informative books about Vietnam that I consulted as guest curator for “Virginia & the Vietnam Wat” @virginiahistory They cover policy, diplomacy, prisoners, combat, journalism, activism, refugees, and more. And so many Virginians have contributed to the conversation about the Vietnam War and its impact.
A number of personal treasures that have become important family heirlooms to those impacted by the Vietnam War are on display for “Virginia & the Vietnam War” @virginiahistory. One example: the Tiet family lent one of the few items Joe Tiet was able to pack when he fled Vietnam with his family in 1979, a childhood shirt he wanted to pass down to his descendants. We were honored that so many participants allowed us to include these special mementos.
I wanted to use as many unpublished photos as possible for the “Virginia and the Vietnam War” exhibit to offer viewers images and perspectives they had never seen. Luckily, archives across Virginia hold a variety of photographic treasures. One of my favorites: I.C. Norcom students weighing home made fruitcakes at the post office to send to soldiers. Not everyone likes fruitcake, but I bet the troops were happy to receive these!
Two of the wonderful people I worked with on “Virginia & the Vietnam War” @virginiahistory Paige Newman @newpaigeman assembled archival and object resources, helped me with curator standards, and did everything else in between. Laura Stoner @legstoner77 oversaw the oral history project connected to the exhibit and was a sensitive and conscientious interviewer. I definitely could not have done it without them!
This is not only one of my favorite photos from the exhibit “Virginia and the Vietnam war” @virginiahistory but a beautifully written story by South Hill native Thomas Bragg. Facilitated by the veterans writing project Home and Abroad, Bragg wrote to honor his friendship under fire with Chicago native Eddie Lama, who died on the last day of his tour in Vietnam. This short book is an excellent resource for Virginia educators.
In an amazing coincidence, as guest curator for “Virginia and the Vietnam War” I met TWO veterans who, like me, grew up in Missouri and now live in Virginia. One is Lawrence “Pete” Barnes, Jr. who even graduated from my alma mater Westminster College! Pete served two tours of duty in Vietnam before moving to Richmond where he has lived and worked for 40 years. He contributed to the exhibit with an oral history interview and by lending photographs and artifacts. You can check out Pete’s story at the museum or online.
In an amazing coincidence, as guest curator for “Virginia and the Vietnam War” @virginiahistory TWO of the veterans I worked with, like me, grew up in Missouri and now live in Virginia. One is Michael Lund who is from Rolla…only 10 miles from my little home town of St. James! Mike served as an Army war correspondent from 1979-71 and is an emeritus professor of English at Longwood University, where he founded the veterans writers workshop “Home and Abroad.” Mike contributed to the exhibit with an oral history, photographs and artifacts.