vietnam war

PBS is airing The Vietnam War, a 10 part documentary directed by Lynn Novick and Ken Burns. Novick and Daytona Beach resident Dr. Hal Kushner, who was a prisoner of war and is featured in the documentary join Intersection for a conversation about the war.

After the Vietnam War, Central Florida became a destination for Vietnamese fleeing the communist regime. Now there’s a new generation of Orlando residents maintaining cultural ties to Vietnam. Former Miss Vietnam Florida Anh Do, who now oversees the pageant, and tasty chomps food blogger Ricky Ly join Intersection to talk about the Vietnamese heritage of Central Florida.

A ceremony honoring the men and women who served during the Vietnam War is one of several events taking place across central Florida this Memorial Day. VITAS Healthcare and Dignity Memorial are choosing to honor Vietnam veterans in particular. They say those men and women who served in the largely unpopular war did not receive adequate resources and support when they returned to the United States. Florida’s Department of Veteran Affairs estimates nearly 500,000 Vietnam veterans are across the state, a large portion in central Florida alongside the Vietnamese who fought with them and later fled the island.

Hal Kushner was a US Army flight surgeon who deployed to Vietnam in 1967. After his helicopter crashed, Kushner was captured, and spent more than five years in North Vietnamese prison camps. Kushner's story is part of a new documentary series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that airs on PBS in September.

Our week-long coverage of the fortieth anniversary of the Fall of Saigon continues this afternoon with a glimpse into the lives of Orlando’s Vietnam veterans. Much is known about the nearly 3 million American soldiers who fought in South Vietnam against the Viet Cong guerilla forces. But the Vietnamese soldiers who fought alongside Americans have a lesser known legacy. 90.7’s Renata Sago spoke with two Vietnamese veterans who settled in Orlando after the war.

The central Florida Vietnamese community commemorated the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon - the capture of the South Vietnam capital that signaled the end of the Vietnam War.