Elizabethtown College brings Vietnam War survivor Kim Phuc to 10th Annual Ware Lecture

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Kim Phuc "Napalm Girl"

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (03/08/2016)(readMedia)-- Prior to the Ware Lecture on Peacemaking, featuring Kim Phuc (FOOK), the woman in the iconic Vietnam War photo of a girl running naked in the road after being burned by Napalm, (7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13) Elizabethtown College is offering several opportunities to explore war and peace as it related to that time in history.

All of the events are free, and no tickets or reservations are required for any events except the lecture.

Beginning with a reception at 4 p.m. Monday, March 14, the College offers "War and Peace" a photography exhibit, a mix of well-known war-era photographs taken by professional journalists and new ones submitted by Elizabethtown College students.

The exhibition demonstrates how photographs have a profound impact, serving as powerful reminders of the harsh realities of conflict but also of peace.

Included in the exhibit is the famous image of Kim Phuc.

Elizabethtown College's Dr. Katherine Hughes will discuss the impact of photography, in general, and Dr. David Brown will talk about the historical context of the famous "Napalm Girl" image.

The exhibit takes place in High Library and continues through April 15.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, a screening of the film "Platoon" takes place in Elizabethtown College's Gibble Theatre.

"Platoon" follows a young recruit in Vietnam as he faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

A Q&A session follows the film.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, a panel of Vietnam War objectors share why they made the decision to not join as combatants in the war, taking part, instead, in alternative service.

The panel discussion, which takes place in Gibble Auditorium, gives three conscientious objectors the opportunity to share first-hand accounts of their experiences in alternative service during the Vietnam War. They will share insight into the religious beliefs and values that impacted these decisions.

On the panel are:

Dr. Kenneth Kreider, professor emeritus of history at Elizabethtown College, who spoke courageously against the war, to the point of being hung in effigy. In addition to a speech, in 1965, on the historical background of the war in Vietnam, he organized groups to participate in the anti-war rallies in Washington, D.C.

Titus Peachey recently retired from Mennonite Central Committee where he worked on concerns for peace and justice. Involved in peace education, he fulfilled his alternative service inside Vietnam in the early 1970s.

Dr. Eugene Clemens, professor emeritus of religion from Elizabethtown, started at the College in 1965 when the protest against the war was just beginning. From 1968 to 1998 he was faculty adviser for a peace group and organized "teach-ins" and bus trips to Washington, D.C., and he published an "underground" newspaper related to the War protest.

The panel will be moderated by Dr. Peggy McFarland, professor of social work at Elizabethtown and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Vietnam, and Dr. Jeff Bach, director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. He teaches in the College's Department of Religious Studies.

Pulling all of these events together is the Judy S. '68 and Paul W. Ware Lecture taking place in the Leffler Chapel and Performance Center at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13.

Phan Thi Kim Phúc was just nine years old when a photo was taken of her as she and her family fled from a Buddhist pagoda, where they had been hiding following an attack on her village.

Her talk is titled "War and Healing: The Girl in the Picture."

Two of Phuc's infant cousins did not survive the attack, and Phúc was badly burned; she was not expected to live. The photograph of her running down the road, screaming from the burns to her skin, was taken by Nick Ut. It remains one of the most unforgettable images of the Vietnam War.

Tickets for the Ware Lecture are free but must be reserved: 717-361-4757 or lecturetickets@etown.edu

Phúc's incredible story was turned into a book called "The Girl in the Picture" and a documentary called "Kim's Story: The Road from Vietnam". Her book will be available for signing immediately following the lecture.

Hosted annually by the Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking, the Judy S. '68 and Paul W. Ware Colloquium on Peacemaking consists of the Center's signature event, the Ware Lecture on Peacemaking, the Ware Seminars on Global Citizenship and the Ware Practicum in Conflict Resolution. The colloquium is made possible by a generous grant from Judy S. '68 and Paul W. Ware of Lancaster, Pa. The Ware Lecture has brought Nobel Peace Prize recipients and former presidents from around the world to Elizabethtown College

For more information on these events, please contact Kay Wolf in the College's Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking at 717-361-1147 or wolfk@etown.edu.