HOLMDEL, NJ -  On Saturday, November 3, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will host a lecture by author John Ketwig about his book, … and a hard rain fell:  A GI’s True Story of the War in Vietnam, at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel.

John Ketwig’s … and a hard rain fell is a personal account of what our youth endured on the battlefields of Vietnam and upon their return home, written from the perspective of an Army private first class.  A well received account of the Vietnam experience, Ketwig’s book is used extensively in classrooms nationwide. 

Ketwig, originally from upstate New York but now a resident of Washington, NJ, arrived in Vietnam in September of 1967.  Attached to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division, he was stationed at Pleiku, where he was a wheel and track vehicle mechanic and a body-fender repairman and welder.  Since leaving the Army, Ketwig has continued working in the automotive field, primarily in service and parts.  He has been a factory service representative for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and today is a consultant to Ford Motor Company.

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 open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Regular admission is free for all 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.