New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation Renovating Museum and Educational Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Museum and Educational Center will be closed now through August for upgrades

Holmdel, NJ (July 14, 2016) — The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation (NJVVMF) is updating the sepia mural, a chronological history of popular culture and the conflict in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Era, within the Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center with the newest museum technology to help better tell the stories of the Vietnam Era. The museum and the gift shop will be closed through August, and the outside Memorial will remain free and open to the public 24 hours a day.

“Restoring the Museum’s centerpiece, our sepia mural, will give the space a much needed update and set us on the road to incorporating new technology into our existing exhibit as a way to remain relevant to the thousands of school children and teachers we work with each year,” said Sarah Taggart, NJVVMF Curator.

Average annual attendance to the Museum and Educational Center is 23,000, with school students and groups attending guided tours and informational sessions yearly.

The Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center was the first museum of its kind in the United States. Dedicated in September 1998, the Museum provides political, cultural and historical context for the Memorial. It helps visitors gain an understanding of the conflict in Southeast Asia and the surrounding political strife in America and its lasting impact on American culture, with an emphasis on experiences in New Jersey.

The Museum enables visitors to learn about the different forces that produced the conflict abroad and the dissension at home. It provides an atmosphere where appropriate materials and exhibits help visitors understand the significance of the Memorial, the reality of the conflict, and the social, political and cultural complexities of the Vietnam Era.

“The renovations to the Museum and Educational Center are made possible due to the generous contributions of NJVVMF supporters,” said Bill Linderman, NJVVMF Executive Director. “Special thanks also goes to Governor Christie Whitman and the late John Whitman, as well as the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for making this project possible.”

The public can follow along with the progress on the Foundation’s Facebook page and website with updates on renovations as well as the pieces of history that shaped the Vietnam Era.

Navy Veteran To Walk From NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial to D.C. to Raise Awareness, Funds for PTSD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/25/16


Mike Dowens will kick off the three-day walk from the Memorial on June 2 to raise funds to send a veteran suffering from PTSD to treatment

Holmdel, NJ (May 24, 2016) — Mike Dowens, a Navy veteran, is kicking off a three-day walk from the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, NJ, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2016. Dowens suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from his time serving in the Liberia, Somalia and Haiti as a Navy search and rescue swimmer. His goal is to increase awareness about PTSD and raise money through a Go Fund Me campaign to send a veteran in need to The Refuge, a treatment center in Florida where he sought treatment for his own PTSD.

Dowens, 37, will begin his walk the morning of June 2 at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, 1 Memorial Lane, exit 116 off the Garden State Parkway at the PNC Bank Arts Center. He will then take a route on walkable roads to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., a total of 237 miles. He will be joined on his walk by another veteran and PTSD sufferer. The two will walk non-stop, pausing only for meals.

After spending four years in the Navy and being honorably discharged in 2006 for asthma he developed while overseas, Dowens felt lost. He felt severe separation from the military and suffered intense symptoms of PTSD for years before he finally sought treatment.

“I struggled with the fact that I wasn’t in the Navy any longer,” said Dowens. “I had survivor’s guilt and tried to get back into the military nine times.”

Dowens knows The Refuge, a PTSD and trauma center in Ocklawaha, Florida, saved his life. And now, he knows he wants to give back.

“While I was in treatment I realized I could serve without going back in the military,” he said. “I could raise money for a veteran to get the same help that I got.”

The walk Dowens is making draws sharp comparison to the Last Patrol, a group of New Jersey Vietnam veterans who walked from the nation's capital in 1989 to the would-be site of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Holmdel to raise awareness, support, and funds for a memorial honoring Vietnam Veterans in New Jersey.

On May 27, 1989, The Last Patrol was greeted with welcome arms by members of the community who had come to pay respect to the efforts of these men as well as to honor the fallen. The message was simple — Welcome Home.

That message spoke volumes to a group of veterans who hadn’t been welcomed home with such open arms. The Vietnam War was unpopular in the United States, and the soldiers felt the brunt of that unpopularity when they returned home. Adjusting to life at home was difficult, and things like PTSD and other health issues were largely ignored. Veterans felt isolated and alone and often didn’t seek treatment.

Veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and other recent conflicts have had similar experiences when coming home. PTSD and its treatment are major issues with this group of military veterans, and something difficult to seek help for. It’s something they share with Vietnam Veterans.

“Not all wounds are visible,” said Dowens.

And it’s those invisible wounds Dowens is trying to raise awareness for with his walk. His mission, named Unbroken Warriors, has raised more than $6,000 to date with a goal of $10,000. The funds will send a veteran for PTSD treatment at The Refuge. To donate, click here.

Dowens, who has been a police officer in Holmdel for eight years, will wear a full pack weighing 70 pounds on his walk. He hopes this trek calls attention to the issues that veterans, past and present, are dealing with.

“You don’t have to wear a uniform to serve,” said Dowens.

About New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, dedicated May 7, 1995, strives to encourage and foster patriotism and provide for recognition of the sacrifices, courage and valor of the New Jersey Veterans of the Vietnam Era. The Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center, dedicated in September 1998, strives to encourage and foster a thorough understanding of the Vietnam era, including the political, historical, social, cultural and military aspects that affected the United States, especially New Jersey. For more information, visit www.njvvmf.org.