Keynote speaker, Bill Albracht, author of "Abandoned in Hell"
MOLINE, IL - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS, will hold a screening of the Academy Award- nominated documentary "Last Days in Vietnam: American Experience" at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 12 at CityView Celebrations in Moline. The screening is open free to the public.
The film chronicles the final chaotic days of the Vietnam War, as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon. City after city and village after village fell to the North, while the few U.S. diplomats and military operatives still in the country contemplated withdrawal. With the lives of thousands of Vietnamese hanging in the balance, those in control faced an impossible choice - who would go and who would be left behind to face brutality, imprisonment and even death. Directed by Rory Kenney the film marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Following the film William Albracht, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and author of "Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam's Fire Base Kate," will discuss his experiences. Albrecht, who is a retired secret service agent, had a White House career spanning 25 years, in which he served on the protection details of four American Presidents and of numerous foreign dignitaries. Following his retirement, Albracht managed executive security operations for the Ford Motor Company before returning to the Quad Cities to open a security consulting business.
WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University.
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