April 14th 2024
1 - 7:00pm
NiCHE EVENT SPACE
4571 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304
Organized by
James Holdsworth & Amanda Coslor
East Window Gallery is honored to host a day of film screenings, poetry, story telling, visual art, music, food, reflection and discussion on the lasting impacts and multifaceted experiences of the Vietnam war. James Holdsworth, an adoptee from Vietnam, will bring folks together to share and reflect on this time in history. A multi-generational gathering and an open forum for discussion on the divergent effects of the Vietnam war. We will hear stories from adoptees out of Vietnam pre and post Operation Babylift. We will also hear from Vietnam Veterans, parents of adoptees and their children about how their unique as well as shared experiences continue to shape their lives today. Sister Mary Nelle Gage and Ruth Routten, two of the organizers of Operation Babylift, will be present to share their stories on this complex time in history.
As part of this event we will be collecting contact info of those directly impacted by Operation Babylift (pre and post), who would like to share their experiences with StoryCorps. StoryCorps will reach out to folks who are interested at a later date.
APRIL 14th SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Noon-1:00pm
-All hands welcome -
-Set-up for attendees with display items -
1:00-1:30pm
-Arrivals, meet and greet -
1:30-1:45pm
-Welcome -
-Jimmy Holdsworth (Ly Ngoc Khoi), host -
-Amanda Coslor, host -
2:00-3:00pm
-Care/Support-givers share -
-Sister Mary Nelle Gage -
-Ruth Routten -
-Peg Hammond -
-Julie Chinberg Zadinsky -
3:00-4:00pm
-Adoptees share -
-Personal introductions (docs and pics) -
-VN experiences -
-Story board walk with Sister Mary and others -
4:00—5:00pm
-Family Sharing (open Forum) -
-Bruce Coslor (singer/songwriter/poet and VN Veteran) -
-Parents of adoptees (open forum) -
-Family share experiences (growing up with VN Veteran) -
5:00-6:00pm
-Social hour with refreshments -
-Connect / network -
-Food and cocktails -
6:00-7:00pm
-Short films -
-Adoptees stories -
-Tuy Gentry from Saigon -
7:00pm
-Closing remarks -
-Closing Lakota blessing by Veteran Chief Lee Plentywolf -
SISTER MARY NELLE GAGE
RUTH ROUTTEN
TUY BUCKNER
DEVAKI MURCH
Devaki Murch will be bringing her project “Secret Ability to Fly” to the Orphans of War community. The Secret Ability to Fly brings together the voices of Operation Babylift through letters and notes of gratitude and resilience. It is a personal life story project that has developed as media and technology has grown and evolved over time. The experiences are personal but the story is ours together. I was a 9 month old infant at the time of the C-5A crash. My origins are relatively unknown. As we approach 50 years since the crash and Operation Babylift I would like to share my gratitude to those who have literally touched my life and given me the “secret ability to fly”.
This story is not just mine, but all of ours.
Over the years I have collected news media, books and documentaries and I have learned there is so much more to all of these stories. As I reach out and connect with others, I find new things out about my own personal story and how we are all intricately entwined. We can connect to the people who held us as infants and whose lifetime dedication enriches all of our lives. I would also like to reach out to those who have lost family, friends, and children that were involved in the efforts of Operation Babylift and express my gratitude and acknowledge their loss. My heart goes out to them. I hope to gather your stories and letters so we can collectively tell our story.
-Devaki Murch
MORE LINKS:
GENERAL
GERALD R. FORD MUSEUM
