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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Vietnam War film ignites conversation among veterans
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It has been 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. To honor the soldiers who served there, this weekend, KELOLAND TV will air Nexstar's latest special, 'Vietnam War: A Lost Generation.' 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.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Vietnam veteran recalls making a deal with God
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — This week, Nexstar stations, including KELOLAND TV, are honoring Vietnam Veterans and their service. This year marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War and we meet another Vet from Sioux Falls who was shot and paralyzed during the war. In 1968, Sgt Gene Murphy was part of a search and destroy mission in the jungles of Vietnam. He had already been through hell. Lots of times. KELOLAND's Annual Doppler Special 'I didn't think they could take me out, they'd shoot with both red and green tracer. I've had them hit the tree I'm hiding behind right in front of the bunker that I'm in, it scared the living daylights out of you,' Murphy said. But eleven months into his tour, just days away from coming home, it happened. 'I got shot twice through the right side and I didn't see the guy. I was up on point and he knocked me down. I thought he blew my legs off,' Murphy said. Despite acting as if he were dead, he was shot again in the right leg. It left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was only 20 years old. 'Being wounded, I thought I was going to meet my maker, I thought the good Lord was taking me. I actually had seen the people who had been in my lifetime float above me with just their faces, though,' Murphy said. 'I told him point blank I don't want to go yet and I think he probably let me live, but I always think we signed a contract, he'd let me live and go back to the world because I had work to be done.' And he held true to his promise. Murphy has worked here at the Disabled American Veterans organization, or DAV, in Sioux Falls. 'To help my brothers and sisters, I always think I was fortunate, I always say the good Lord Jesus Christ let Sgt Murphy live to help my brothers and sisters to get the benefits and the health care they need,' Murphy said. He's been helping other vets now for 50 years. The DAV takes veterans to their medical appointments, helps buy medical equipment they might need, or even take them on hunting trips. 'You know, I think that helps them, we go to like 'Wings of Valor' down by Parker, what an outfit,' Murphy said. Murphy says for some of them it's life-changing. Murphy has served as the DAV department adjutant, been elected department commander and was named the DAV's Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 1984. As part of honoring Vietnam veterans, KELOLAND's Don Jorgensen is going to be hosting a panel discussion with veterans tomorrow at 3 pm at the Military Heritage Alliance. Then this Saturday night at 7 pm, KELO TV is going to be airing a special, titled Vietnam War: A Lost Generation. You can also tune in for a special edition of Inside KELOLAND as we share the stories of local Vietnam veterans and take a look back at KELOLAND's trip to Vietnam in 1988. Inside KELOLAND airs Saturday at 9:00 A.M and again on Sunday at 10:30 P.M. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
