On Saturday, Aug. 12, at 1 p.m., at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will host an author lecture and poetry reading by New Jersey Vietnam Veteran Charles H. Johnson, highlighting his newest book of poetry, Sam's Place.

      Charles H. Johnson, of Hillsborough, N.J., is a graduate of the ROTC program at Rutgers University and a retired captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.  From 1970 to 1971, he was a first lieutenant and an infantry platoon leader for the 1st Cavalry Division in South Vietnam.  He is the author of Tunnel Vision and numerous poems about Vietnam.  Three of his poems are engraved on the Plainsboro Veterans Memorial sculpture in Plainsboro, N.J.  Johnson conducts poetry workshops for high school students and teachers throughout New Jersey, and serves as a night editor and poetry reviewer for the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, N.J.

      Johnson's book, Sam's Place, consists of free verse concerning the poet's service as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam and haiku about his dreams of America while he served overseas.  Other poetry in the collection relates the poet's reaction to the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and how he deals with the ever-present reality of war and its consequences.

      Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP 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 a.m. – 4 p.m.  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.