OLLI at Drake Featured Course

From Iowa to Indochina – Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War, with Ambassador Kenneth Quinn

Fridays, February 7, 14, 21 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

“Five Decades After April 30, 1975, the Last Casualty of the Vietnam War has yet to take place”. Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, made that statement on December 3, 2024, at a symposium on de-mining and clearing explosives from the former DMZ in Central Vietnam. The Ambassador, who spent 24 of his 32-year diplomatic career either serving in Vietnam and Cambodia or working on post-conflict issues, will over two sessions provide a personal retrospective on the Vietnam War. From the Tet Offensive to the evacuation of Saigon to rescuing refugees and accounting for POW/MIAs to tracking down Pol Pot, the genocidal Khmer Rouge leader, Ken Quinn had an extraordinary front row seat to the tumultuous and tragic encounter with history in Indochina that defined American politics in the second half of the 20th Century. Shot at while flying helicopter missions; blown up by a North Vietnamese rocket; serving as interpreter for the President in Vietnamese; testifying in an espionage trial; suffering from Agent Orange; gaining access to a former Soviet prison to search for missing American pilots; as well as interacting with historic figures such as Senators John McCain and John Kerry; are just some of Ambassador Quinn’s personal experiences that he will share during the course.

Location: Harkin Institute or Zoom Cost: $45