‘My Vietnam Your Iraq’ documentary to highlight 9 families’ takes on 2 wars

A locally produced documentary titled “My Vietnam Your Iraq” will give viewers a chance to hear stories from Vietnam War veterans whose own children have served in Iraq.

The documentary, produced by Telecommunications Professor Ron Osgood, will be shown in its first public screening 7 p.m. Friday in the Radio-TV Center on East Seventh Street. Osgood said “My Vietnam Your Iraq” is not a completely finished project, and Friday’s screening is mainly an opportunity for viewers to give him feedback, although he hopes to submit it to film festivals in the near future.

The documentary, which is roughly 85 minutes in length and took 18 months to film, is not political, Osgood said. But it allows Vietnam veterans to tell stories they may have suppressed since the end of their service and talk about what it feels like to be a parent with children overseas.

“I think I can summarize it by saying that at the end of every interview with Vietnam-era veterans we’d have a long embrace,” he said.

Osgood, who served in the Navy from 1968 until 1972 and whose own father served in World War II, said making the documentary was an emotional experience.

The nine families appearing in the film are from all over America, Osgood said, with two from Indiana. He added that he hopes the film will give viewers a better understanding and appreciation of Americans serving in the military.

“There are so many things you can do to help people in the military,” Osgood said. “They make incredible sacrifices.”