Fitting right in with the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, the Pennsylvania Military Museum hosted its seventh annual Vietnam Revisited event.
Equipped with period machinery and vehicles, this not only gives visitors a chance to learn about history, but for veterans to revisit their past.
“It gives veterans a chance to come back here and see the tools they had used for their trade back 50 years ago. So, it’s basically living time capsule for guys to come back, they’ll meet other Vietnam veterans and there were several guys who found out that they served in country at the same time and same unit and didn’t even know each other,” museum educator Joe Horvath said.
An immersive experience with patrol re-enactors gave guests a glimpse of what American soldiers faced.
“As soon as you entered the rice paddies…you didn’t know where the enemy was located at. So, our combat trail takes that element of surprise and basically shows the public what they cannot experience in a Hollywood movie,” Horvath said.
Helping to bring this era of history to life was Vietnam veteran and re-enactor, Randall Diehl, who said events like these are key reminders to not repeat the past.
“People don’t know this. They don’t know the history of the Second World War, Vietnam or Korea, stuff like that…a lot of people gave a lot for these conflicts to keep people free and people just don’t know about it. Know the history. You have to learn history. You have to know history or you’re doomed to repeat it,” Diehl said.
But history will forever remember the men and women who served as heroes.