Museum Director's Office is the set for oral history filming

Photo By Max Lonzanida | Stan Streit, a US Navy Vietnam Veteran, is interviewed for an oral history project. Behind the cinema camera is the museum’s Exhibits Specialist, Don Darcy, and the museum’s Education Director, Laura Orr, served as the interviewer. The oral history project is being done to support the museum’s new exhibit, scheduled to open in May 2019, which chronicles the US Navy’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Note: Images submitted to DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) are available for the public to download and utilize without cost. If this image appears on a commercial site that charges a fee to download, you can avert this by going to www.Dvidshub.net, and search for the associated image under our command, Naval History & Heritage Command, where the high resolution image is available without cost. (US Navy Photo by Max Lonzanida/Released)  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

10.04.2018

Story by Max Lonzanida  

Naval History and Heritage Command

The museum director’s office at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum is the staff’s largest office. And rightfully so. The office is adorned with matching wood furniture, a round table for discussions (heated or light hearted), and a window that provides a commanding view of the USS Wisconsin (BB-64). But what do you do when your museum director is out of the office? You turn his office into a production studio!

This was the case last month, when the quiet and spacious quarters of the director’s office were transformed into a production set. Studio quality lighting was carefully bounced off the wall to create a soft lighting tone. A backdrop was hanged from the wall to reflect a neutral tone. A production quality cinema camera was set up on a tripod, and the setting was akin to being filmed for a documentary movie. The cinema quality set was needed to record oral histories from Vietnam Veterans. Throughout the day, in timed intervals, veterans from the war fought decades ago took to the hot seat. Sitting across from them was the museum’s Education Director, Laura Orr and the museum’s Exhibits Specialist, Don Darcy who operated the cinema camera. Orr posed the prepared questions, and in the hot seat, Vietnam Veterans recounted their stories of a war fought decades ago.

The recording was part of an on-going oral history project that is being produced by the museum to support its new exhibit that’s slated to open in May 2019. The exhibit will chronicle the US Navy’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Crucial to the interpretation of artifacts and panels depicting the war are first person accounts. On this particular afternoon, local Vietnam Veteran Stan Streit was being interviewed.

Streit arrived early for his interview, and met with Laura Orr and Don Darcy about the process. A studio microphone was attached, and a few sound tests were taken to determine the level of interference. After Darcy, who was operating the cinema camera was satisfied, Orr started with the prepared questions. All of the veterans who were interviewed for this on-going project were asked the same questions. It was the individual, and sometimes emotional responses that differed, and this human connection added to the rich historical tapestry of the project. Streit’s oral history, along with the other oral histories of US Navy Vietnam Veterans, will be utilized in the museum’s Vietnam War exhibit; slated to debut in May 2019.

About the oral history project:

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is looking for veterans from the Navy or Marine Corps who served in Vietnam (anytime between 1964–75). If you’re willing to be interviewed about your experiences and you live in the Hampton Roads area, contact [e-mail] or at [phone]. The museum is developing a new exhibit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Vietnam, and highlighted within that exhibit will be the personal experiences of Sailors and Marines.

About the museum:

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is one of ten Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It celebrates the long history of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is co-located with Nauticus in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Admission to the museum is free, simply by-pass the ticket line and take the stairs or elevator to the museum on the second deck. The museum hosts a robust educational program for area schools and commands, with free educational programs to area schools aligned with state curriculum standards, a travelling sea chest program, a premier Lego outreach program, and historical presentations for area commands. To inquire, contact their Educational Director, Laura Orr at [e-mail] or at [phone]. The museum is also host to a robust volunteer corps, who serve as docents, support special events, and assist in museum archives. To inquire, contact their Volunteer Coordinator, Darcy Sink at [e-mail] or at [phone]. Lastly the museum proudly hosts military ceremonies, such as re-enlistments, retirements, and promotions for area commands aboard the U.S.S Wisconsin and in the museum’s gallery. To inquire, contact their special events coordinator, Tom Dandes at [e-mail] or call [phone].

• Date Taken: 10.04.2018
• Date Posted: 10.04.2018 16:13
• Story ID: 295471
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US