VIETNAM ERA EDUCATIONAL CENTER HOSTS
FILM AND ORAL HISTORY DISCUSSION
On Saturday, June 15, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam
Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will present The Coast Guard in the Vietnam
Era. The presentation will feature the documentary film “Ngung Lai / Operation
Market Time” with an oral-history discussion led by veterans of Coast Guard
service in Vietnam. The program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational
Center in Holmdel.
During peacetime, the U.S. Coast Guard serves stateside
as the coastal waterways enforcement arm of the Department of Treasury.
During the Vietnam War, the Coast Guard came under the jurisdiction of
the Department of Defense and became the fifth Branch of Service of America’s
Armed Forces in combat. “Ngung Lai / Operation Market Time” recounts the
contributions of the U.S. Coast Guard in Vietnam during the war. “Ngung
Lai” means “stop” in Vietnamese, and it was the watchword of the men of
Operation Market Time whose job it was to stop the flow of waterborne supplies
to the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.
Following the film presentation, a discussion will be
led by New Jersey Vietnam Veterans who served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
These “Coasties” include: Robert Krikorian of Beachwood, Erik Newpher of
Cape May, and Michael Truex of Neptune, all members of the Coast Guard
Combat Association. Other Coast Guard veterans are encouraged to participate
in the discussion.
Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP 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. |
