How did the Vietnam War affect North Carolina?

North Carolina’s extensive history in the Vietnam War is explored in a new documentary, The Wall That Heals. The 30-minute film will premiere Saturday, March 12, at the NC Museum of History at 2 p.m.

This is the 50-year commemoration of the war in Southeast Asia, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will celebrate its 30th anniversary this fall. In addition, The Wall That Heals, a traveling three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, will be exhibited in Garner in March and at Charlotte in October.

“For those of us that lived during the 1960s, it is hard to believe that the war was 50 years ago,” said Tim Stevens, a retired Raleigh News & Observer newspaper reporter who produced the documentary. “But the parents of many of today’s high school students were not born during the Vietnam conflict. Many of today’s students know almost nothing about one of the most defining periods in our country’s history.”

North Carolina had 1,611 men and one woman to die in the Vietnam War. More than 200,000 North Carolinians served in the conflict. Many of the survivors still suffer from the effects of the war with post-traumatic stress, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, or other physical problems caused by exposure to Agent Orange, an herbicide used in the war, or other pollutants. For some of our folks, the war never ended,” Stevens commented. “They still are fighting it.”

To tell the story of Vietnam from a North Carolina perspective, the documentary focuses on six service members who lost their lives in the war and another whose life was changed drastically. Marine Dan Bullock of Goldsboro was the youngest US service member to die in the war. Soldier Freddie Martin of New Bern had a family history of service. US Air Force pilot William Willis of Coats died rescuing orphans. Army nurse Annie Ruth Graham of Efland was one of eight US women service members who perished. Air Force pilot Glenn Cook of Charlotte remains missing in action. Marine Harold Till of Garner deliberately sacrificed his life to save others.

US Navy corpsman Butch Davenport survived the war, but his life was destroyed.

“We focused on individuals to tell the bigger story,” remarked Chuck Fishbein, who directed and edited the documentary. “We wanted to show the sacrifices and the tragedy but also the heroism and the dedication. And the lasting effects.”Joe Marm of Fremont, a Medal of Honor recipient, says the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and The Wall That Heals mean something special to Vietnam veterans. “They call it The Wall That Heals for a reason,” Marm noted.

The slogan of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is to never forget, and one of the goals of the documentary is to teach people who may not know.

Stevens won a statewide award for a play he wrote about the men from his hometown who died in Vietnam and worked for more than three years on the documentary.

The project is narrated by some nationally prominent voice talent, including country music star Scotty McCreery, TV and film star Sharon Lawrence, Tony Award winner Beth Leavel, and multiple Emmy Award winner John Tesh. All have North Carolina ties. Joe Mantegna, the co-host of the annual Memorial Day National Concert, is the documentary’s host.

Showings are scheduled for March 12 at the Museum of History, March 20 at Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner, and March 27 at the US Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville.

North Carolina was affected by the Vietnam War, fought in Southeast Asia from 1957 to 1975, was a protracted, ultimately unsuccessful attempt by the United States to prevent North Vietnamese communists from overrunning South Vietnam. U.S. participation in the conflict caused sufficient national turmoil to divide the nation and alter its future course. The financial cost of the war was $150 billion, and more than 58,000 Americans were killed.