MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kelly Watts 732-335-0033
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE (19 July 2000)

On Wednesday, August 15, 2001, at 7:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will host a lecture by author Brad Kennedy about his novel, Heroes or Something, at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel.

Heroes or Something maps the psychological journey of a fictional but typical American soldier named Will Stone through his tour of duty in war-torn Vietnam.  The story recounts Stone’s jungle warfare experience authentically, but it also reveals the historic roots of the conflict. Stone’s emerging awareness of strategic policy issues becomes intensely personal and, ultimately, he must choose “what is worth dying for.”

Kennedy, a resident of Rockaway, N.J., served in Vietnam with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.  From August 1966 to July 1967, he worked as an artillery surveyor, a machine gunner, a track commander, and as a forward observer, attaining the rank of sergeant.  Since leaving the U.S. Army, Kennedy has worked as a real-estate developer and builder in New Jersey.

Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP one week prior to the event to (732) 335-0033.  A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested.  The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116.  The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM. Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel.  Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free.