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Last updated on Thursday, November 8, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - In observance of Veterans Day and to honor community members who have served in the armed forces, those who have experienced war firsthand, and their family members, the City of Bloomington will present the documentary film Just Like Me: The Vietnam War — Stories from All Sides, by local filmmaker and Vietnam War veteran Ron Osgood, Saturday, November 10, at 11 am in Council Chambers at City Hall (401 North Morton St.).
After the screening, audience members will be invited to join in a discussion with local veterans and others sharing their impressions of the film and their own reflections on war. Panelists include Jake Hagstrom (Army), who served in Afghanistan; filmmaker Ron Osgood (Navy), who served in Vietnam; Andre and Regina Waymon, retired Marines; and Vietnamese refugee Thao Nelson.
A representative of Monroe County Veterans Affairs will also be present at the event, to offer information about services to current and retired military personnel in attendance. The event is free and open to the public.
The 2018 Regional Emmy-winning documentary Just Like Me represents the Vietnam War from multiple perspectives including those of Hoosier veterans, North and South Vietnamese veterans, and the filmmaker's own in an effort to collapse distinctions between enemies and humanize the experience of war. The film is part of a larger project that includes an archive of oral histories at the website vietnamwarstories.indiana.edu. Among other screenings, Just Like Me will be shown as a closing event for the "Remembering Vietnam" exhibition at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. January 3, 2019.
"With this program, we hope to honor individuals who have served their country or been touched by war, express our gratitude for their service, extend our compassion for their suffering, and learn from their experience," said Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton. "I encourage our families to bring everyone from children to grandparents to this special program."
Professor Emeritus in the Media School at Indiana University, Osgood taught courses in video design and production and currently teaches documentary film courses for the Indiana University Honors College. The veteran first tackled the subject of the Vietnam War in the film My Vietnam Your Iraq, an official selection at eight film festivals, broadcast on PBS in 2011.
Media requests for interviews with the filmmaker or the panelists may be directed to Yaël Ksander, City of Bloomington Communications Director, ksandery@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3406
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