SDPB presents a free, 60-minute preview screening of never-before-seen footage from THE VIETNAM WAR, the new 10-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. The screening is Tuesday, August 29, 12:00 pm, at the American Legion Post 17 in Watertown.
A reception for Vietnam veterans and their families follows the screening. During the reception, SDPB producers will be on-hand to record interviews with Vietnam War & Vietnam Era Veterans, and others who have stories to share.
In addition to the screening, Niles Harris of Deadwood will provide opening remarks. Harris was assigned to the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, landing in Vietnam’s War Zone D with Company C on November 5th, 1965. On November 8th, Harris’ Second Platoon of 30 men was attacked by 1,200 North Vietnamese soldiers. Forty-eight American soldiers and over 400 North Vietnamese soldiers died during the battle. Harris was hit by machine gun fire, and was assisted by medic Lawrence Joel, who was awarded the Medal of Honor. Harris continued to serve in the Army in the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, and Germany. After retiring from the service, Harris moved to Deadwood, where he was a bartender at the Buffalo Bar and met country music duo Big & Rich (Big Kenny & John Rich), who paid tribute to Harris and Joel in the hit single “8th of November.” Harris returned to Vietnam in 2005 with Big & Rich and a film crew to produce a music video and documentary.
ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR: A FILM BY KEN BURNS & LYNN NOVICK
THE VIETNAM WAR is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that will air on SDPB this Fall – Sunday, September 17, 2017. In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. The Vietnam War features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both sides.
THE VIETNAM WAR: LEGACIES & LESSONS IN SOUTH DAKOTA
See SDPB.org/Vietnam and tune in to SDPB TV, Radio, and Digital for local interviews and information about screenings and events in conjunction with THE VIETNAM WAR.
