Dear Friend,

I was drafted in June of 1966.

At that time, the United States was in the early stages of increasing its troop commitment to Vietnam. So there was little doubt in my mind I’d be deployed there.

I decided to take advantage of the Army’s Officer Candidate Program and later attended flight school, where I learned how to pilot helicopters.

Upon my arrival in Vietnam, I was assigned to fly Cobra helicopters. I vividly remember supporting multiple troops in contact missions where our young soldiers were locked in life or death close combat.

Our Cobras were often vital to their success.

As aviators, we were inspired by our purpose and our motto, which was that we only existed to support the soldiers on the ground.

I’ll never forget the many missions I flew over the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam, or the men we flew to support.

My 36 year-career in the military has left me with deep feelings of gratitude for the sacrifices the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families make every day in service to our nation.

Of course, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for those I served with in Vietnam.

In spite of their honorable service, many were treated dishonorably by their fellow citizens when they returned home.

They’ve carried heavy burdens that need heavy lifting, which is why The National Vietnam War Museum is so important and needs your support.

For years, the Vietnam War has been presented as merely a side exhibit in museums throughout the U.S. as part of a broader narrative about war.

While these exhibits have done much to educate the public about certain aspects of the Vietnam War, there was always a need for something that would go beyond just providing information about this overlooked conflict.

What was needed was a museum dedicated entirely to remembering the Vietnam War that could provide healing, closure, and peace for those who served as well as for the families of the fallen.

In that spirit, a group of Vietnam Veterans met in Mineral Wells, Texas one day in 1994 and envisioned a memorial that would pay homage to the helicopter pilots of the war.

But as their plans took shape, they realized that they were creating something more than just a memorial to those pilots.

They were planting the seeds for a museum that would cover all aspects of the Vietnam War like none other before - one that would provide our Vietnam Veterans with something they’d been deprived of for so long...

A proper homecoming.

Today, the museum is laid out in a way that helps visitors feel transported back in time, bringing them face to face with life-size dioramas of Vietnamese villages, artifacts from the war, and placards chronicling the war’s progression.

Among the museum’s most immersive experiences is the opportunity to sit behind a replica of the president’s desk inside a reproduction of the Oval Office.

Sitting at the president’s desk gives patrons the chance to step inside the shoes of men like Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon and reflect on what was going through their minds as the war unfolded.

The office’s design will change on a rotating basis to appear as it did during their respective presidencies.

As visitors leave the Oval Office, they’ll make their way to the second floor where they’ll find themselves surrounded by original artwork by Vietnam Veterans, telling the story of the war from their perspectives.

The purpose of original art like this is to help people understand the trials and deprivations our troops endured on a daily basis while reminding us not to take our freedoms for granted.

The museum’s presentation of the war concludes with an exhibit dedicated to the famous Fort Wolters, where the majority of helicopter pilots were trained.

Fort Wolters is only a five minute drive from the museum. Although it was deactivated long ago, its spirit lives on in this exhibit, which includes an actual Hiller OH-23 Raven that pilots like myself trained in.

Among the museum’s greatest accomplishments is the dignified manner in which it honors the 58,300+ men and women whose names appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., a replica of which stands in quiet reverence on the museum grounds.

I think about them often.

I think about the pain their families experienced when military officials drove to their homes to notify them of their loved one’s death.

I think about my fellow veterans who still weep when they think about their buddies coming home in body bags while they came home alive.

But I also think about the healing they’ll experience as they walk through The National Vietnam War Museum and absorb the memories that are preserved in its exhibits.

The National Vietnam War Museum is being built in four phases. Phase I was completed and dedicated in 2022. Now it’s time to begin work on Phase II, which will DOUBLE the size of the museum and include new galleries focusing on:

• The technology and weapons systems that gave us an edge in the fighting. One of those weapons includes the famous Huey helicopter, with an actual Huey that will be on display in the gallery.
• The American advisors who provided leadership, support, and training to the South Vietnamese military. These men played important roles in helping the South develop its fighting capacity early on and in assisting them in carrying on the fight against the communists after the U.S. withdrew.
• The Vietnamese culture that our troops would have encountered upon their arrival. Many of them had never traveled outside their own towns, let alone outside the U.S. So the sudden exposure to a foreign culture sent a shock to their systems.

The museum has mapped out a design for the expansion, like the example you see below, and will use it to guide visitors through its presentation of the war.

These expanded galleries will make it possible for Phase II to continue paying tribute to the men and women who served during Vietnam while honoring those who gave their lives in that epic struggle.

Since The National Vietnam War Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, it relies on the generous support of people like you who care about preserving the history of the Vietnam War.

That’s why, in recognition for your generous gift of $35 or more, your name, or the name of someone you would like to recognize, will appear as a SENTINEL in our SENTINELS BOOK OF HONOR, which will be located at the entrance of Phase II for all our visitors to see.

Knowing that your name, or the name of someone you would like to honor, will be seen year-round by thousands of museum-goers is a special tribute reserved only for the museum’s most loyal supporters.

All you have to do is click here and you will be redirected to a page where you can write your name, or the name of someone you would like to pay homage to, as you would like it to appear in our SENTINELS BOOK OF HONOR.

In addition to this special opportunity, The National Vietnam War Museum would like to offer you the chance to carry a memento of your support with you everywhere you go.

This memento is the museum’s signature Challenge Coin on which you can have your name, or the name of someone you would like to honor, inscribed.

One side of the coin features a lone, American soldier standing in front of an American flag as three Huey Helicopters fly by him.

Bordering the flag are 58 stars - one for every thousand service members who died in the war.

This is the side where your name will appear.

On the reverse side of your coin, you’ll see the flag of South Vietnam in a vertical position with green lines on either side resembling the Vietnam Service medal.

In the middle, you’ll see the logo for The National Vietnam War Museum to remind you of your support.

On the outer border you’ll see words describing the museum’s purpose:

REMEMBERING. HONORING. UNDERSTANDING.

And just like the side with the American flag, this side also has 58 stars to represent the more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives in Vietnam.

All you have to do is reach down and send a generous gift of $75, which is symbolic of 1975, the last year in which our fallen service members are remembered on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, and it will be the museum’s honor to send you your personalized challenge coin.

Your generosity will make it possible for Vietnam Veterans, their families, and the families of the fallen to find healing and peace that has eluded them for so long.

And it will be because you made it possible.

Sincerely,

LTG. Daniel J. Petrosky, USA, (Ret.)

P.S. The National Vietnam War Museum is a living memorial to those who gave their lives in one of the most brutal wars in our nation’s history. Please consider becoming a SENTIAL of our Phase II expansion. For your gift of $35 or more, your fine name, or the name of someone you’d like to honor, will be recorded in our SENTINELS BOOK OF HONOR. Or, you may choose to commemorate your support with a personalized challenge coin that you can receive for your gift of $75 or more. Whatever you decide to give, you’ll be making a difference in the lives of all who come to The National Vietnam War Museum.