08/04/2026
🇺🇸❤️WE NEED YOU❤️🇺🇸
More than 3 million young Americans fought in the Vietnam War yet their stories remain largely untold. The stories are gradually emerging from obscurity through books, accurate movies, documentaries and articles in newspapers and magazines. Locally, those stories remain untold.
“It is time these stories were told,” said American Legion Post 102 Steve Ent, a U.S. Navy brown water veteran. “No one can tell our stories better than we can. Our stories, our experiences were unique in American military history.”
The new Jefferson County Military Museum, located at the Legion hall on Barnett Street in Brookville, is hoping to remedy this gap in local military history.
“We are working on developing a display featuring the experiences of Jefferson County men and women who served in that war,” said Randy Bartley, curator of the museum. “In prior conflicts the men and women were able to write letters home but in Vietnam letters were heavily censored. What letters that do survive are held by families. Photos were also censored and few survive. That is our challenge, to preserve these personal experiences for history.””
Bartley is looking at items relating to the Vietnam era from Jefferson County residents. “We cannot tell the whole story of that war,” he said. “We highlight the stories of local men and women.”
Bartley said that the museum has obtained several items taken from the Viet Cong and photos of Jeffersonians who were “in-country” and elsewhere in the world. “While we were fighting in Vietnam, the United States honored its commitments in Korea, Germany and many other flashpoints in the Cold War,” said Bartley. “This service also should be recognized.”
The JCMM is asking veterans to share their monuments and their stories. “Unlike other museums, we do not insist on a permanent donation. We realize many of these momentos have sentimental value to the families of veterans,” he said. “Items may be loaned to the museum on a temporary basis. The Legion will honor these items and display them with respect.”
Bartley hopes to open the display by Veterans Day, November 11.
Another exhibit under construction is “Chow” dedicated to food served to soldiers from the time of the Revolutionary War to modern Meal, Ready to Eat served today. “When you look back at the rations of our early conflicts it is no wonder that so many men were ill. As rations developed the soldiers learned to love Spam and “Bully Beef.” Napoleon once said “An army travels on its stomach” and that has been true through the ages,” said Bartley. “Once you experience hard tack you appreciate white bread.” The museum will open the chow hall by Veterans Day.
The Legion hopes to preserve the Vietnam veteran’s memories for a possible book in the future. “Our generation is rapidly passing,” said Ent. “Who can tell our stories better that we can?”
To arrange a donation or to record memories, contact Bartley at 814-715-3093 or at [email protected]
