The Washington State History Museum in Tacoma is opening a new exhibit on Saturday to showcase Vietnam War veterans’ personal keepsakes, commemorating half a century since the war’s end.
Titled “The Things They Brought Home,” the exhibit showcases the stories of Washington’s Vietnam War veterans by displaying a collection of personal objects that people brought back from their service. People from a variety of roles in the war are represented, including medical workers, nurses, the United States Navy, Air Force, Naval Construction Battalion and the Army, said retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and military historian Erik Flint, a co-curator of the exhibit.
The exhibit will open to the public on April 26, displaying dozens of personal artifacts until Nov. 16, 2025, to reach until Veterans Day, said Gwen Whiting, lead curator of exhibitions at the museum. Tickets cost $17 for adults, $14 with a military or senior discount and $11 for students, but are free for Washington State Historical Society members or children ages five and under. An opening reception will be held Friday evening, April 25, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and is free for all guests, although registration is required.
Megan Nishikawa, co-curator of the exhibit and a post-doctoral fellow at the museum, said the collection focuses on unique personal items, such as a collection of letters between one veteran and his Vietnamese landlady, as well as war artifacts such as bullet casings and uniforms. Lesser-known facts about the war period — such as that some veterans had been able to live in civilian buildings with landlords — are brought to light in the exhibit, Nishikawa said. Another special display item includes a video of a Navy dentist performing dental work on his unit’s pet bear in Vietnam, Flint said. Objects will also be accompanied by written stories and photos of each veteran’s time in Vietnam, Nishikawa said…