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Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive

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Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
Established1989; 35 years ago (1989)
FounderJames Reckner[1]
Location
Lubbock
,
Texas
,
U.S.
WebsiteOfficial website

The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive collects and preserves the documentary record of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Center and Archive, part of Texas Tech University, is the nation's largest and most comprehensive collection of information on the Vietnam War.[2][3][4][5][6] On August 17, 2007, the Texas Tech Vietnam Center became the first U.S. institution to sign a formalized exchange agreement with the State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam. This opens the door for a two-way exchange between the entities.[7][8]

History

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Three Swift Boats n Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam
Three Swift Boats n Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. Corrado Rudolfo Lutz Collection (va025931)

In 1989, a group of Vietnam veterans from West Texas gathered at Texas Tech University to discuss what they might do, in a positive way, about their experiences in Vietnam. Their meeting was spearheaded by James Reckner, a Texas Tech military history professor and two-tour Navy veteran of the Vietnam War who had become concerned with his students’ lack of knowledge about the war. The group's immediate decision was to form a Vietnam Archive and begin collecting and preserving materials relating to the American Vietnam experience.[9][10]

On December 2, 1989, the Texas Tech University Board of Regents approved the creation of the Center for the Study of the Vietnam Conflict.[11] Its dual missions are to fund and guide the development of the Vietnam Archive and encourage continuing study of all aspects of the American Vietnam experience.[12] The U.S. government has used the archive’s online search engine to find documents relating to prisoners-of-war during their time in Vietnam.[13]

In 2001, the Vietnam Archives established the Vietnam Virtual Archive with the aim of putting many documents online to facilitate free and easy access through the Internet.[14][15] In 2011, Director of the Texas Tech Vietnam Center and Archives Stephen Maxner was awarded the "For the Cause of Vietnamese Archives" by the Vietnamese Government for his contributions to archival cooperation between Vietnam and the United States.[16][17]

In 2017, the facility was renamed the "Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive" in honor of U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, a former prisoner of war.[18] He has helped Texas Tech University secure federal funding to support the Vietnam Center and Archive.[19] By August 2019, thanks to a $95,740 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Center had edited, transcribed, and published online the entire remaining collection of oral history interviews produced by the VNCA Oral History Project.[20][21] Also this year, the archives center is scheduled to expand and be housed in an entirely new facility, a project that requires $25 million for the building itself and a $10 million grant to cover operating costs.[22]

Special Projects

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The Virtual Vietnam Archive

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The Virtual Vietnam Archive was created in December 2000 through funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and contains over 3.2 million pages of scanned materials at that time.[23] Types of material include documents, photographs, slides, negatives, oral histories, artifacts, moving images, sound recordings, maps, and collection finding aids. All non-copyrighted and digitized materials are available for users to download free of charge. When the Virtual Vietnam Archive project is complete, it will include a record for every item in the Vietnam Archive. A staff of full-time employees and part-time student employees work to digitize the materials and place them onto the Virtual Archive.[24]

Over 1400 of the Vietnam Archive's collections have been partially or completely digitized. Digitized collections include the Pike Collection, Social Movements Collection, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Collection, the Combined Document Exploitation Center (CDEC) Collection,[25] and the Diaries of Dang Thuy Tram.[26] Additionally, over 12,000 documents from the US Marine Corps History Division are available in the Virtual Archive.[27] Over 700 Oral Histories are available online, many transcribed, as well as over 100,000 images. New materials are being added daily.[28]

In addition to the Virtual Vietnam Archive search page, which allows users to research across all media types, the Vietnam Archive has also created a search page specifically for their map collection. This page allows for searching by map title, scale, latitude/longitude, and grid zone. There are currently over 1000 maps are available.[29]

The Oral History Project

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The Oral History Project of the Vietnam Archive was created in 1999.[30][31] The history of the wars in Southeast Asia is not complete without the inclusion of the voices of those who were in some way involved. To that end, the mission of the OHP is to create and preserve a more complete record of the wars in Southeast Asia by preserving, through recorded interviews, the recollections and experiences of all who were involved in those wars. Anyone can participate, whether an American veteran, a former ally or enemy of the U.S., an anti-war protester, a government employee, a family member of a veteran, etc.[32] Currently the Oral History Project has conducted interviews with over 700 people. The audio of all of the interviews is available online, and many have been completely transcribed.[33]

The Vietnamese American Heritage Project

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The Vietnamese American Heritage Project, created in 2008, supports the Vietnam Archive’s mission to document the war from all perspectives by providing documentation of the post-war social and political history of Vietnamese Americans who immigrated to the United States during and after the Vietnam War. A component of the archive, the VAHP is composed of a full-time Vietnamese American Heritage Archivist and one part-time student assistant who collect, preserve, and make accessible to the public materials that document the experiences and contributions of Vietnamese Americans in American society. The VAHP aims to enhance the study of the Vietnamese immigration and resettlement experience by providing reference services to researchers and increasing Vietnamese American participation in the archive’s Oral History Project, conducting outreach activities, and developing cooperative relationships with other institutions dedicated to preserving Vietnamese American’s rich heritage.[34] The cornerstone of the VAHP is the Vietnam Archives’ Families of Vietnamese Political Prisoners Association (FVPPA) Collection. During the 1980s and 1990s, the FVPPA successfully helped over 10,000 former Vietnamese reeducation camp detainees and their families immigrate to the US and other countries through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee’s (UNHCR) Orderly Departure Program (ODP).[35]

Jennifer Young, Donut Dolly, with puppy
Jennifer Young Collection (va043454)

Veterans' Organizations and Associations

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The Vietnam Archive is actively striving to preserve the history and documents of the Veterans Associations and Organizations, as well as their members. Vietnam Archive staff travel to numerous reunions each year,[36] and many Associations and their members have donated collections of materials.

All donated materials are digitized and added to the Virtual Vietnam Archive.[37]

Online Exhibits

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Online Exhibits are used to highlight Vietnam Archive materials and to celebrate or commemorate events or aspects of the Vietnam War. Recently added exhibits include The Tet Offensive; Saigon: April 30, 1975, and pages celebrating the birthdays of each of the US Military Branches. The Online Exhibit program is ongoing, and new exhibits are added often.[38]

Subject Guides

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Staff of the Vietnam Archive have created subject guides on a variety of topics in order to provide researchers with better and more comprehensive access to the materials in the Vietnam Archive's collections. Recently added topics include: The Tet Offensive; April 30, 1975 Saigon; Dustoff / Medevac; and Agent Orange. Subject Guides include links to digital materials, including still images, moving images, documents, maps, and oral histories.[39]

Conferences, Symposia, and Events

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The Vietnam Center and Archive maintains an active schedule of events, including a yearly conference or symposium, a guest lecture series, annual film festival, and an annual celebration of the Vietnamese New Year, Tet. Many of these events are free and open to the public.

Conferences and Symposia

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Since 1993, the Vietnam Center has hosted at least one conference a year, usually in the spring, with every third year being a larger symposium. The smaller yearly conferences are focused on a single topic, with the topic changing each year, and feature one panel of presentations at a time. Recent topics include: "Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost: Counterinsurgency from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan;" "Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and the Vietnam War;" and "The Impact of Culture, Ethnicity, Race, and Religion in the Vietnam War." The Triennial Symposiums are much larger and have a variety of topics. Any interested person can submit a paper for presentation, and there are often multiple simultaneous presentations. All sessions of the conferences and symposia are filmed, and the videos are placed online for researchers and people who were unable to attend to view.[40]

Guest Lecture Series

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In 2011, the Vietnam Center and Archive initiated their first Guest Lecture Series. Speakers for the inaugural season included: Adrian Cronauer, the Former Air Force DJ made famous in the movie "Good Morning Vietnam!" Adrian later served as a Special Assistant to the Director of the Pentagon's POW/MIA Office; Kim Phuc, also known as "the girl in the picture," was photographed running down a road naked and on fire after a napalm strike on her village. Kim now runs a non-profit organization dedicated to healing children in war-torn areas and is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace; LeAnn Thieman, a nurse involved in Operation Babylift, a mission to evacuate Vietnamese babies from South Vietnam as it fell to communist troops in 1975; Kara Dixon Vuic, a professor at Bridgewater College in Virginia and author of "Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War;" and Dave Carey, a retired Navy Captain shot down over Vietnam who spent five and a half years as a POW in Hanoi.[41]

The lecture series continues in 2012 with five new speakers, including noted author and veteran of the Vietnam War Lewis "Bob" Sorley; Chief Executive Officer of the Marine Corps University Foundation Brig. General Tom Draude; PTSD expert, author and veteran of the Vietnam War Raymond Scurfield; former Air Force Pilot and member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame Dick Rutan; and former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and member of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam Rocky Bleier.[42]

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Film Festival

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The Vietnam Center and Archive holds a film festival every month celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). Selected films cover a wide range of topics, and often focus on the Vietnamese American experience. Films in the 2011 festival include Green Dragon; Rashomon; the Toll of the Sea; and Kim's Story. APAHM is May, but the film festival is held in April so that students at Texas Tech may attend before finals and the summer break.[43]

Tet, The Vietnamese New Year

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Every year the Vietnam Center hosts a celebration of the Vietnamese New Year, Tet, on the Texas Tech Campus. The festivities include Vietnamese food traditionally served on New Years, and a program about Tet. Recent programs have been put on by members of the TTU Vietnamese Student Association.[44]

References

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  1. ^ Cantu, Michael A. (November 22, 2018). "Founding director of Tech's Vietnam Center and Archive dies at 78". KCBD. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Southard, John (2014). Defend and Befriend: The U.S. Marine Corps and Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-8131-4526-6. LCCN 2014005216. OCLC 1155374474. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Lowther, Sydney (March 30, 2023). "50 years since United States troop withdrawal: Lubbock has one of the largest Vietnam archive collections in the U.S." KCBD. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Westbrook, Ray (March 27, 2014). "Author Karin Muller is guest speaker for Vietnam Center series". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  5. ^ KTTZ (September 1, 2017). "ITT: Touring the Archives of the Vietnam War". KTTZ-FM. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Tharp, Mike (January 26, 2020). "US Army veteran studies Vietnam War tunnels". Asia Times. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Kiely, Maggie (August 27, 2007). "Tech signs agreement with Vietnam for records". The Daily Toreador. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Hartz, Marlena (August 18, 2007). "Texas Tech seals deal with Vietnam records office for war documents". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Bui, Long T. (2018). Returns of War: South Vietnam and the Price of Refugee Memory. New York City: New York University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-4798-1706-1. LCCN 2018012206. OCLC 1031950882. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  10. ^ A-J Media (November 23, 2018). "Founder of Texas Tech Vietnam Center dies at age 78". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  11. ^ "Highlights of the First Twenty Years". Vietnam Center and Archive. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "About the Vietnam Center". Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Osborn, Caitlan (June 23, 2011). "Vietnam Center and Archive receives honor". The Daily Toreador. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Preserving the Past for a Better Future" (PDF). Gillespie County, Texas. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Vietnam Center and Archive Now Available Online". Veterans of Foreign Wars. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Trần, Việt Hoa (June 22, 2011). "Đoàn công tác của Bộ Nội vụ thăm và làm việc tại Hợp chủng quốc Hoa Kỳ". Ministry of Home Affairs (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Shooter, Cole (June 14, 2011). "Texas Tech Vietnam Center and Archive Director to be Honored by Vietnamese Government". KFYO. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Clark, Candice (October 18, 2017). "Congressman honored at naming of Vietnam Center and Archive". The Daily Toreador. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Michael, Karen (October 18, 2017). "Texas Tech archive renamed as Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  20. ^ For A-J Media (August 2, 2019). "Vietnam Center & Archive oral histories to be more accessible". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Rosetta, Mallory (August 6, 2019). "Vietnam oral histories to become more accessible". National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  22. ^ Staff Writer (November 11, 2019). "Texas Tech's Vietnam Center & Archive eyes new facility". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Virtual Vietnam Archive".
  24. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: About the VNCA".
  25. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: CDEC - Combined Document Exploitation Center Collection Digitization Project".
  26. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Diaries of Dr. Dang Thuy Tram".
  27. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  28. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Virtual Vietnam Archive".
  29. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Map Collection".
  30. ^ Blatte, Dana (July 26, 2023). "Voices of the Vietnam War". National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  31. ^ "Oral History (U.S.) - Oral History Resources - Research Guides at Northwestern University". Northwestern University Library. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  32. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: The Oral History Project".
  33. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: The Oral History Project - Interviews".
  34. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Vietnamese American Heritage Project".
  35. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Vietnamese American Heritage Project - FVPPA".
  36. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Reunions".
  37. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Veteran Organizations and Associations".
  38. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Exhibits".
  39. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Resources and Researching".
  40. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Events".
  41. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Guest Lecture Series".
  42. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Guest Lecture Series".
  43. ^ "The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive: Events".
  44. ^ "Tet, The Vietnamese Lunar New Year".
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