'Open Doors' Reveals Lives of Vietnam POWs
On 27 January 1973, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam's chief negotiator, Le Duc Tho, signed the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. participation in the Vietnam War. Just weeks later, the first group of what would be a total of 591 U.S. prisoners of war released from captivity in North Vietnamese prisons arrived in California.
Three decades later, writer Taylor Baldwin Kiland and photographer Jamie Howren Quinn wanted to explore what happened to this group of extraordinary men, some of whom had endured more than seven years of imprisonment. Over the course of 18 months, the two women traveled to 16 cities to interview and photograph 30 former POWs. From these efforts came the exhibit "Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later," consisting of photographs and biographical profiles, which was first displayed at the Museum of History and Art in Coronado, California, in fall 2002.
The exhibit now has begun an extensive road trip, and will be appearing at various sites around the country throughout 2003 and into 2004. The exhibit will appear at the Marines' Memorial Club in San Francisco from 24 February to 31 March; the Union League in Philadelphia from early April to mid-May; the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, from mid-May to mid-June; Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia, from 1 August to 30 September; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in October; and the Stephen Decatur House Museum in Washington, D.C., in November.
For more information about the exhibit, locations, and dates, visit www.coronadohistory.org on the Web or call (619) 435-7242.
New Destroyers to Be Named for Naval Heroes
As one of his final acts as Secretary of the Navy, Gordon R. England, now the first Deputy Secretary of Homeland Defense, selected the names of three of the Navy's most notable admirals for the next Arleigh Burke (DDG-51)-class guided-missile destroyers. Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., Admiral Forrest Sherman, and Admiral David Glasgow Farragut each will have a destroyer sail under his name.
The Halsey (DDG-97), to be built by Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Mississippi, honors the man whose task force launched the famous "Doolittle Raid" and who later commanded the forces that conquered the strategically important Solomon Islands and helped capture the Philippines. One previous ship has been named Halsey (CG-23, 1963-1994), which earned eight battle stars for Vietnam service.
The Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) honors the 12th Chief of Naval Operations, who served in the post from November 1949 until his death on 22 July 1951. He served in a variety of combat and staff positions during World War II and earned a Distinguished Service Medal for his role in planning the capture of the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Western Carolines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. One previous ship (DD-931, 1955-1982) was named in his honor. Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems also will build the Forrest Sherman.
The Farragut (DDG-99) honors the first U.S. Navy officer to attain the rank of admiral. He gained fame for his exploits while in command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron during the Civil War. Four previous ships have been named for him: a torpedo boat (TB-11, 1899-1919); a destroyer (DD-300, 1920-1930); another destroyer (DD-348, 1934-1945); and a guided-missile destroyer (DDG-37, 1960-1989). Bath Iron Works in Maine will build the new Farragut.
Smithsonian Will Honor a Century of Flight
As the world marks 100 years since the Wright brothers' first powered flight, the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., will celebrate with the 15 December 2003 opening of its much-anticipated companion facility. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, at Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, will be large enough to display the 80% of the museum's collection that has not generally been seen by the public. The aviation hangar alone, ten stories high and the length of three football fields, will house such artifacts as the original 707 prototype, an SR-71 Blackbird, and the B-29 Enola Gay. The space hangar will feature the space shuttle Enterprise.
For more information about the Udvar-Hazy Center, visit www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/ext/hazycenter.htm.
The National Air and Space Museum's Paul E. Garber restoration and storage facility in Suitland, Maryland, will be ending public tours on 31 March in preparation for moving artifacts to the new center. Currently, the storage facility, which has 19 buildings filled with aircraft, spacecraft, and various parts, is open for tours by reservation at 1000 on weekdays and 1000 and 1300 on weekends. Requests for tours can be faxed to (202) 357-3726.
Starting 11 October, visitors to the Air and Space Museum's main building on the National Mall can mark the centennial of powered flight by exploring the new exhibition, "The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age." The centerpiece of the gallery will be the original 1903 Wright Flyer, displayed at eye level for the first time since it was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1948.
Texas to Host Special 'Hard Hat' Tour
In conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the battleship Texas (BB-35), located in La Porte, Texas, near the San Jacinto State Historic Park, will host a "hard hat" tour on 3 May 2003. There will be no regular admission fee charged for the tour. Instead, a donation of a minimum of $20.00 per person will be collected. No payment in advance is necessary.
Participants will be able to see areas of the ship rarely seen by the public. Featured highlights of the tours include the ammunition handling room, aft steering, drying room, boiler room, main radio room, plotting room, forward dynamo room, forward power distribution room, central station, No. 1 turret, and the pilot house.
Participants will need to bring a flashlight or headlamp, wear old comfortable clothes, rubber-soled deck shoes, and a camera if they wish. Hard hats will be provided, and water will be available along the tour route during breaks. A limited amount of tours are open to anyone 14 years and older by reservation only, at four different time slots beginning at 0900, 1100, 1300, and 1500.
The Texas is located 22 miles east of downtown Houston. For more information, call the park at (281) 479-2431 or visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/battlesh/.
Battleship's Restored Admiral's Quarters Unveiled
At some point in her postwar history, the battleship Massachusetts's (BB-59) admiral's quarters, which included a cabin, stateroom, head, and pantry, was stripped of all furniture and fixtures, including—literally—the kitchen sink. Until recently, the cost to complete an authentic restoration was prohibitive, but because of the generosity of a former officer, retired Lieutenant Commander Benjamin D. Schulman, and additional support from the Champlin Foundations of Rhode Island and Slade's Ferry Bank of Somerset, Massachusetts, it was possible for a group of staff and volunteers to restore these spaces. Unveiled to some 600 former crewmembers and guests during the ship's 60th anniversary celebration, the admiral's quarters have been restored to their original World War II configuration and represent the only known example among the surviving modern U.S. battleships.
In addition to its imminent use as a classroom for accelerated student workshops, the admiral's quarters will provide an environment for oral history interviews and scholarly research. Restoring the space, however, was not nearly as easy as agreeing on its intended use. No photos were available, and two sets of 1946 deck plans presented conflicting information, but Weldment remnants and as-built photos of the North Carolina's (BB-55) admiral's quarters provided many clues.
Staff and volunteers spent countless hours plumbing, welding, and refinishing furniture. Interpretive panels completed the project, relating the tenures of Admirals Robert C. Giffen, John F. Shafroth, and Glenn B. Davis—all known to have occupied the spaces during World War II.
Located in Fall River, Massachusetts, the Massachusetts is the centerpiece of Battleship Cove, a nonprofit heritage museum preserving five National Historic Landmarks within the world's largest and most diverse collection of historic naval ships. For more information, call (508) 678-1100 or visit www.battleshipcove.org/.
Courtney F. Guertin and Christopher J. Nardi