The novel, The Things They Carried, describes not only the physical objects that soldiers carried - mundane items such as matches and m & m candies, but the intangible objects - fear, guilt, and homesickness.
Local veterans were invited to bring their Vietnam War mementos, their Things I Carried, to be preserved on film. Please share their memories of this turbulent time in our Nation's history.
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Alex Sorton |
John (Jack) S. Darr |
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Al Weber |
Lorraine A. Darr |
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Amphone Manivong |
Phiengphonekeo Seuamsothabandith |
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Charles E. Fox |
Ric A. Bender |
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Fred J. Zimmerman |
Robert A. Getz |
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James R. Wire |
Robert Braido |
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John Geavaras |
Ted Biever |
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure. In 2013, Gail Borden Public Library, in cooperation with a number of other community partners, sponsored The Big Read in Elgin and surrounding communities. The title selected for the program was The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Other community events and activities for the Big Read can be found here.
All of the photos were taken on August 24, 2013 at Gail Borden Public Library. Special thanks are given to John Dziekan for photography and the Canon Corporation for film developing. Original copyright for the photographs is retained by John Dziekan.
Photographs of Vietnam veterans with “the things they carried” (items they brought with them to the war) will be on display throughout the Fox Valley. This exhibit was created by former Chicago Tribune award-winning photographer John Dziekan. Many thanks to Canon for the photo printing.