Perryville museum opens this weekend

Beginning this weekend, visitors to Missouri's National Vietnam Memorial in Perryville, Missouri, can stop in the on-site museum, opening in its first phase Aug. 1.

DeAnna Kluender, operations coordinator, did the research, planning and layout for the displays.

Kluender said the initial exhibits are just enough to get the museum open and have something for visitors to experience while staff work on future exhibits.

This phase is dedicated to Jim Eddleman, founder of the memorial, and his experience as a soldier in Vietnam during the war there, Kluender said.

"I did a lot of research for the timeline wall on U.S. involvement in Vietnam," Kluender, a retired educator, said. That research included how the involvement started, activities involving the government and the military, protests at home -- "the good, the bad, everything for our timeline wall," she said.

Another exhibit focuses on items donated to the museum. Several board members are Vietnam veterans, Kluender said, and were able to give some insight into the items' significance and how they would have been used in combat.

During her time as an educator, Kluender said, it was tough to get to teaching about the Vietnam War, so her goal in building these exhibits is also to educate.

A third exhibit includes firearms from Eddleman's collection, ranging from pre-Civil War to present day.

Kluender said the museum opening is a smaller affair than originally planned, due to COVID-19, but the museum and visitors' center will be open to the public. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. The wall, a full-scale replica of the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C., and grounds are open 24 hours a day.