SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — In 1988, KELOLAND sent a crew to Vietnam in what was a groundbreaking visit. The Vietnam War had only been over for 13 years and the communist government was just starting to let people visit the country. 18,000 South Dakotans went to Vietnam during the war. This week, both KELOLAND and our parent company, Nexstar, are airing specials on Vietnam.
37 years ago, KELOLAND’s Steve Hemmingson and Dexter Gronseth appeared on Keloland’s weekly half-hour news show called 30 hosted by Doug Lund. They had accompanied Senator Larry Pressler to get a look at the country and hopefully find some answers. At the time very little was know about what Vietnam was like after the war.
“While curiosity about Vietnam was a common thread among our party, we all had different motives for making the trip,” wrote Steven Hemmingsen. “For Senator Larry Pressler, Vietnam veterans making the trip it was a combination of nostalgia and his current decision-making role as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The missing in action, improving relations with our former enemy. For photographer Bruce Gronseth and myself, a journalist’s curiosity and in a way an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of history foot steps made by 18 thousand South Dakotans when what is now history the Vietnam War was current events.”
What Hemmingsen and Gronseth found was a country frozen in time, the buildings were old, transportation was simple and the economy was struggling. The average Vietnamese worker made a few hundred dollars a month. One of the most poignant outcomes of their journey was the coverage of the Vietnamese government’s return of the remains of 27 American service members, who had been killed during the war.
“In a ceremony no doubt staged for Senator Pressler’s benefit, the Vietnamese turn over the remains of 27 known Americans. Plus, three our officials don’t think are Americans, those 3 are treated differently. The American in charge suspects the Vietnamese would like to see some of their people get American military honors. The propaganda war goes on. This ceremony accounts for only about one percent of our missing, wrote Hemmingsen.
In 1988, there were still fears that not all American POW’s had been freed.
“It is my judgment that there are probably not any living MIA who are being forcefully held by the Vietnamese, said Pressler in 1988. “There very well could be some who are being held in territory not controlled by them in Cambodia or someplace such as that.”
Senator Pressler served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Part of his job in the army was helping South Vietnamese farmers be more productive. The Humboldt native was curious to see if the lessons he left behind were still being used. To round out the program, Hemmingsen and Gronseth joined Lund in the studio to talk about a range of issues from food to electricity to the people.
Lund- “One final question for both of you. If you had the opportunity to return, would you?”
Steve- “I would.”
Dexter- “I would too.”
Steve- “If we’d had more time there. In Vietnam we had 4 days and we were running, this was 48-hour style journalism.”
Dexter- “I would go back in a second. It’s a beautiful country. I wish we could have gotten into the less populated areas… the countryside and really had a chance to visit with those village-type people.”
For both, the experience was eye-opening, offering a profound perspective on the impact of the war and the enduring human stories that continued to unfold years after the conflict had ended.
This Saturday night at 7 pm, KELO TV is going to be airing a special, titled Vietnam War: A Lost Generation. You can also tune in for a special edition of Inside KELOLAND as we share the stories of local Vietnam veterans. Inside KELOLAND airs Saturday at 9:00 A.M and again on Sunday at 10:30 P.M.
