AUGUSTA — A berthing unit from a U.S. naval ship will be on display this week at the University of Maine at Augusta, along with the actual notes and artwork scrawled inside the sleeping area by soldiers and Marines — many from Maine — who were transported on the ship.
The unit is from the U.S.N.S. General Nelson M. Walker, a 608-foot long troopship which sailed to Vietnam throughout 1966 and 1967 and was capable of carrying 5,000 troops at a time, according to a news release from the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services, which is co-hosting the exhibit.
The Vietnam Graffiti Project, as the traveling exhibit is known, will be on display in the Danforth Gallery at Jewett Hall through Friday, with visiting hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Thursday, there will also be a ceremony to honor Vietnam veterans from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the exhibit.
“The Walker troopship was a vessel whose passengers were knowingly being delivered to war and possible death,” said Gregory Fahy, dean of arts and sciences at the University of Maine at Augusta. “The images and writings they left behind are full of love, anger, and dark humor. They provide a vivid, candid portrait of one of the most turbulent times in American history.”
At the Thursday ceremony, Vietnam veterans from Maine will receive the Bureau of Veterans’ Services’ Vietnam certificate and coin, in addition to a lapel pin from the national 50th Commemoration celebration.
For more information regarding the ceremony or to register as a Vietnam veteran for it, contact Laura Allen at 207-430-5816 or laura.e.allen@maine.gov.
According to the news release, the berthing unit was preserved as an exhibit by Art Beltrone, a military artifact historian who toured it when his friend, Jack Fisk, a production designer, was preparing a set for the 1998 film “The Thin Red Line” and researching architectural details.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.