“From the beginning of the war the stated end of the American government, democracy and freedom in Vietnam, and the way it carried out the war were at odds.”
The Waging Peace in Vietnam Exhibit organized an essay contest for North Carolina Triangle area students with a $500 prize provided by the Triangle Area Veterans for Peace. The contest was seeking the best essay on the prompt: “Waging Peace in Vietnam: What it means to me and its lessons for today.”
The winning essay from Duke University is by Micah Latimer-Dennis, a Chicago native who will graduate from Duke Divinity School in May. It includes these words:
“I learned from this exhibit that, just as in Vietnam, veterans and soldiers in subsequent conflicts have been the first to alert their fellow Americans to the betrayals of our nation’s ideals. They have spoken up about what they saw. For this service they have been called traitors and cowards. The stories and photos on display [in the Waging Peace in Vietnam exhibit] show the truth: that these are people brave enough to speak up when the ideals of our common life come under threat.”
Congratulations to Micah!
We look forward to featuring more essay contests and sharing the winning entries.