Vietnam displays are making a comeback at the Museum of Missouri Military History and feature a host of weapons, Army gear and evidence of the bond Missouri's soldiers had with state politicians.
When the museum curators started collecting Vietnam artifacts, they only had enough for one display. With the help of donations, they have expanded the exhibit.
As of Thursday, the new artifacts will be available for public viewing, including the Jungle Jacket and helmet worn by retired Lt. Col. Antonio Holland in the Missouri National Guard and former instructor of history at Lincoln University.
He is one of many donors and contributors to the museum.
Haley Heil, museum intern and senior at the University of Missouri, helped arrange the display, pointing out it was interesting to watch the collection expand.
"My grandfather fought in both the Korean War and Vietnam but would never talk about it," Heil said. "So to see veterans coming out to donate is cool because Vietnam veterans were probably the worst treated upon their return home."
Among the Vietnam gems are: a camcorder made by Kodak accessorized with three different lenses; a first generation night scope; M-14 and M-16 rifles; Ho Chi Minh sandals made from tire rubber; examples of subdued patches versus the old-style colored patches and more.
Charles Machon, museum director, noted how cameras served as a key medium for the way the American people viewed the war.
"The Vietnam was the first war of conflict that we could see on the news, and it really affected the American psyche," Machon said. "There's so much more video footage from Vietnam than there is for World War II.
He explained when it came to World War II, a lot of events were sanitized to ensure Americans' morale remained high during the war.
During a News Tribune tour, assistant director Doug Sheley pointed out a letter written by Larry Rottman, who served in the Army during Vietnam. The letter highlighted how he was gifted with a Missouri state flag by former Secretary of State James Kirkpatrick. When Rottman returned from Vietnam in 1969, he returned the flag to Kirkpatrick. That original flag is also featured in the exhibit.
As a first lieutenant in the 25th infantry division, Holland recalls not a lot of good taking place during the year he was deployed to Vietnam.
"When I joined the Army, it was to see the world," he said. "By the time Vietnam came about, we were pretty much just trying to survive the experience, counting down to go back to 'the world.'"
Holland served in the United States Army from 1968-70. In 1970, he moved to higher education, working at Lincoln University. He also was an advocate of hosting the military museum in Jefferson City at the Missouri National Guard headquarters.
With the help of Holland and other advocates for the preservation of military history, the Museum of Missouri Military History has been in Jefferson City since 1999.
Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly reported Antonio Holland's duration of service in the U.S. Army. The text above has since been corrected.