Sessions

Veteran Recognition Ceremony
Special guests: Austin Mayor Steve Adler; Major General James Jackson, The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration; Karoni Forrester, National Board POW/MIA Families.
No ticket required. Ceremony is open to all Vietnam veterans and the general public.
  • 11 a.m.
  • LBJ Library Plaza
Learn more
  Afternoon Session | Ticket Required
11:30 a.m.  |  LBJ Auditorium Doors Open
12:30 p.m.  |  Welcome
Commanders-in-Chief
Historians and presidential aides discuss the roles our presidents played in the war and how their leadership affected its outcome
H.W. Brands
Author and History Professor at The University of Texas at Austin
Alexander Butterfield
Former Aide to Richard Nixon
Tom Johnson
Former Executive Assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson; Former President & Chairman of CNN
Moderator: Brian Sweany
Editor, Texas Monthly
  • 12:35 p.m.
  • LBJ Auditorium
The Battle of Ia Drang
Veterans recall the first major campaign of the war--and its bloodiest
Introduction: Jim Knotts
President and CEO, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Vince Cantu
Private, Seventh Cavalry, U.S. Army
Colonel Bruce P. Crandall (Ret.)
Medal of Honor Recipient
Dr. Tone Johnson, Jr.
Bronze Star Recipient
Colonel Walter Joseph Marm (Ret.)
Medal of Honor Recipient
Moderator: Joseph L. Galloway
Newspaper Correspondent and Bronze Star Recipient
The Afterwar
Experts explore the physical and psychological trauma our veterans faced after the war--and continue to experience today--and the bitter, sometimes hostile reaction they received from fellow Americans
Introduction: Steve Adler
Mayor of the City of Austin
Dr. Grace Liem Galloway
Nurse Practitioner; Volunteer with Catholic Relief Services
Jan Scruggs
Founder and President Emeritus, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Moderator: Joe Klein
Author and Political Columnist for TIME magazine
3:30 p.m.  |  Closing  |  City of Austin Mayor Steve Adler
  End of Afternoon Session
Veteran Recognition Ceremony
Special guests: Lynda Johnson Robb and Chuck Robb.
No ticket required. Ceremony is open to all Vietnam veterans and the general public.
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Library Plaza
Learn more
  Evening Session | Ticket Required
An Evening with The Honorable Henry Kissinger
Welcome: Larry Temple
Chairman, LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees
Introduction: Tom Johnson
Former Executive Assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson; Former President & Chairman of CNN
Moderator: Mark K. Updegrove
Director, LBJ Presidential Library
  • 6 p.m.
  • LBJ Auditorium
Veteran Recognition Ceremony
Special guests: Luci Baines Johnson and family.
No ticket required. Ceremony is open to all Vietnam veterans and the general public.
  • 11 a.m.
  • LBJ Library Plaza
Learn more
  Afternoon Session | Ticket Required
11:30 a.m.  |  LBJ Auditorium Doors Open
12:30 p.m.  |  Welcome
The War at Home
Historians and a social and political activist examine how the war divided the nation and shaped American culture
Tom Hayden
Politician and Anti-war Activist
David Maraniss
Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post Journalist
Marilyn Young
Professor of History, New York University and Author
Moderator: Robert Schenkkan
Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright
  • 12:35 p.m.
  • LBJ Auditorium
The War and the Fourth Estate
Two renowned journalists explore the crucial role the media played in shaping perceptions of the war
Panel co-sponsored by the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
Introduction: Don Carleton
Executive Director, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Peter Arnett
Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist
Dan Rather
Former CBS News Anchor and Journalist
Moderator: Andrew Sherry
Vice President, Communications, Knight Foundation; Former Foreign Correspondent
The Power of a Picture
Two Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers discuss how powerful and poignant photography helped turn the tide of public sentiment toward the war
David Hume Kennerly
Pulitzer Prize-winning Photographer
Nick Ut
Pulitzer Prize-winning Photographer
Moderator: Angela Evans
Dean, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
3:35 p.m.  |  Closing  |  Angela Evans, Dean, LBJ School of Public Affairs
  End of Afternoon Session
Veteran Recognition Ceremony
No ticket required. Ceremony is open to all Vietnam veterans and the general public.
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Library Plaza
Learn more
  Evening Session | Ticket Required
A Conversation with Documentary Filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
The co-directors will share scenes from and discuss the making of their upcoming ten part, eighteen hour PBS series The Vietnam War.
Welcome: Cappy McGarr
President of MCM Interests; Managing Partner of United States Renewal Energy Group; and LBJ Foundation Board of Trustee
Introduction: David Ferriero
Archivist of the United States
Moderator: Mark K. Updegrove
Director, LBJ Presidential Library
  • 6 p.m.
  • LBJ Auditorium
Keynote Address: U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry
Followed by a conversation with Ken Burns, Filmmaker and Documentarian
Remarks: Gregory L. Fenves
President, The University of Texas at Austin
Introduction: Ben Barnes
Vice Chairman, LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees; Former Lt. Gov. of Texas; and Former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
  • LBJ Auditorium
8 p.m.  |  Closing  |  Mark K. Updegrove, Director, LBJ Presidential Library
Veteran Recognition Ceremony
Special guests: Gregory L. Fenves, President, The University of Texas at Austin; Ken Wallingford, Former Prisoner of War and Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary, Texas Veterans Land Board; Dr. Howard Prince, LBJ School of Public Affairs Professor, U.S. Army.
No ticket required. Ceremony is open to all Vietnam veterans and the general public.
  • 11 a.m.
  • LBJ Library Plaza
Learn more
  Afternoon Session | Ticket Required
11:30 a.m.  |  LBJ Auditorium Doors Open
12:30 p.m.  |  Welcome
The Troops: A View from the Front Lines
Veterans discuss the daily reality of the war
Introduction: Karoni Forrester
Board of Directors and TX State Coordinator, National League of POW/MIA Families
Liz Allen, Ph.D.
Major, U.S. Army Nurse Corps (Retired); Former director of continuing education at the University of Michigan School of Nursing
John Sibley Butler
Founding Director, Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin; Bronze Star recipient
Isaac "Ike" Camacho
Former POW; Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Prisoner of War Medal, Bronze Star, two Silver Stars, and two Purple Hearts
Ken Wallingford
Former POW; Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart Recipient; Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary, Texas Veterans Land Board
Moderator: Dr. William Adams
Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
  • 12:35 p.m.
  • LBJ Auditorium
One, Two, Three: What Are We Fighting For?
Musicians discuss how the music of the times helped to offer comfort to our troops in Vietnam while fueling the anti-war movement at home
Co-sponsored by the GRAMMY Museum
Country Joe McDonald
Singer/songwriter and Navy Veteran
Peter Yarrow
Folksinger and Political Activist
Moderator: Bob Santelli
Executive Director, GRAMMY Museum
America and Vietnam in the 21st Century: A New Beginning
Remarks by Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Pham Quang Vinh
Introduction: Bobby R. Inman
Admiral, U. S. Navy, (Ret.)
Lessons Learned
The war's effect on America's foreign and military policy and role on the world stage
Co-sponsored by the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law and Clements Center for National Security, The University of Texas at Austin
Introduction: Will Inboden
Executive Director, Clements Center for National Security, The University of Texas at Austin
Bob Kerrey
Former Nebraska Governor; former U.S. Senator; Medal of Honor Recipient
William McRaven
University of Texas System Chancellor and Former Commander of United States Special Operations Command
Charles Robb
Former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator
Moderator: Dr. Mark Lawrence
Associate Professor of History, Distinguished Fellow at the Robert S. Strauss Center, and Director of Graduate Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
3:45 p.m.  |  Closing  |  Mark K. Updegrove, Director, LBJ Presidential Library
  End of Afternoon Session
Veteran Recognition Ceremony
Special guests: University of Texas Chancellor William McRaven; Karoni Forrester, National Board POW/MIA Families; John Miterko, Vietnam Veterans of America, Texas Chapter; Don Dorsey, Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans.
No ticket required. Ceremony is open to all Vietnam veterans and the general public.
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Library Plaza
Learn more
Opening Press Conference: The Wall That Heals
Friday, April 22
Open to all news media and the general public
  • 10:30 a.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Plaza
The Wall That Heals
April 22-28
The Wall That Heals is a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") in Washington, D.C. It is sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The Wall will be open to visitors April 22-28 and will be located on the plaza.
  • 24 Hours a Day
  • LBJ Presidential Library Plaza
Learn more
Book Signing: Joe Galloway
Tuesday, April 26
We Were Soldiers Once…And Young
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Lobby - Third Floor
Book Signing: Joe Klein
Tuesday, April 26
Payback: Five Marines After Vietnam and Charlie Mike: A True Story of Heroes Who Brought Their Mission Home
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Lobby - Third Floor
Book Signing: Jan Scruggs
Tuesday, April 26
Dreams Unfulfilled: Stories of the Men and Women on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Lobby - Third Floor
Educator Session: Sarah Botstein, Producer of The Vietnam War, and Lynn Novick, Producer and Director of The Vietnam War
Wednesday, April 27
This session is invite-only. For more information, contact the LBJ Library Education Department at [email protected].
  • 9:45-10:45 a.m.
  • SRH 3.122, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Educator Session: Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the GRAMMY MUSEUM
Wednesday, April 27
This session is invite-only. For more information, contact the LBJ Library Education Department at [email protected].
  • 10:45 a.m.-noon
  • SRH 3.122, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Book Signing: Peter Arnett
Wednesday, April 27
Saigon Has Fallen
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Lobby - Third Floor
Book Signing: David Maraniss
Wednesday, April 27
They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America October 1967
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Lobby - Third Floor
Book Signing: Dan Rather
Wednesday, April 27
Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News
  • 4 p.m.
  • LBJ Presidential Library Lobby - Third Floor
Book Signing: Richard Pena
Thursday, April 28
Last Plane Out of Saigon
  • 4 p.m.
  • The Store at LBJ - Third Floor
Educator Session: Mark Lawrence, Associate Professor of History, Distinguished Fellow at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and Director of Graduate Studies at the Clements Center for National Security, The University of Texas at Austin
Thursday, April 28
This session is invite-only. For more information, contact the LBJ Library Education Department at [email protected].
  • 9:30-10:45 a.m.
  • SRH 3.122, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Educator Session: Dan Rather, Former CBS News Anchor and Journalist
Thursday, April 28
This session is invite-only. For more information, contact the LBJ Library Education Department at [email protected].
  • 10:45-11:45 a.m.
  • SRH 3.122, LBJ School of Public Affairs