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.

Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center Exhibit Tells the Story of Rock Through the Ages

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Posters and related music from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame showcase the history of rock and roll from its earliest beginnings to the 1990s.

Holmdel, NJ (March 17, 2016) — Fifty Years of Rock and Roll, a traveling exhibit from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, will be on display at the Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center, 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel, NJ. Posters from the collection tell the history of rock and roll from Chuck Berry and Ray Charles, to the Grateful Dead and R.E.M.. The exhibit is open now through June 4, 2016.

Music had a profound impact on the Vietnam War Era, and the conflict in Vietnam seemed to permeate rock and roll in the 60s and 70s. The War is sometimes described as the first rock and roll war, with popular songs about the conflict providing a connection to home for troops. Artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Bob Dylan described the struggles of soldiers in the music they created.

Twenty rock and roll reproductions are included in the traveling exhibition organized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The various posters provide a look back on fifty years of rock music. Ephemera from artists such as Chuck Berry, Elvis, Ray Charles, the Grateful Dead, the Clash, and R.E.M. exemplify the diversity of the music that has evolved since Alan Freed’s Moondog Coronation Ball in 1952, cited by many as the first rock and roll concert.

The exhibit consists of 20 posters, including a poster from the Beatles’ last official concert in 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and a poster from Elvis’ homecoming to Mississippi.

The Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and by special appointment. The museum provides political, cultural and historical context for the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, located on the same grounds as the educational center.

The Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center is the first museum of its kind in the United States. 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.

NJ Vietnam Veterans 11/11 Veterans Day Ceremony

NEW JERSEY VIETNAM VETERANS’ MEMORIAL FOUNDATION TO HOST VETERANS DAY CEREMONY

Holmdel, N.J. (November 3, 2014) – On Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 11:00 a.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation (NJVVMF) will host its annual Veterans Day Ceremony, sponsored by NJM Insurance Group, at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, located at 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel, N.J. (Garden State Parkway Exit 116 on the grounds of the PNC Arts Center). Veterans, their families and the general public are invited to attend the ceremony.

The Keynote Speaker will be Lieutenant General (Ret.) George Flynn, United States Marine Corps. Lt. Gen Flynn has enjoyed a distinguished career of more than 38 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. While on active duty, Lt. Gen Flynn created the Joint Force Development Directorate at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, managing more than 2,000 people and a $1 billion organization that developed new military operational, concepts, doctrine and training. He supervised all elements of the Combatant Commander exercise program, which provides staff training and evaluates the mission performance of the largest military command organization in the United States. He also developed policy for and provided oversight of all professional military education.

As Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Combat Development and Integration, Lt. Gen Flynn determined future requirements for all equipment, training, personnel, facilities, and supporting activities of the Marine Corps. His role as the Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Corps, Iraq, involved leading combat operations and providing direct supervision of support activities of more than 50,000 service members and civilians, while conducting operational planning and execution to enable coalition operations, including extensive interaction with United Kingdom and Coalition Special Operations Forces.

Lt. Gen Flynn supervised and provided oversight, policy and guidance for Marine Corps training as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Training and Education Command. As Chief of Staff, U.S. Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen Flynn supervised all support requirements for a 2,000-person organization, responsible for the planning, direction and financial execution of the headquarters. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has several Masters Degrees in National Security and Strategy, and International Relations.

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will honor the late Tony Dellanno for his significant work on the design, coordination and construction of the Memorial. His involvement beginning in 1987 was critical to the progress and completion of the Memorial in 1995. A plaque honoring Dellanno will be placed in the lobby of the Vietnam Era Museum.

In Memory Program Inductees
As part of the Veterans Day ceremony, NJVVMF will induct five veterans into its In Memory Program. The In Memory Program is a unique program that honors those who served and died as a result of the war in Vietnam, but whose names are not on the Memorial. Family members will say remarks on their behalf.

The four inductees are: Norman Bernstein, US Army, 12/3/44 – 5/12/09, Lincroft, NJ; Joseph M. Hurley, Jr., US Army, 10/26/46 – 7/20/04, Keansburg, NJ; Walter L. Kudlacik, US Army, 7/26/46 – 10/22/11, Jersey City, NJ; Phillip D. Mecca, US Marine Corps, 6/30/47 – 2/10/10, Union, NJ; Eugene T. Puzio, US Navy, 9/14/48 – 12/6/11, Bridgewater, NJ.

The Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, N.J. Musuem hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission is $7 adults; $5 senior citizens and students; and children 10 years of age or younger and veterans and active military personnel are free. The Memorial is free and open to visitors 24 hours daily. For more information, visit www.njvvmf.org or call (732) 335-0033.

About New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation
The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation offers a meaningful and engaging experience that recognizes the sacrifice, courage and valor of Vietnam Veterans and encourages and fosters a thorough understanding of the Vietnam Era including the political, historical, social, cultural and military aspects, which affected the United States, and especially New Jersey. To support the Foundation, visit www.njvvmf.org.