Vietnam War film ignites conversation among veterans
A group of Vietnam veterans got to watch an early screening of the film Wednesday afternoon at the Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls. Afterward, KELOLAND's Don Jorgensen hosted a panel discussion with four veterans who detailed what they faced while serving in the war.
As a room full of Vietnam veterans and their loved ones watched the 45-minute special, memories of the war started flooding back.
What's in South Dakota's settlement with the NCAA
'I look at this film, and some of the things came back really quick,' Vietnam veteran Gene Murphy said.
They say it painted a good picture of what happened there.
'As they said in the film, everything we did wasn't necessarily shown back in the United States the way it really was. It was based on what the media wanted to show, so this was very much realistic of what we saw. They did a great job putting this film together,' Vietnam veteran David Rowe said.
During the panel discussion following the film, Hawk Mayer got a little emotional while talking about the seven South Dakota Vietnam veterans who are still unaccounted for. Tommy Callies of Howard is one of the seven.
'Six years ago, when we had the wall here, his mother came down from Howard. She turned 90, and two years ago, she passed away, and all she said that day was, 'I want to know what happened to my son,'' Mayer said.
There were also veterans who opened up about how difficult it is to process what they experienced during the war.
'Like everybody else, I never talked about it when I got home,' Rowe said.
So it's important for them to find someone who knows exactly what they're going through.
'You find that if you want to talk about Vietnam, you have to find somebody that served there because anybody else doesn't have a clue of what you're talking about,' Rowe said.
'That keeps you going. It's the camaraderie,' Mayer said.
Many Vietnam vets were not thanked for their service when they came home, but they're grateful for that attitude shift.
'When we travel the country, or even when I'm out and I go into the supermarket, I have people that will come up and tap me on the shoulder because of this hat and say, 'Thank you for your service,'' Mayer said.
Along with Mayer, the four-person panel also included Gene Murphy, David Rowe and Bill McGinnis.
The special they discussed on Wednesday will air this Saturday on KELO-TV at 7 p.m. You can also watch a special Inside KELOLAND, where we introduce you to local Vietnam veterans and show you KELOLAND's trip to Vietnam in 1988. It airs on Saturday at 9 a.m. and Sunday at 10:30 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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