Mississippians in the Vietnam War Exhibit

The Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum continues to expand and tell the story of Mississippi Aviation, with a new upcoming exhibit entitled “Mississippians in the Vietnam War.” The Mississippi Humanities Council awarded a $10,000 grant to the museum to create the exhibit, which aims illustrate the influence Mississippi had in the Vietnam war.

The new exhibit will include five gallery spaces: Mississippi’s Impact in Vietnam; A Vietnam View of the War; Mississippi POW Pilots; the Music of the Times; and Vietnam Contributions to Mississippi.

The Mississippi POW Pilots gallery will tell the stories of the 16 Mississippi pilots who were incarcerated during the Vietnam war. Another gallery will feature approximately 40 historical photographs illustrating Mississippi’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The Music of the Times gallery will portray how music influenced the protests of the Vietnam War and later the Civil Rights Movement. The Vietnam View of War gallery will offer perspectives on the war from both the American and Vietnam point of view. A final gallery will showcase the contributions of the Vietnamese who settled in Mississippi after the war.

“The Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum is committed to doing what it takes to provide the visitors to the museum an inside look at Mississippi Aviation and its contribution to the Vietnam conflict,” says Francisco Gonzalez, executive director of the Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum. “Through the use of visual and sensory items, the visitor will be transported to those times.”

There will be a special “Come See the Progress” event Friday, March 29, to commemorate National Vietnam Veterans Day.

Once the exhibit is complete, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tribute to those who were part of the war. The exhibit will be permanently open to the public.