Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) will take part in the City of Lake Charles Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission Veterans Day activities at the Lake Charles Civic Center, Saturday, November 11 thanks to support from the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau. As part of their community outreach for the PBS series “The Vietnam War: A Film By Ken Burns & Lynn Novick,” LPB will bring their 20 feet by 30 feet Traveling Map of Vietnam and record oral histories from Vietnam Veterans in the Lake Charles area. All Vietnam Veterans are invited to sign the map of the Vietnam’s theatre of war. Veterans, family members of veterans, and anyone affected by the Vietnam War will be able to record their stories on camera.

Veterans who would like to record an oral history are asked to schedule a time with LPB by calling Marian at  (225) 767-4204 or 1-800-272-8161, Ext. 4204.  Veterans who come to record their oral history are encouraged to bring photographs and other small memorabilia from their time in Vietnam. LPB will schedule recording appointments on the half hour from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. All interviews will be catalogued in the Louisiana Digital Media Archive www.ladigitalmedia.org. Veterans can also record their own testimonies and submit them at www.lpb.org/vietnam.

The annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center Mezzanine. Major General Ronald G. Richard, who is a retired United States Marine Corps officer, will be this year’s guest speaker. Maranda Whittington, KPLC reporter, will be the Master of Ceremonies, and this year’s event will pay special recognition to all Southwest Louisiana veterans. Immediately following the ceremony, the public is invited to a free family luncheon. 

LPB’s inclusion in this event is being sponsored by the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau. For more information on the Veterans Day ceremony, please contact 491-9176. To schedule a time with LPB, please contact Marian at  (225) 767-4204 or 1-800-272-8161, Ext. 4204.