Vietnam War program set for Oct. 26 at library

“The Vietnam War” is a ten-part documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that aired on PBS in September. This is a frame from the film.

In partnership with Northwest Public Television and Radio, Whitman County Library will present “Vietnam: sharing and preserving the stories of local veterans” Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. at The Center at Colfax Library.

Northwest Public Television and Radio hosts will look at the war through scenes from the Ken Burns PBS documentary and through the eyes of two local veterans, Bob Wakefield and George Stockton.

Whitman County Library is one of 50 libraries in the U.S. and the only one in Washington State to receive a “Vietnam War” programming kit for use in community programs. This kit includes “The Vietnam War,” the 10-part, 18-hour documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, along with the companion book “The Vietnam War: An Intimate History” by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns. Both are now available for checkout by request from any library branch or the online catalog.

In conjunction with this grant provided by the American Library Association and WETA Washington, DC, the library will provide additional Vietnam War programs in St. John and Tekoa Nov. 13.